AP World History Semester Exam ALL vocab words

hunter-gatherer

Small groups that got food by foraging and hunting rather than farming. They were mobile and shaped early human migration.

nomadic

A lifestyle involving constant movement in search of food, water, or pasture. Nomads don't establish permanent settlements.

matrilineal

A kinship system tracing ancestry and inheritance through the mother's line.

Neolithic Revolution

The shift from hunting-gathering to agriculture around 10,000 BCE. It led to permanent settlements and a rising population.

agriculture

The cultivation of plants and animals for food, which allowed surplus and larger communities.

domestication

Human control of plants and animals for reliable food, labor, or companionship.

sedentary

Living in one permanent place instead of moving; made possible by farming.

Judaism

An ancient monotheistic religion centered on the covenant between God and the Hebrew people.

Abrahamic

Religions tracing spiritual lineage to Abraham, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

monotheism

Belief in one all-powerful deity.

polytheism

Belief in multiple gods, each often tied to nature or human activity.

patriarchal society

A social system dominated by men in political, economic, and family life.

city-state

An independent urban center with its own government and surrounding territory.

Indo-European

A linguistic group whose languages spread from Central Asia across Europe and India.

Vedas

Ancient Sanskrit texts formed the foundation of early Hindu beliefs.

Hinduism

A major Indian religion with beliefs in dharma, karma, and reincarnation.

reincarnation

The belief that the soul is reborn into new lives based on past actions.

caste system

A rigid social hierarchy in India that determined occupation and status by birth.

karma

The idea that actions influence future rebirths.

dharma

A person's religious and moral duties based on their position in life.

Buddhism

A religion founded by Siddhartha Gautama teaching the path to enlightenment and escape from suffering.

Siddhartha Gautama/Buddha

An Indian prince who achieved enlightenment and taught the Four Noble Truths.

Nirvana

A state of spiritual liberation free from suffering and rebirth.

stupas

Buddhist mounded shrines holding relics or sacred objects.

Rock and Pillar Edicts

Inscriptions placed by Ashoka promoting Buddhist ethics and moral governance.

Shintoism

Japanese religion focused on spirits of nature and ancestors.

Daoism/Taoism

A Chinese philosophy seeking harmony with the natural order and minimal interference in life.

Confucius

A Chinese philosopher emphasizing moral behavior, education, and social harmony.

filial piety

Respect and obedience owed to parents and elders.

dynasty

A ruling family that maintains power over generations.

mandate of heaven

Chinese belief that heaven grants rulers authority but can withdraw it during corruption.

scholar-gentry

The educated bureaucratic elite in imperial China.

Constantine

Roman emperor who legalized Christianity and moved the capital to Constantinople.

Hellenistic Period

Era after Alexander the Great blending Greek, Persian, Egyptian, and Indian cultures.

Pope

The leader of the Roman Catholic Church.

Jesus of Nazareth

Jewish teacher believed by Christians to be the Son of God and savior

Bedouin

Nomadic Arab herders from the Arabian Peninsula.

Muhammad

Founder of Islam, regarded as the final prophet.

Qur'an/Koran

Islam's sacred text containing God's revelations to Muhammad.

Five Pillars

Core Islamic duties, including prayer, fasting, charity, faith, and pilgrimage.

caliph

The political and religious successor to Muhammad.

Sunni(s)

Muslims who believe leadership should go to the most capable community member.

Shi'a/Shi'ite

Muslims who believe leadership should stay within Muhammad's family.

Mawali

Non-Arab Muslim converts in early Islamic history.

dhimmi

Non-Muslim subjects in Islamic empires who paid a special tax for protection.

Ministry of Rites

Chinese government department managing Confucian exams and rituals.

jinshi

The highest degree in the Chinese civil service exam system.

Pure Land (Mahayana) Buddhism

A Buddhist branch focusing on salvation through faith and devotion.

Zen/Chan Buddhism

A tradition emphasizing meditation and direct spiritual insight.

Grand Canal (China)

A massive waterway linking northern and southern China for trade and transport.

Empress Wu

China's only female emperor, a Tang ruler who promoted Buddhism.

Wuzong

Tang emperor who persecuted Buddhists to strengthen Confucian influence.

neo-Confucians

Thinkers who blended Confucian ideas with Buddhist and Daoist elements during the Song.

junks

Large, advanced Chinese sailing ships.

flying money

Early Chinese paper credit used by merchants.

footbinding

Chinese practice of tightly binding girls' feet to signify status and beauty.

The Tale of Genji

A Japanese novel often considered the world's first psychological novel.

Shoguns/Shogunate

Military rulers of Japan who held actual power over the emperor.

Sinification

The spread of Chinese culture to neighboring societies.

Trung Sisters

Vietnamese sisters who led a rebellion against Chinese rule.

proto-Industrialization

Growth of small-scale manufacturing before the full Industrial Revolution.

Mamluks

Slave-soldiers who formed powerful military elites in Islamic empires.

Seljuk Turks

Nomadic Turkic people who became dominant in the Islamic Middle East.

sultan

A Muslim political ruler.

Sufis

Islamic mystics focused on personal connection with God.

theocracy

Government based on religious authority.

Rajput

Warrior clans in northern India known for regional kingdoms.

Shrivijaya Empire

A wealthy maritime empire in Southeast Asia controlling key trade routes.

Khmer Empire

Southeast Asian empire known for Angkor Wat and hydraulic engineering.

Delhi Sultanate

Muslim-ruled kingdom in India from the 1200s-1500s.

Nasir al-Din al-Tusi

Persian scholar known for advances in astronomy and mathematics.

Vijayanagara Empire

A major Hindu kingdom in south India known for trade and culture.

Sea-Based Kingdoms

Southeast Asian states built on maritime trade rather than large land empires.

Sinhala Dynasties

Sri Lankan Buddhist kingdoms known for irrigation and temples.

Tenochtitlan

Capital of the Aztec Empire, built on an island in Lake Texcoco.

chinampas

Artificial "floating gardens" used by the Aztecs to maximize farmland.

"Flowery Death"

Aztec belief that death in battle or sacrifice guaranteed a blessed afterlife.

split inheritance

Inca system where the ruler's successor got political power, but not the wealth, which stayed with the dead ruler's cult.

Inca socialism

Spanish term describing the Inca system of collective labor and land distribution.

mita

Inca labor tax requiring communities to provide workers for state projects.

quipu

Knotted strings used by the Inca for record-keeping.

Mississippian

North American mound-building culture known for large towns like Cahokia.

Anasazi

Ancient peoples of the American Southwest who built cliff dwellings and pueblos.

stateless societies

Communities without centralized authority, governed by local kin groups.

Mali

West African empire controlling gold-salt trade routes.

Mansa Musa

Mali's famed ruler who made a lavish pilgrimage to Mecca.

Songhay

Successor empire to Mali, dominant in West Africa in the 15th-16th centuries.

griots

West African storytellers preserving oral history.

Ibn Battuta

Moroccan traveler who recorded accounts of Islamic lands across Africa and Asia.

Timbuktu

A major Malian city known for trade and Islamic scholarship.

Great Zimbabwe

A powerful southern African city-state known for massive stone walls.

Zanj

Swahili-speaking communities along East Africa's coast.

Benin

West African kingdom known for bronze art and regional trade.

Justinian

Byzantine emperor who reconquered Roman lands and codified Roman law.

icons

Religious images used in Eastern Orthodox worship.

Vladimir I

Kievan ruler who adopted Eastern Orthodoxy for his people.

Russian Orthodoxy

Branch of Christianity shaped by Byzantine influence.

tsar/czar

Russian title for monarch, derived from "Caesar."

schism

The 1054 split between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches.

Cyril and Methodius

Byzantine missionaries who created the Cyrillic alphabet.