period 1 part 1 vocab

Silk Routes

trade routes from China through Central Asia, Persia, and into the eastern Mediterranean

Caravanserais

inns or "rest stations" for travelers on desert caravan routes

Monsoons

seasonal wind patterns in the Indian Ocean basin that cause South Asia to have distinct wet and dry seasons

Dhows

Compact, maneuverable ships (known for their lateen/triangular sails) favored by Indian, Persian, & Arab sailors to carry cargo in the western Indian Ocean basin.

Junks

Large Chinese ships (with sternpost rudders) designed for long-distance travel during the Tang and Song dynasties

magnetic compass

Chinese invention that aided navigation by showing which direction was north

Astrolabe

An instrument used by sailors to determine their location by observing the position of the stars in relation to the horizon

Bills of Exchange

Paper bills ($$) used to established exchange between different coinage systems

Entrepot

a port city to which goods are brought for import & export (for collection & distribution)

cultural diffusion

The spread of ideas, customs, and technologies from one people to another

epidemic

A widespread outbreak of an infectious disease.

Islam

"Submission" to the will of Allah (and a religion based on the prophecy of Muhammad)

Muslim

"One who has submitted"; a follower of Islam

Hijrah

Muhammad's migration from Mecca to (Yathrib) Medina in 622 CE

Five Pillars of Islam

Declaration of faith, prayer, alms, fasting, and pilgrimage

Hajj

A pilgrimage to Mecca, performed as a duty by Muslims

Dar al-Islam

an Arabic term that means the "house of Islam" and that refers to lands under Islamic rule

Quran

the sacred writings of Islam revealed by Allah to the prophet Muhammad

Shari'ah

Dynamic body of Islamic law, drawn up by Muslim scholars after Muhammad's death; provides followers with a set of laws to regulate their daily lives

Jihad

A "struggle" (sometimes called a holy war) undertaken as a sacred duty in Islam

Caliph

supreme political and religious leader of Dar al-Islam; "deputy" and successor to Muhammad

Caliphate

Area ruled by a caliph

Qadis

a judge in a Muslim community, whose decisions are based on Islamic law

Sunni

sect of Islam that accepted the rule of the first four caliphs; includes the majority (~80%) of Muslims today

Shiite

a member of the sect of Islam that regards the 4th caliph Ali as the legitimate successor to Muhammad; includes approx. 15% of Muslims today (mostly in Iran & Iraq)

Sufi

A member of the more mystical third sect of Islam, famous for their ritual dance and poetry and for their missionary work

Tang Dynasty

Dynasty often referred to as China's Golden age that reigned during 618 - 907 AD; China expands from Vietnam to Manchuria

Song Dynasty

(960-1279 CE) The Chinese dynasty that placed much more emphasis on civil administration, education, and the arts OVER the military.

Bureaucracy of Merit

Bureaucracy chosen by civil service examinations based on Confucian education - no longer decided by family lineage

"Middle Kingdom"

Chinese term reflecting the belief that China was the center of the world (& superior to neighboring societies)

kowtow

Chinese custom of touching the ground with the forehead as a sign of respect or submission for a superior

porcelain

a thin, beautiful pottery invented and produced & exported as a luxury good during the Tang Dynasty

Foot Binding

Practice in Chinese society to mutilate women's feet in order to make them smaller; made it easier to confine women to the household & became a sign of social status (wealth)

Neo-Confucianism

The Confucian response to Buddhism by combining Confucian and Buddhist beliefs; however, it is still very much Confucian in ideology

Chan Buddhism

Popular branch of Buddhism in China, with an emphasis on intuition, the arts, and sudden flashes of insight instead of textual study (known as Zen Buddhism in Japan)

Feudalism

A political & social system in which nobles are granted control over lands that legally belong to their king, in exchange for loyalty, military service, & protection of the people who live on the land

Shogun

A military general who ruled Japan in the emperor's name

Daimyo

A Japanese feudal lord who commanded a private army of samurai

Samurai

Literally 'those who serve'; the warriors & hereditary military elite in feudal Japan

Bushido

The "way of the warrior"; code of honor and morals developed by the Japanese samurai