Ap World Unit 2 Part 1 Test

Sassanid Empire

The Sassanid Empire (224-651 CE) was the last pre-Islamic Persian dynasty centered in modern Iran, known for its Zoroastrian religion and rivalry with Byzantium. It is significant because its culture and administration influenced the early Islamic Caliphates that succeeded it.

Zoroastrianism

Zoroastrianism, founded by the prophet Zoroaster in ancient Persia, taught a dualistic struggle between good and evil. Its moral and theological ideas influenced Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Mecca

Mecca, located in western Arabia, was a major trade and religious city and the birthplace of Muhammad around 570 CE. It remains the holiest city in Islam and the destination of the hajj pilgrimage.

Ka'ba

The Ka'ba is a sacred cube-shaped shrine in Mecca believed to have been built by Abraham and Ishmael. It symbolizes the unity of the Muslim community and is the focus of prayer in Islam.

Five Pillars of Islam

The Five Pillars are the foundational acts of Muslim faith—declaration of faith, prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and pilgrimage. They define Islamic practice and unify Muslims globally.

Muhammad

Muhammad (570-632 CE) was the Prophet of Islam who received revelations from Allah, recorded in the Quran. His leadership unified Arabia and began Islam's global expansion.

Abu Bakr

Abu Bakr (r. 632-634 CE) was Muhammad's close companion and the first Caliph. He solidified Muslim unity and began the expansion of Islam beyond Arabia.

Medina

Medina, in western Arabia, was the city where Muhammad and his followers fled during the Hijra in 622 CE. It became the first Muslim community and marks the start of the Islamic calendar.

Umma

The Umma refers to the community of all Muslims united by faith, first formed in Medina. It represents Islam's blending of spiritual and political unity.

Caliphate

The Caliphate was the Islamic political system led by Muhammad's successors (Caliphs) from 632 CE onward. It established Islam as both a religion and a governing power.

Khalifa / Caliph

A Caliph (Arabic Khalifa, meaning "successor") was the leader of the Muslim community after Muhammad. Caliphs were central to debates over religious and political authority.

Quran

The Quran is the holy book of Islam, believed to be God's revelation to Muhammad. It is the foundation of Islamic law, theology, and culture.

Imam

In Sunni Islam, an Imam is a prayer leader; in Shi'a Islam, Imams are divinely guided leaders descended from Muhammad. They are crucial to understanding the Sunni-Shi'a divide.

Ulama

The Ulama are Islamic scholars who interpret Sharia and teach in madrasas. Their influence ensured the preservation of Islamic law and knowledge.

Shiites

Shiites are Muslims who believe leadership should descend from Muhammad's family, especially Ali. Their split from Sunnis shaped Islamic political and theological history.

Sunnis

Sunnis, the majority of Muslims, accept the first Caliphs as rightful leaders chosen by consensus. Their dominance shaped Islamic governance and law.

Umayyad Caliphate

The Umayyad Caliphate (661-750 CE) was the first hereditary dynasty of Islam, ruling from Damascus. It expanded Islam from Spain to India and established Arabic as the administrative language.

Abbasid Caliphate

The Abbasid Caliphate (750-1258 CE) moved the capital to Baghdad and presided over a golden age of learning and trade. It was key to global cultural and scientific exchange.

Harun al-Rashid

Harun al-Rashid (r. 786-809 CE) was an Abbasid Caliph who ruled during the Islamic Golden Age. His patronage of the arts and sciences made Baghdad a global intellectual center.

House of Wisdom

The House of Wisdom, founded in Baghdad, was a major intellectual center for translation and scholarship. It preserved and expanded Greek, Persian, and Indian knowledge.

Madrasas

Madrasas were Islamic schools established across the Caliphate to teach law, theology, and science.

Astrolabe

The Astrolabe, developed by Muslim astronomers, was used to measure the stars for navigation and prayer direction. It symbolizes Islamic advances in science.

Translation Movement

The Translation Movement (8th-10th centuries) was an Abbasid effort to translate Greek and Persian works into Arabic. It fueled scientific and philosophical progress in the Islamic world.

Mamluk Caliphate

The Mamluk Caliphate (1250-1517 CE) was a military regime of slave soldiers in Egypt. They preserved Islamic rule against Mongols and Crusaders and promoted trade and architecture.

Christian Crusades

The Crusades (1096-1291 CE) were European campaigns to reclaim the Holy Land from Muslims. They reshaped Christian-Muslim relations and intensified East-West exchange.

Sharia

Sharia is Islamic law derived from the Quran and Hadith. It governs moral, social, and legal aspects of Muslim life and shaped Islamic societies.

Hadith

The Hadith are collections of Muhammad's sayings and actions. They are essential for interpreting Islamic law and theology alongside the Quran.

Charlemagne

Charlemagne (742-814 CE) was the king of the Franks who united Western Europe and was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 800 CE. He revived learning and strengthened Christian rule, shaping medieval Europe.

Medieval

The Medieval period (c. 500-1500 CE) refers to Europe's Middle Ages between Rome's fall and the Renaissance. It saw feudalism, the growth of the Church, and the birth of modern European states.

Byzantine Empire

The Byzantine Empire (330-1453 CE) was the eastern Roman Empire centered in Constantinople. It preserved Greco-Roman culture and Orthodox Christianity for over a millennium.

Caesaropapism

Caesaropapism is the combination of political and religious authority in one ruler, used by Byzantine emperors. It illustrates the unity of church and state in the empire.

Kievan Russia

Kievan Russia (9th-13th centuries) was a federation of Slavic states influenced by Byzantium. Its adoption of Orthodox Christianity shaped Russian culture and politics.

Emperor Alexius

Emperor Alexius I (r. 1081-1118 CE) ruled Byzantium and requested help from the Pope against the Turks, launching the First Crusade. His diplomacy connected Eastern and Western Christendom.

Constantinople

Constantinople (modern Istanbul) was the Byzantine capital founded by Constantine in 330 CE. It became a major center of trade and Christianity until its fall to the Ottomans in 1453.

Cyrillic Alphabet

The Cyrillic alphabet was developed by Saints Cyril and Methodius to translate the Bible into Slavic languages. It spread Christianity and literacy across Eastern Europe.

Carolingian Empire

The Carolingian Empire (8th-9th centuries) was Charlemagne's realm in Western Europe. It restored order and revived learning after the chaos of Rome's fall.

Vikings

The Vikings were Norse seafarers from Scandinavia who raided and settled across Europe (8th-11th centuries). Their voyages expanded trade and reshaped European political systems.

Manorial System

The Manorial System was a medieval economic system where peasants worked land owned by lords. It sustained feudal society and shaped rural European life.

Feudalism

Feudalism was a political system based on land-for-service agreements between lords and vassals. It structured medieval European society and governance.

Vassal

A vassal was a noble who pledged loyalty and military service to a lord in exchange for land. This bond was central to the feudal hierarchy.

Papacy / Pope

The Papacy, led by the Pope, was the central authority of the Roman Catholic Church. It held immense spiritual and political power throughout medieval Europe.

Holy Roman Empire

The Holy Roman Empire (800-1806 CE) was a multiethnic realm in central Europe uniting church and state under an emperor. It preserved the idea of Christian universal rule.

Investiture Controversy

The Investiture Controversy (1075-1122 CE) was a conflict between the Pope and Holy Roman Emperor over appointing bishops. It defined church-state relations in medieval Europe.

Thomas à Becket

Thomas à Becket (1119-1170 CE) was the Archbishop of Canterbury who resisted King Henry II's control over the Church and was martyred. His death symbolized the clash between spiritual and royal authority.

Monasticism

Monasticism was the religious practice of withdrawing from the world to live in prayer and labor. Monasteries preserved classical learning and spread Christianity.

Latin West

The Latin West refers to Western Europe where Latin was the scholarly and religious language. It contrasts with the Greek-speaking East and shaped Western identity.

Three-Field System

The Three-Field System was a medieval agricultural technique rotating crops to maintain soil fertility. It increased food production and supported population growth.

Waterwheel & Windmills

Waterwheels and windmills mechanized grinding and irrigation in medieval Europe. They symbolized technological progress that boosted the economy.

Hanseatic League

The Hanseatic League (13th-17th centuries) was a trade alliance of northern European cities. It strengthened economic networks and early capitalism.

Renaissance

The Renaissance (14th-17th centuries) was a cultural rebirth of art, science, and humanism in Europe. It marked the transition from medieval to modern history.

Sui Dynasty

The Sui Dynasty (581-618 CE) reunified China after centuries of division and built the Grand Canal. It laid the foundation for later Chinese prosperity.

Tang Dynasty

The Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE) was a golden age of culture and expansion in China. It spread Chinese influence and strengthened bureaucracy.

Song Dynasty

The Song Dynasty (960-1279 CE) emphasized scholarship, trade, and technology. It saw advances in printing, money, and gunpowder that shaped global history.

Grand Canal (China)

The Grand Canal, begun under the Sui Dynasty, connected northern and southern China. It became vital for trade and unifying China's economy.

Neo-Confucianism

Neo-Confucianism arose during the Song Dynasty, blending Confucian, Buddhist, and Daoist ideas. It shaped Chinese social ethics and education.

Chinese Examination System

The Chinese Examination System selected officials through merit-based tests on Confucian classics. It created a scholarly elite and stable bureaucracy.

Three Korean Kingdoms

The Three Korean Kingdoms—Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla—dominated Korea (1st century BCE-7th century CE). They spread Buddhism and Chinese influence in East Asia.

Shamanism

Shamanism is an ancient belief system centered on spirits and nature, common in early Korea and Central Asia. It influenced local practices even after Buddhism arrived.

Yamato Rulers

The Yamato rulers (3rd-8th centuries CE) unified Japan under a divine imperial line. They established centralized authority influenced by China.

Fujiwara

The Fujiwara clan dominated Japan's court politics during the Heian period (794-1185 CE). Their influence shaped Japanese aristocratic culture.

Kamakura Shogunate

The Kamakura Shogunate (1185-1333 CE) was Japan's first military government led by shoguns. It marked the rise of samurai power and feudal Japan.

Champa Rice

Champa Rice, imported from Vietnam to China, was fast-growing and drought-resistant. It increased food supply and population during the Song Dynasty.

Junk

Junks were large Chinese trading ships used from the Tang period onward. Their design advanced maritime trade across Asia and the Indian Ocean.

Magnetic Compass

The Magnetic Compass, invented in China, revolutionized navigation by showing direction. It enabled maritime expansion across the world.

Woodblock Printing

Woodblock Printing, developed in Tang China, allowed the mass production of books. It expanded literacy and preserved knowledge.

Flying Money

"Flying Money" was a paper credit system introduced in Tang China. It was an early form of banking and precursor to modern currency.

Gunpowder

Gunpowder, invented in 9th-century China, was first used for fireworks and later weapons. It transformed global warfare and marked a major technological revolution.