Comprehensive Notes on Song Dynasty, Islamic Empires, and Asian Civilizations

Champa rice

A fast-maturing, drought-resistant rice from Vietnam that boosted Song Dynasty population and agricultural productivity.

Proto-industrialization

Early form of industrial production where rural households made goods for trade, setting the stage for later industrialization.

Artisans

Skilled craftworkers whose products supported trade, urban economies, and cultural development.

Scholar gentry

Educated elite in China who gained government positions through exams, combining Confucian values with political power.

Filial piety

Respect and devotion to one's parents and ancestors, central to Confucian social order.

Grand Canal

Massive Chinese waterway linking northern and southern China, facilitating trade and political integration.

Song Dynasty

Chinese dynasty (960-1279 CE) known for economic prosperity, technological innovation, and strengthened bureaucracy.

Imperial bureaucracy

System of government officials enforcing state policies, chosen largely by merit, that ensured centralized control.

Meritocracy

System where government positions are awarded based on talent and exams, strengthening efficiency and fairness.

Woodblock printing

Technique of printing texts and images on paper, promoting literacy and dissemination of knowledge.

Foot binding

Practice of tightly binding young girls' feet in China, symbolizing social status and gender norms.

Buddhism

Religion emphasizing enlightenment, karma, and rebirth, influencing Asian culture, art, and ethics.

Theravada Buddhism

Conservative branch focusing on monastic life and individual enlightenment.

Mahayana Buddhism

More liberal branch emphasizing compassion and helping others achieve enlightenment.

Tibetan Buddhism

Branch combining Mahayana teachings with esoteric rituals and Tibetan cultural traditions.

Syncretic

Combining elements from different religions or cultures, often seen in Chinese religious practices.

Chan (Zen) Buddhism

Chinese meditation-focused Buddhism emphasizing simplicity, intuition, and enlightenment.

Neo-Confucianism

Revived Confucianism during Song Dynasty that incorporated Buddhist and Daoist ideas.

Heian period

Japanese era (794-1185) marked by court culture, art, and the rise of aristocratic families.

Nuclear families

Family units consisting of parents and children, common in Heian Japan and other societies.

Polygyny

Marriage system where a man has multiple wives, reflecting social hierarchy and wealth.

Mamluk Sultanate

Egyptian-based regime of former slave soldiers who ruled successfully, resisting Mongols and Crusaders.

Seljuk Turks

Nomadic warriors who controlled parts of the Middle East and served as sultans under the Abbasids.

Sultan

Muslim ruler with political and military authority, often under a caliph's religious oversight.

Mongols

Central Asian nomads whose conquests reshaped Eurasian trade, culture, and politics.

Abbasid Caliphate

Islamic dynasty (750-1258 CE) centered in Baghdad, fostering science, trade, and culture.

Mamluks

Slave soldiers in Islamic societies who could rise to powerful military or political roles.

Muhammad

Founder of Islam whose teachings formed the Qur'an and unified Arabian tribes under monotheism.

Crusaders

European warriors who launched religious wars in the Middle East, impacting trade and cultural exchange.

Sufis

Islamic mystics emphasizing personal experience of God and spiritual devotion.

House of Wisdom

Baghdad center for learning and translation of classical works into Arabic during Abbasid rule.

Baghdad

Capital of the Abbasid Caliphate and hub of trade, learning, and culture.

Nasir al-Din al-Tusi

Persian scholar who advanced mathematics, astronomy, and science in the Islamic Golden Age.

'A'ishah al-Ba'uniyya

Influential female Sufi poet and scholar, highlighting women's roles in Islamic intellectual life.

Vijayanagara Empire

Southern Indian Hindu kingdom (founded by Harihara and Bukka) that resisted Muslim invasions and promoted trade and culture.

Rajput kingdoms

North Indian Hindu states organized around warrior clans and decentralized governance.

Delhi Sultanate

Muslim regime in northern India promoting Islamic culture, trade, and centralized authority.

Srivijaya Empire

Maritime kingdom in Sumatra controlling trade through the Strait of Malacca.

Majapahit Kingdom

Japanese empire known for maritime trade dominance and Hindu-Buddhist culture.

Sinhala Dynasties

Sri Lankan kingdoms fostering Buddhism and agricultural development.

Khmer Empire

Southeast Asian Hindu-Buddhist empire famous for Angkor Wat and irrigation systems.

Sukhothai Kingdom

Early Thai kingdom known for art, Buddhism, and political organization.

Proselytize

Act of spreading a religion to gain converts, significant in Christianity, Buddhism, and Islam.

Bhakti Movement

South Asian devotional movement emphasizing personal devotion over ritual.

Qutub Minar

Tall Indian Islamic tower symbolizing Muslim power and architectural achievement.

Urdu

Language developed in South Asia blending Persian, Arabic, and local languages, often associated with Muslim culture.

Mississippian

Pre-Columbian Native American culture known for mound-building and trade networks.

Matrilineal society

Social system where lineage and inheritance pass through the mother.

Cahokia

Largest Mississippian city with monumental mounds and a complex political system.

City-states

Politically independent urban centers like Mexica, functioning as local powers.

Mexica

Mesoamerican people (Aztecs) known for military conquest, tribute, and human sacrifice.

Theocracy

Government ruled by religious authority or deities' representatives.

Human sacrifice

Religious ritual involving killing to appease gods, common in Aztec culture.

Pachacuti

Incan ruler who expanded the empire and established administrative systems.

Incan Empire

South American Andean empire with centralized control, roads, and mit'a labor system.

Mit'a system

Labor tax in Inca society requiring citizens to work on state projects.

Carpa nan

Extensive Incan road network facilitating communication, trade, and military mobilization.

Temple of the Sun

Major Inca religious site dedicated to the sun god Inti.

Animism

Belief that natural objects, animals, and places possess spiritual essence.

Kin-based networks

Local political systems in Africa organized around extended family ties.

Swahili

East African coastal culture and language shaped by Indian Ocean trade.

Zanj Rebellion

Slave revolt in 9th-century Mesopotamia illustrating tensions in labor systems.

Trans-Saharan trade

Trade across the Sahara connecting West Africa to Mediterranean markets.

Indian Ocean trade

Maritime network connecting Africa, Middle East, and Asia for goods, culture, and ideas.

Indian Ocean slave trade

Movement of African slaves via Indian Ocean routes to Asia and the Middle East.

Great Zimbabwe

Powerful southeastern African kingdom known for stone architecture and gold trade.

Chief

Local African ruler responsible for governance, dispute resolution, and leadership.

Hausa kingdoms

Northern Nigerian city-states facilitating trade, Islamic scholarship, and politics.

Ghana

Early West African kingdom controlling gold and salt trade routes.

Mali

West African empire known for wealth, Islam, and rulers like Mansa Musa.

Zimbabwe

Refers to Great Zimbabwe kingdom, notable for trade and monumental stone structures.

Ethiopia

East African Christian kingdom maintaining independence and trade connections.

Magna Carta

1215 document limiting English king's power and laying groundwork for constitutional law.

English Parliament

Representative institution advising the king and approving taxation.

Manors

Agricultural estates in feudal Europe managed by lords and worked by peasants.

Manorial system

Economic system based on lord-peasant relations and land labor.

Three-field system

Agricultural technique rotating crops and fallow land to improve yield.

Feudalism

Social, political, and military system where lords grant land to vassals for service.

Serfs

Peasant laborers bound to land and subject to lord's authority.

Primogeniture

Inheritance system where the eldest son inherits all property, preserving wealth in families.

Bourgeoisie

Urban middle class involved in commerce and trade.

Burghers

Town-dwelling merchants and artisans forming early urban society.

Estates-General

French assembly representing clergy, nobility, and commoners.

Estates

Social classes in medieval Europe: clergy, nobility, and commoners.

Otto I

German king crowned Holy Roman Emperor who strengthened central authority.

Crusades

Religious wars from Europe to the Holy Land impacting trade, culture, and politics.

Marco Polo

Venetian traveler whose accounts increased European knowledge of Asia.

Renaissance

Cultural revival in Europe emphasizing classical learning, art, and human achievement.

Humanism

Intellectual movement focusing on human potential, classical learning, and secular subjects.

Lay investiture controversy

Conflict over whether kings or the church could appoint bishops.

Great Schism

Division between Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches over theology and authority.

Antisemitism

Prejudice or hostility toward Jews, prominent in medieval Europe.

Little Ice Age

Period of cooling from the 14th-19th centuries affecting agriculture and society.

Magnetic compass

Navigational device using Earth's magnetic field, crucial for long-distance sea travel.

Rudder

Steering device on ships that improved maneuverability and maritime exploration.

Junk

Chinese ship with multiple sails and compartments, facilitating trade and oceanic travel.

Mongol Empire

Vast Eurasian empire that secured trade routes and cultural exchange across Asia.

Kashgar

Key Silk Road city serving as a commercial and cultural crossroads in Central Asia.

Samarkand

Central Asian trade hub known for wealth, artisans, and cultural exchange.

Caravanserai

Roadside inns along trade routes providing lodging and protection for merchants.