AP World History: Unit 2 Vocab - Ben Green

1200- 1450 CE Flashcard study set made by Ben Green.

Al-Andalus

The Muslim-ruled area of the Iberian Peninsula, which was controlled by Muslim States at various times between 711 and 1492.

PIGRATES: Geography

Arab/Berber camels

Camels were used widespread to transport goods along silk road routes as they could carry heavy loads up to 300 pounds for long distances, while being less dependent on water.

PIGRATES: Technology

Arabian Peninsula

The peninsula in West Africa, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plate. It includes the countries Oman, Yemen, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, etc.

PIGRATES: Geography

Arabic language

A language and script that emerged in the northwest of the Arabian Peninsula around the 8th century BCE. It is spoken in North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and parts of the Middle East.

PIGRATES: Intellectual

Astrolabe

An astronomical instrument that uses a star chart to determine latitude, identify celestial bodies, surveying, and other various functions related to position and time. Its invention can be traced back to ancient Greece, around 225 BCE.

PIGRATES: Technology

Baghdad

Located on the Tigris River, it became the capital city of the Abbasid Caliphate in 762 CE. It was the most significant cultural center of Arab and Islamic civilization.

PIGRATES: Political

Bantu migration

A large population movement of millions of Bantu speaking populations from West and Central Africa to the eastern and southern regions of the continent, around 1500 BCE.

PIGRATES: Geography

Bills of exchange

A written order that binds one party to pay a fixed sum of money to another, on demand. They were used to finance and facilitate international trade between merchants of different countries, widely along the Silk Road.

PIGRATES: Economy

Black Death

A bubonic plague pandemic that occurred in Western Eurasian and North Africa from 1346 to 1353. Trade was a major transmitter of the plague, which killed nearly half of all Europeans.

PIGRATES: Social

Byzantine Empire

A continuation of the eastern half of the Roman Empire (post western Rome’s fall), located in the northeast Mediterranean region, c. 330-1453. Its capital was Constantinople.

PIGRATES: Political

Cahokia

It was the largest (pre-Columbian) North American civilization north of Mexico and consisted of earthen mounds atop which civic leaders lived. In it lived the Illinois native tribe. It existed c. 950–1350.

PIGRATES: Political

Central Asian steppe horses

Horses that were used by pastoral groups in Central Asia to travel in the steppes of grasslands, and savannas, in the areas of Mongolia.

PIGRATES: Technology

Calicut

A major spice port in India, for Indian Ocean trade, which traded spices like pepper and sugar with the Arabs, Chinese, and Europeans.

PIGRATES: Economy

Caliphates

The political-religious divisions of the Islamic kingdom and empires after the death of the Prophet Muhammad in 632 CE. Originally were split into tree, the Rashidun, Umayyad, and the Abbasid.

PIGRATES: Political

Camel saddles

An invention that improved the stability and maneuverability of camels, making the transport of goods along the Trans-Saharan trade easier, and the ability to use camels in battle. Approx. 1500 BC.

PIGRATES: Technology

Caravanserai

Inns or rest places for caravans traveling silk-road trade routes, which provided a protected place to stay overnight. These became places where goods, ideas, and culture was exchanged as well.

PIGRATES: Technology

Checks

Legal documents that function like cash, encouraging the ease and flow of goods and trade.

PIGRATES: Economy

Citrus

Citrus fruits, like lemons, spread on silk road trade routes from northern India, southwestern China, and Malaysia, spread west.

PIGRATES: Economy

West Africa

This was a region that was a major part of Trans-Saharan trade; it contained empires like Ghana, and had resources like salt, gold, and slaves, that were traded by camel caravan.

PIGRATES: Geography

Compass

A navigational tool that pointed to magnetic north, invented around the 4th century BCE in China, that became essential for navigating and expanding silk road and Indian ocean trade routes.

PIGRATES: Technology

Cotton

Cotton and cotton-based textiles were the main item of trade from India to China, which was used in making fabrics, and was a widely traded good on silk road routes.

PIGRATES: Economy

Credit

An arrangement to receive goods or services before payment, trusting that that payment will be made in the future.

PIGRATES: Economy

Dar al-Islam

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

PIGRATES: Religion

Epidemic

A widespread outbreak of an infectious disease in a community at a particular time.

PIGRATES: Social

Exotic Animals

Exotic animals like lions, elephants, rhinoceros, parrots and peacocks were moved along the silk road as tributes between rulers and wealthy figures.

PIGRATES: Economy

Gems

Precious stones, like emeralds, lapis lazuli, and rubies, were highly prized for jewelry and were valuable goods traded along the silk road.

PIGRATES: Economy

Grand Canal

A waterway linking the Yellow and the Yangzi Rivers. It was constructed during the Han and Sui Empires in the 7th century. It links north China to the south.

PIGRATES: Geography

Greek/Indian mathematics

Advances and styles in math, found in different regions, used to explain and understand aspects of life like the orbits of planets.

PIGRATES: Technology

Gunpowder

An explosive powder invented in China during the 9th century CE, it became a dominant military technology and aided in the expansion of the European and Asian empires. It was a primary good traded along the silk road.

PIGRATES: Technology

Hangzhou

The populous capital city of China during the Song dynasty, located near the East China Sea. It took part in overseas trading.

PIGRATES: Political

Hanseatic League

A medieval alliance made between north German towns and merchant communities to protect and control trade throughout the region, made in 1356 CE.

PIGRATES: Political

Iberia

The lands of the westernmost peninsula in Europe (where modern-day Spain and Portugal are located).

PIGRATES: Geography

Ibn Battuta

A widely known Moroccan Muslim scholar who wrote extensively about his visits to Islamic lands, China, Spain, and western Sudan. He lived 1304-1369 CE.

PIGRATES: Intellectual

Indigenous culture

The original culture of a region, which is no longer dominant because of causes like migration or colonization.

PIGRATES: Social

Infrastructure

The basic physical and organizational structures that necessitate the operation of a society, E.g. roads, bridges, waterways, and transportation.

PIGRATES: Political

Islam

A religion based on the teachings of the prophet Mohammed, founded 610 CE; it has the belief in one god (Allah), Paradise and Hell, and a body of law written in the Quran. Followers of Islam are called Muslims.

PIGRATES: Religion

Luxury goods

Goods that are more expensive and valued because of their special qualities, and are not essential. Many of these goods, like lapis or silk, traveled along the silk road because of their high sale price that brought merchants income.

PIGRATES: Economy

Marco Polo

An Italian merchant and traveler (1254-1324) who made many trips between Europe and China and wrote knowledgeably about his journeys.

PIGRATES: Intellectual

Melaka

The first major center of Islam in Southeast Asia on the southwestern coast of the Malay Peninsula, est. 1400 CE.

PIGRATES: Political

Mexica

Migrant people who arrived in Mesoamerica in the 1300s, known as the Aztec people.

PIGRATES: Social

Minting of coins

Coins, typically gold or silver, were produced in order to make trade and exchange for empires easier, beginning around 600 CE.

PIGRATES: Economy

Monetization

The process of converting something into money.

PIGRATES: Economy

Mongols

A group of nomadic peoples in Central Asia united together as a part of the massive Mongol Empire.

PIGRATES: Political

Waru waru

A south-american, Incan, agricultural technique in which crops are grown on raised beds with irrigation channels around them that redirected water to prevent erosion.

PIGRATES: Technology

Muhammed

The prophet and founder of the Islam religion who lived from 570 CE, born in Mecca, to 632 CE.

PIGRATES: Religion

Muslim

A follower of Islam.

PIGRATES: Religion

NeoConfucianism

The resurgence of Confucianism during the Tang Dynasty; a mixture of Buddhist and Confucius beliefs.

PIGRATES: Intellectual

Novgorod

The firs major city in Russia, a major city involved in silk road trade.

PIGRATES: Political

Urbanization

The movement of people from rural to areas to cities. For example, the movement of people towards exchange centers on the silk road caused the creation of cities like Timbuktu.

PIGRATES: Social

Paper money

Developed in China in the 7th century as a more convenient alternative to metal coins, currency issued on paper became used.

PIGRATES: Economy

Pathogens

Disease-causing organisms, E.g. the Yersinia pestis bacteria that caused the Black Plague.

PIGRATES: Social

Polynesian migration

The migration of Polynesian people across the pacific to Hawaii, bringing the culture, caste system, military presence, and religion to the islands between 1100 and 800 BCE.

PIGRATES: Social

Precious metals

Valuable metals that were mined to be sold and traded along trade routes like the Trans-Saharan, such as the gold trade along this route.

PIGRATES: Economy

Unfree labor

Laborers who were forced into doing work, through law or military power. This included slaves and indentured servants, such as the slaves traded along the silk road.

PIGRATES: Social

Printing

During the Tang dynasty, printed texts started to be produced, written ideas on paper, to encourage the spread of Buddhism and record ideas.

PIGRATES: Technology

Silk

A highly valued cloth originating from China which was a major trade good of the silk road route that fueled trade.

PIGRATES: Economy

Spices

A highly valued trade good used in cooking or ritual, religious or medical uses. They were grown in the tropical East, in the South of China, Indonesia as well as in Southern India, and were traded along Indian Ocean routes.

PIGRATES: Economy

Sogdians

A people who made up an East Iranian civilization around the 7th century, and were a link between the Afro-Eurasian landmass in silk road trade.

PIGRATES: Social

Terracing

The creation of flat areas, “steps", which made farming possible in mountainous lands. The Inca civilization extensively used terracing to grow corn in the Andes mountains where they lived.

PIGRATES: Technology

Southeast Asia

This region of coastlines and islands contained the Srivijaya, Yuan, and some of the Mongol Empire in the 1200-1450s.

PIGRATES: Geography

Sugar

Another important product of the silk road, sugar came from India and spread to places including China.

PIGRATES: Economy

Swahili city-states

East-African coastal states that were a part of Indian Ocean trade routes. Many of these were Muslim and very diverse. Bantu peoples came here.

PIGRATES: Political

Swahili language

A language that appeared as a result of the combination of Arabic language and Bantu language because of the diversity in Swahili city-states.

PIGRATES: Intellectual

Serfdom

A Feudal system, used in Europe and in Russia first, where laborers work land in return for protection, however they are bound to the land. This was common in early Medieval Europe as well as in Russia until the mid 19th century.

PIGRATES: Social

Tenochtitlan

The capital of the Aztec Empire, located on an island in Lake Texcoco. It had a population of 150 thousand before it was conquered by the Spanish. It was founded around 1325 C.E.

PIGRATES: Political

Timbuktu

A major city of the Mali Empire, Timbuktu was central to trans-Saharan trade and of Islamic learning, universities and libraries, with a population of 50 thousand.

PIGRATES: Intellectual

Toltec

Pre-Aztec Mesoamerican peoples who flourished in central Mexico from from 950 to 1150 CE.

PIGRATES: Political

Turkic language

A language family spoken by Turkic peoples from Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean to Siberia and Western China, developed around the 8th century.

PIGRATES: Intellectual

Porcelain

A beautiful pottery invented in China invented during the Tang Dynasty and was spread through central Asia on the silk road.

PIGRATES: Art

Venice

An Italian trading city on the Mediterranean that by 1000 C.E. emerged as a major center of trade.

PIGRATES: Political

Viking longships

Ships developed by Vikings in the 4th century BCE that had a shallow draft, allowing navigation in shallow waters and permitted beach landings.

PIGRATES: Technology

Xuanzang

A Chinese Buddhist monk and scholar who traveled to India and back in the early Tang period to learn Indian Buddhism.

PIGRATES: Intellectual

Abbasids

A dynasty that ruled much of the Muslim Empire from 750 to about 1250, after the Umayyad Empire.

PIGRATES: Political

Peasant revolts

Revolts caused by peasants in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, because of their unfavorable social and economic conditions.

PIGRATES: Political

Aztec Empire

Central American empire constructed by the Mexica growing during the fifteenth century. I was founded on Lake Texcoco.

PIGRATES: Political

Crusades

A series of holy wars from 1096-1270 AD by European Christians to reclaim the Holy Land from Muslim rule.

PIGRATES: Political

Delhi Sultanate

The first Islamic government in India, from 1206-1520, centered around the city of Delhi, was a Islam ruled empire.

PIGRATES: Political

Feudalism

A political system in which nobles are given lands belonging to their king in exchange for their loyalty, military service, and protection of the people who live on it. This was the dominant social system in medieval Europe.

PIGRATES: Intellectual

Nomadic pastoralism

The migratory lifestyle of peoples who travel to different locations to find pasturage for their livestock, which they are dependent on. The Mongols in the steppes of Asia were one such group.

PIGRATES: Intellectual

Incan Empire

A large Mesoamerican civilization located in the Andes mountains of South America, lasting from 1438 to 1533.

PIGRATES: Political

Italian city-states

They were located on the Mediterranean coast and participated in long-distance trade. They would gain much wealth and influence the start of the Renaissance. On such city was Venice, where traveler Marco Polo was from.

PIGRATES: Political

Feudal Japan

The period of Japanese history dominated by powerful regional families, shogun, and a class system from 1185-1868.

PIGRATES: Intellectual

Mit’a

An Incan labor system where every community shared obligations on behalf of the ruler and religious organizations.

PIGRATES: Political

Mayan city-states

The Mesoamerican Mayan empire was divided into city-states, which had roles in administration, commerce, manufacturing and religion. Notably, some were Tikal, Uaxactún, and Copán.

PIGRATES: Political

Mongol Khanates

Regions under control of the Mongol Khans following the death of Ghengis. This included Chaghati, Golden Horde (Russia), the Great Khan, and Ilkhanate of Persia.

PIGRATES: Political

Song Dynasty

A Chinese dynasty, from 960-1279 CE, that held civil administration, education, and art higher than military. It had much innovation, like the magnetic compass, paper money, and gunpowder, and participated in trade.

PIGRATES: Political

Southeast Asian city-states

Military obligations

Some empires required its citizens to serve in the military, whether during war or for a certain amount of time. In the Song dynasty, farmers and peasants were obligated to join the military.

PIGRATES: Political

Sui Dynasty

The dynasty between the Han and the Tang dynasties, from 589 to 618 CE. It built the Grand Canal, held a strong government, and introduced Buddhism to China.

PIGRATES: Political

Tang Dynasty

From 618-907 CE, it was a Chinese dynasty that had a bureaucracy based on merit and a Confucian education system, and was in China's Golden age.

PIGRATES: Political

Taxation

The act of collecting money to provide services for the common good of the community/country. For example, in the Tang dynasty, silk rather than money was collected as a form of tax.

PIGRATES: Economic

Traditions

The customs or beliefs handed down from generation to generation, such as the religious traditions in Buddhism which spread from India to China.

PIGRATES: Social

Little Ice Age

It was a century-long period of cool climate that began in the 1590s. It harmed agriculture production in northern Europe.

PIGRATES: Geography

Champa rice varieties

A quick growing, drought resistant rice, that can allow two harvests, originating from Vietnam.

PIGRATES: Economic

Chinampa field systems

A method of ancient Mesoamerican agriculture which used small, rectangle-shaped areas of fertile arable land to grow crops on the shallow lake beds in the Valley of Mexico, particularly the Aztec Empire.

PIGRATES: Technology

Coerced labor

A forced labor system, whether that be slavery, indentured servitude, or paying off debt. Slavery was common along the silk road, and slaves were traded.

PIGRATES: Society

Craft production

The process by which trained workers handcraft products to be sold. Products like silk and written books, from the Song dynasty, are examples of this.

PIGRATES: Economy

Labor taxes

Taxes imposed by the government on laborers to financially maintained the empire. Many empires along the silk road used these taxes, like the Islam and Asian empires.

PIGRATES: Economy

Export

To sell goods, bringing them out of the country or place where they were produced. I.e. trade, like silk road, trans-Saharan, Indian ocean.

PIGRATES: Economic

Guild organization

An association of workers or craftsmen with similar fields, These were common in medieval Europe to protect the trades of workers and their wages.

PIGRATES: Economic