Units 1 and 2 BRIEF Definintions

Neo-Confucianism

A blend between traditional Chinese philosophy and Buddhism..

Censorate

Part of the Chinese state structure designed to spy on the government officials and the people.

Hangzhou (Song capital)

The Song capital city with more than a million people and vibrant social and economic life.

Foot binding

A practice designed to keep women subordinate to men and keep them restricted in their inner quarters.

“middle kingdom”

Belief that China was the center of the world, superior to peoples beyond its borders.

Kowtow

Ritual bowing and presentation of tribute by foreign delegations to the Chinese Emperor.

Xiongnu

A large and powerful nomadic empire in Central Asia that came before the Mongols.

Sultanate of Delhi

A Turkic Muslim Dynasty that ruled northern India, established in 1206.

Sufis

Muslim missionaries and mystics that traveled to spread Islam to places like India, Africa, and Spain.

Kabir

Great 15th Century Islamic mystic poet - declared that God was to be found “within your heart”

Sikhism

New religious tradition in India that blended elements of Islam and Hinduism.

Timbuktu

A city in West Africa that was a center of both trade and Islamic learning.

Mexica

One of the three tribes that made up the Aztec ruling class.

Triple Alliance

The three tribes that ruled the Aztec Empire together.

Tenochtitlan

The capital city of the Aztecs that was built in the middle of Lake Texcoco.

Chinampas, aka “floating gardens”

Platforms for agriculture built in the shallow Lake Texcoco that produced mass quantities of food.

Huitzilopochtli

The Aztecs sacrificed humans to appease this God of War and ensure the survival of their empire.

Quechua

Both the Incan language and ethnic group of indigenous peoples.

Gender Parallelism

Inca idea that women’s roles were different from men’s roles, but equally important.

Yuan Dynasty

Name of the Mongol dynasty in China lasting from 1209 - 1279.

Khubilai Khan

Grandson of Chinggis and China’s Mongol ruler from 1271-1294.

Hulegu

Grandson of Chinggis that helped conquer Islamic Persia and end the Abbasid Dynasty.

Khutulun

Wrestler princess that defeated all men and demonstrated the strong role of women in Mongol society.

Kipchak Khanate/ Golden Horde

The name of Mongol rule in Russia.

Monsoon winds

Pushed merchants towards East Africa for part of the year and towards India for part of the year.

Swahili language

A blend of Bantu and Arabic that was key to facilitate trade in East Africa.

Great Zimbabwe

A state in southeastern Africa that was rich due to controlling the trade in gold and cattle.

Jenne-Jeno

A pair of cities in West Africa that were centers of both trade and Islam.

Camel caravans

Carried merchants across long-distances to trade goods along the Silk Road and in West Africa.

Ulama

Islamic scholars who served as judges, interpreters, administrators, prayer leaders, and teachers.

Madrassas

Formal Islamic colleges offering advanced instruction in the Quran, grammar, rhetoric, math and medicine.

The hajj

Pilgrimage to Mecca

Baghdad

The capital city of the Islamic Abbasid empire and center of Islamic trade, culture, and learning.

House of Wisdom

Center of learning established under the Abbasid Caliphate where the best scholars came to study.

Pure Land School of Buddhism

Only required repeating the name of the Buddha to gain salvation.

An Lushan Rebellion

Started anti-foreign and anti-Buddhist sentiment.

Pastoralism

A lifestyle based on raising and herding animals, found in places like Central Asia.

Modun

United the Xiongnu tribes to create a powerful empire in Central Asia.

Xiongnu

A pastoral people that built a large empire in Central Asia before the Mongols.

Turks

Many of the nomadic peoples of central Asia were from this linguistic and ethnic group.

Temujin/Chinggis Khan

Unified the Mongols and became their supreme leader.

Artisans

Skilled craft workers

Champa Rice

A food from Vietnam that led to population increase in Song China

filial piety

Confucian value of respect and obedience to parents & ancestors

imperial bureaucracy

system of government officials that help run an empire

Mahayana Buddhism

Allowed broader access via bodhisattvas, praying to the Buddha, and donating to monasteries.

scholar gentry

Educated officials in China

syncretic

Blended - typically religious or cultural traditions

Bhakti Movement

Hindu movement where people only worshipped one personal deity

mit’a system

Inca subjects had to give labor to the Empire

trans-Saharan trade

Brought goods and Islam from West Asia to West Africa

caravanserai

Inns for travelers along the Silk Road

flying cash

Early Chinese paper money

junk

A large Chinese sailing ship

dhow

An Arab sailboat typically found in the Indian Ocean

lateen sail

Shaped like a triangle; allowed improved maneuverability

Pax Mongolica

Period of relative peace in the Mongol Empire in Eurasia

Malacca (Melaka)

Major Southeast Asia port city between India and China

Zheng He

Chinese admiral that explored the Indian Ocean under Ming

camel saddle

Technology that improved long-distance trade across the Sahara

Mansa Musa

Mali King that made the pilgrimage to Mecca

Ibn Battuta

Moroccan Muslim who traveled extensively and documented the Islamic world