AP World Unit 2 KBAT

Silk Roads (Asia)

network of land and sea trade routes connecting China, Middle East and Europe; China exported porcelain, tea, silk & imported cotton, precious stones, pomegranates, dates, horses, grapes; first golden age (c. 1st–3rd c. CE) involved the Han Dynasty (China) and Roman Empire. After both collapsed, activity declined. A second golden age (7th–10th c.) revived under the Tang/Song Dynasties in China and the Abbasid Caliphate in the Middle East, connecting Afro-Eurasia again. Third golden age included the Mongolians

Luxury goods (Asia)

Demand rose in Europe, Africa, and Asia due to silk road. China exported silk, tea, and porcelain; Persia and India exported textiles and gems. Imports to China included cotton, pomegranates, dates, horses, and grapes. These luxury goods enriched elites and fueled global trade.

Caravanserai (Asia)

Inns about 100 miles apart along the Silk Roads. Located in europe along the silk road! Provided food, rest, stables, and fresh animals for merchants. Helped make long-distance travel safer and more efficient. The word comes from Persian for “caravan” + “palace.”

Flying cash (Asia)

Early credit system → deposit in one place, withdraw in another.

Paper money (Asia)

Lighter than coins, widely used.

Banking houses (Europe)

Modeled on Chinese practices; used bills of exchange (legal promise to pay a set sum on a set date).

Mongol Khanates (central asia)

Four regional empires (Golden Horde, Il-khanate, Chagatai, Yuan) that formed after Genghis Khan’s death.

Khan (central asia)

Title for Mongol ruler, meaning “supreme leader.”

Kuriltai (central asia)

Assembly of Mongol chiefs where major decisions (like electing Genghis Khan in 1206) were made.

Genghis Khan (central asia)

Founder of the Mongol Empire, united clans, expanded through ruthless conquest, but ruled peacefully with tolerance and trade promotion.

Siege weapons (central asia):

Borrowed from Chinese and Persian engineers (catapults, towers, gunpowder weapons) → helped Mongols defeat walled cities.

Pax Mongolica (central asia)

“Mongol Peace” (13th–14th c.); stabilized Eurasia, protected Silk Roads, boosted trade and cultural exchange.

Golden Horde (central asia)

 Khanate founded by Batu (son of khan’s oldest son); controlled Russia and Eastern Europe (westward) through tribute system

Il-Khanate (middle east)

Khanate in Persia founded by Hulegu (another grandson of genghis khan); Persians helped administer it and paid tax; later converted to Islam.

Yuan & Kublai Khan (east asia)

eastern part of mongol empire; Yuan dynasty in China (1271–1368) founded by Kublai Khan (grandson of genghis khan) and capital called Dadu; he adopted Chinese traditions, rebuilt Beijing (Dadu), promoted trade and religious tolerance.

White Lotus Society (east asia)

Secret religious group in China that organized resistance against Mongol Yuan rule in the 1350s; due to economic suffering caused by struggles of expanding in Yuan

Ming Dynasty (east asia)

Dynasty founded in 1368 by Zhu Yuanzhang (Buddhist monk) after overthrowing the Yuan; restored Chinese rule and Confucian traditions.

Uyghur script (central asia)

 Writing system adapted by Genghis Khan in 1204 for the Mongol language; not widely adopted then, but survives in Mongolia today.

Compass (iotn)

Helped sailors determine direction when out of sight of land; allowed longer-distance navigation across the Indian Ocean.

Astrolabe (iotn)

Improved by Muslim navigators; measured latitude by the stars → helped sailors know how far north/south they were from the equator.

Junk ships (iotn)

Large Chinese ships with multiple sails and compartments; could carry heavy cargo and travel long distances safely.

Dhow ships (iotn)

 Smaller wooden vessels used by Arab and Indian sailors; used lateen (triangular) sails that could catch winds from different directions.

Diasporic communities (iotn)

 Diaspora means people living outside their homeland while mixing traditions with locals; were communities formed in east africa, india and southeast asia with permanently settled Merchants who were waiting for months in foreign ports for the monsoon winds to change. Arab & Persian merchants brought Islam mainly through intermarriage, not conquest. 

Ming admiral (해군대장) Zheng He  (iotn)

was a admiral who led 7 voyages (1405–1433) across the Indian Ocean to Southeast Asia, South Asia, Arabia, and East Africa with a lot of ships and crews. The purpose was to show the Ming power (Ming dynasty) and collect tribute. The voyage helped in expanding prestige, new markets, exotic goods (like a giraffe) & getting rid of pirates. But Confucian officials thought voyages were too costly and that foreign cultures were less advanced. After his death, China (under his son Zhu Gaozhi) banned large shipbuilding leading to overseas trade declining & pirates increasing due to none of the naval ships being sent in the china sea (bc shipbuilding were not allowed anymore)-> his voyages followed the indian ocean trading route

Monsoon winds  (iotn)

Seasonal, predictable winds in the Indian Ocean. In Summer it blew northeast (toward India) and in Winter it blew southwest (toward Africa). Merchants timed voyages around the winds and they sometimes stayed in port cities for months. This led to the formation of diasporic communities. Knowledge of these winds made long-distance trade reliable and safe.

Camel Saddle (trans saharan

A supportive seat structure placed on a camel’s back, designed in different styles for riding, control, or carrying loads; Allowed camels to be used as efficient pack animals. It enabled long-distance trade across the Sahara, replacing horses and donkeys after 300 C.E. Innovations like the Somali load-bearing saddle made large-scale commerce possible. Having a saddle that allowed being near the head gave the rider the best possible control over the camel.

Caravans (trans saharan)

Groups of merchants and travelers, often with thousands of camels, moving together across long trade routes for protection and efficiency. Caravans carried goods such as gold, ivory, enslaved people, and hides from West Africa, exchanging them for salt, textiles, paper, and horses from Arabs and Berbers. It required careful planning with provisions (공급 like water) and stops at oases. Caravans traveling together linked Sub-Saharan Africa to North Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.

Mali in West Africa  (trans saharan) (via Mansa Musa)

centralized empire (1200s–1400s) that expanded after the fall of Ghana, gaining money from controlling and taxing trans-Saharan trade, creating stable governance to protect commerce. Sundiata established Mali’s foundation through military strength and gold trade. Mansa Musa, his grand-nephew, became famous for his 1324 pilgrimage to Mecca, islam holy city, distributing gold and showcasing Mali’s wealth. His leadership strengthened Islam in West Africa, building mosques and schools in Timbuktu, turning Timbuktu into a major intellectual and religious hub.

Gunpowder (east asia)

An explosive substance first developed in China (9th century), made from saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal-> it Spread along the Silk Roads and maritime trade routes. By c. 1200–1450, it reached the Islamic world and Europe. Gunpowder transformed warfare, allowing for more powerful cannons and firearms and leading to the rise of “gunpowder empires” later on.

Ibn Battuta (africa)

A Muslim scholar and traveler from Morocco (1304–1353) who journeyed through Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, South Asia, China, and even Spain-> His writings, A Gift to Those Who Contemplate the Wonders of Cities and the Marvels of Traveling, provide detailed accounts of Islamic lands, rulers, cities, and cultures. He shows how Islam connected distant regions and how trade networks encouraged both religious and cultural exchange.

Margery Kempe (europe)

An English mystic (c. 1373–1440) who went on pilgrimages to Jerusalem, Rome, Spain, and Germany. She dictated The Book of Margery Kempe, considered the earliest English autobiography-> Her work reveals the experiences of a middle-class medieval woman, recording spiritual visions and everyday struggles. She demonstrates how Christian pilgrimage and travel writing were part of broader cultural exchanges during the age of connectivity.

Marco Polo (europe)

A Venetian (italian) merchant and traveler (1254–1324) who visited the court of Kublai Khan (Yuan Dynasty) in China and traveled across Asia-> His Travels of Marco Polo introduced Europeans to the wealth and sophistication of China. Although many doubted him, his descriptions increased European curiosity about Asia, encouraged further exploration, and spread knowledge of paper money, silk, and city life in China.

Ibn al-Athir (middle east)

A Muslim historian from Mosul (1160–1233), author of The Complete History, which records world events up to his time-> His accounts of the Crusades and Mongol invasions reflect the Muslim perspective on brutality and destruction caused by foreign powers. His writings show how intellectuals documented cross-cultural conflicts, preserving them as part of the historical memory of Afro-Eurasia.

Bubonic plague

A deadly epidemic disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, carried by fleas on rodents. It spread across Afro-Eurasia during the 14th century, especially between 1347–1351, and is also called the Black Death. It spread through trade routes (Silk Roads, Indian Ocean, Mongol conquests, caravansaries) from China → Central Asia → Middle East → Europe. It caused severe population decline, reducing agricultural production and leading to abandoned lands. (largest in europe) However, labor shortages gave surviving workers higher wages and contributed to the decline of feudalism in Europe. The event inspired cultural works, such as Boccaccio’s Decameron, which described the horrors of plague-stricken Italy. The plague had less impact on South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, since they had fewer direct trading ports exposed to infected caravans and ships.

smarkland (silk road middle east)

in middle east, was a stopping point on silk road-> has diverse goods and religions-> center of islamic learning and mosques-> has artisans

bill of exchange (east asia)

document stating that holder was legally promised payment of a set amount on a set date

hanseatic league

commerce alliance of north germany and scandinavia. Controlling trade in north and baltic sea-> got rid of pirates and monopolize trades-> helped protect merchants in northern european trade-> gone when national gvrm started protecting trade

gobi desert (east asia)

where mongols, nomadic herders, are from

moscow (europe)

in golden horde, city state who collected additional tributes to develop army to resist mongols, beginning to build anto mongol among russian city states

calicut (south asia)

cities in west coast of india, gre due to interaction with east african and southwest asian merchants

indian ocean basin

center of indian ocean, south asia benefited from trade in the indian ocean basin

indian ocean slave trade

movement of enslaved people (mainly from East Africa, also South & Southeast Asia) across the Indian Ocean to the Middle East, India, and islands → used as soldiers, servants, and laborers-> african culture spread

Lateen sails (IOTN)

Triangle sails → let ships turn better and go even when wind isn’t behind them.

Stern rudder (IOTN)

Steering tool on the back of ships → helps control direction.

Malacca (Southeast Asia)

 Port city on Strait of Malacca → rich from controlling trade between India and China.

gujarat (south asia)

rajput kingdom, got fees from trade between east and west 

arabian desert (trans saharan)

desert in southwest asia, camel good with dry climate bc they primarily lived in arabian desert

sundiata (africa)

 mali’s muslim founding leader, made it strong in trade (gold & salt) and set up good government-> was son of ruler of small society in africa and was able to overcome his injury and fight 

songhai kingdom (africa)

 rose after fall of mali, folllowed mali and continued islam as relglion

hangzhou

large center of culture in south china, at south end of grand canal; center of trade and was explored by marco polo

constantinople (middle east)

once thriving city in middle east, weakened by fourth crusade (crusaders invading christian city out of greed)

sugar, citrus crop (middle east)

one of the goods brought by caliphs (muslin and arab)

overgrazing (africa)

 caused in great zimbabwe when population growth and migration by bananas caused too much ppl in the region-> needed to overgraze to meet the demand (damaging too much grass)

deforestation (europe)

clearing of foresting land

soil erosion (europe)

soil getting destroyed due to too much burning