APW Unit 1: The Global Tapestry

1.1 Champa Rice

Drought resistant and quick-maturing rice grown during the Song Dynasty.

1.1 Foot Binding

Was a Chinese custom where young women's feet were broken, symbolizing wealth and power.

1.1 Imperial Bureaucracy

Administrative structure established and utilized by empires to govern vast territories and populations.

1.1 Japanese Heian Period

A golden age of classical Japanese culture, known for the flourishing art and literature during this period.

1.1 Proto-Industrialization

A phase before full industrialization in which rural families produced goods like textiles at home for market sale, often under a putting-out system. It marked a shift toward market-oriented production and laid the groundwork for the Industrial Revolution.

1.1 Scholar Gentry

A class of educated individuals in traditional Chinese society, typically tied with Confucian ideals.

1.1 Syncretic

The blending of different beliefs, traditions, and practices, leading to a new and combined form.

1.1 Meritocracy

A government or holding of owners by people selected based on their ability.

1.1 Filial Piety

A core concept in Confucianism, and emphasizes the importance of respect, obedience, and care for parents and ancestors.

1.1 Song Dynasty

Chinese dynasty known for economic prosperity, technological innovation (like gunpowder, the compass, and printing), and cultural achievements. It saw the rise of Neo-Confucianism and expanded civil service exams but faced military weakness, eventually falling to the Mongols.

1.1 Theravada Buddhism

One of the oldest and most influential forms of Buddhism.

1.1 Polygyny/Polygamy

When a man has more than one wife.

1.1 Mahayana Buddhism

Major Branch of Buddhism that emphasizes the bodhisattva ideal, which involves helping others achieve enlightenment before attaining personal nirvana.

1.1 Tibetan Buddhism

A form of Buddhism that developed in Tibet, incorporating elements of early Buddhism.

1.1 Woodblock Printing

An early printing technique developed in China where text or images were carved into wooden blocks, inked, and pressed onto paper. It enabled mass production of texts, spreading literacy and ideas, especially during the Tang and Song dynasties.

1.1 Neo-Confucianism

A philosophical and ethical system that emerged in China during the Song dynasty combining aspects of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism.

1.1 Artisans

Craftspeople who create items by hand using traditional techniques.

1.1 Nuclear Families

A family composed of two adult parents and their biological or adopted children living in the same household.

1.1 The Grand Canal

Massive man-made waterway in China, begun during the Sui Dynasty and expanded under later dynasties. It connected the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, boosting trade, agriculture, and economic integration between northern and southern China.

1.1 Chan (Zen) Buddhism

A Chinese form of Buddhism emphasizing meditation, personal insight, and direct experience over formal doctrine. It later spread to Japan as it blended with Daoist ideas, influencing East Asian culture and philosophy.

1.2 Seljuk Empire

A major Turco-Persian, Sunni Muslim empire that ruled much of Central Asia and the Middle East from the 11th to the 14th centuries.

1.2 Abbasid Empire

A dynasty that ruled much of the Islamic world, succeeding the Umayyad Dynasty in 750 CE.

1.2 Mamluk Sultanate

A state that ruled Egypt, the Levant, and the Hejaz from the mid-13th to early 16th centuries.

1.2 Seljuk Turks

A powerful Oghuz Turkish dynasty that ruled much of Central Asia and the Middle East from the 11th to 14th centuries (People of the empire).

1.2 Mongols

Is an East Asian ethnic group, native to [Asian country] and surrounding regions, who were united under the rule of Genghis Khan in the 13th century to form the _ Empire.

1.2 Muhammad

This man was an Arab religious, social, and political leader, considered the founder of Islam and its prophet.

1.2 Sufis

This group of people are practitioners of __, a mystical branch of Islam. They seek a direct, personal experience of God through various rituals, practices, and teachings.

1.2 Sultan

Muslim sovereign or ruler, especially in Islamic states like the Ottoman Empire. The title signifies political and military authority, often with religious legitimacy, though not always equivalent to a caliph.

1.2 Crusaders

Are participants in a series of religious wars, mainly between the 11th and 13th centuries, where Christian forces sought to reclaim the Holy Land from Muslim control.

1.2 Mamluks

A military class in the Muslim world, primarily enslaved soldiers of non-Arab origin, who were later trained and used for military and administrative roles.

1.2 Baghdad

The capital of the Abbasid Caliphate and a major center of trade, learning, and culture during the Golden Age of Islam.

1.2 House of Wisdom

A major Abbasid-era intellectual and academic center in Baghdad.

1.2 Nasir al-Din al-Tusi

A highly influential Persian scholar known for his contributions to astronomy, mathematics, philosophy, and other fields.

1.2 ‘A’ishah al Ba’uniyyah

A prominent Sufi mystic and poet who lived in the 15th century in the Islamic world. She was known for her extensive religious writings and poetry, particularly her work.

1.3 Vijayanagara Empire (Southern India)

A prominent Hindu kingdom in southern India that flourished from the mid-14th to the mid-16th centuries.

1.3 Rejput Kingdoms (North India)

The various smaller kingdoms ruled by Rajput clans before the 7th century CE.

1.3 Delhi Sultanate

A series of Muslim dynasties that ruled much of the Indian subcontinent, primarily in the northern regions, from the 12th to the 16th centuries.

1.3 Srivijaya Empire

A powerful maritime trading empire in Southeast Asia, centered in Sumatra (Modern-day Indonesia), from the 7th to 13th centuries.

1.3 Majapahit Kingdom

The last Indianized kingdom in Indonesia, based in Eastern Java and existing between the 13th and 16th centuries.

1.3 Sinhala Dynasties

Ruled Sri Lanka from around the 3rd century BCE to the 13th century CE. Centered and were influenced by Indian culture and adopted Theravada Buddhism. Known for advanced irrigation systems and Buddhist architecture, they played a key role in the Indian Ocean trade network. The dynasties declined due to invasions and internal conflict.

1.3 Khmer Empire

An Empire in modern-day Cambodia that lasted from about AD 802 to 1431.

1.3 Sukhothai Kingdom

A post-classical kingdom in Mainland Southeast Asia, primarily in what is now north-central Thailand.

1.3 Bhakti Movement

A devotional, spiritual movement that emerged in medieval India, primarily within Hinduism.

1.3 Sufis

A mystical branch of Islam focused on personal connection with the divine through spiritual practices and experiences.

1.3 Proselytize

To try and convert someone to a new religion or cause.

1.3 Qutub Minar

A UNESCO World Heritage site and a victory tower located in the Qutb complex in Delhi, India.

1.3 Urdu

A south Asian language that emerged in the Indian Subcontinent, primarily influenced by Persian, Arabic, Turkish, and local Indian languages.

1.4 Mississippians

A group of indigenous societies in the Midwestern, Eastern, and Southeastern United States, flourishing from roughly 800 to 1600 CE.

1.4 Matrilineal Society

One where lineage, inheritance, and social identity are traced through the mother's side of the family, rather than the father's.

1.4 Mound Building

The construction of artificial earthen mounds by various Indigenous North American cultures, primarily those of the Adena, Hopewell, and Mississippian periods.

1.4 Cahokia

The largest pre-Columbian city and urban center in North America, located near modern-day St. Louis, Illinois.

1.4 City-States

An independent, self-governing urban center that exerts political and economic control over its surrounding territory.

1.4 Theocracy

A form of government where religious leaders hold supreme power and laws are based on religious doctrines.

1.4 Mexica

The self-designation of the civilization we typically know as the Aztecs.

1.4 Human Sacrifice

The ritualistic killing of a human being, often as an offering to a deity or to appease a spirit or power.

1.4 Inca

The indigenous people of Peru who formed a vast empire in western South America, stretching from modern-day Colombia to Chile, until their conquest by the Spanish in 1533.

1.4 Pachacuti

Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui (or Pachacutec) refers to the Inca emperor who ruled from 1438 to 1471.

1.4 Mita System

A labor system employed by the Spanish in colonial Peru, forcing indigenous people to work in mines and public projects for a set number of days per year.

1.4 Carpa Nan

The extensive network of roads built by the Inca Empire.

1.4 Temple of the Sun

The sacred religious center of the Inca Empire, located in the capital city of Cusco.

1.4 Animism

The belief that all natural objects, plants, and animals possess a spirit or soul.

1.5 Kin-Based Networks

A social structure where power and organization are based on family and blood ties.

1.5 Swahili

Refers to both a Bantu language and a coastal region of East Africa.

1.5 Zan Rebellion

A black-slave revolt against the ʿAbbāsid caliphal empire.

1.5 Timbuktu

A major trade and cultural center in West Africa, particularly during the medieval period.

1.5 Gao

A city in modern-day Mali, historically important as the capital of the Songhai Empire, and a major trading center on the trans-Saharan trade routes.

1.5 Indian Ocean (slave) trade

The forced movement of people, primarily from sub-Saharan Africa, across the Indian Ocean to various regions like East Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia.

1.5 Trans-Saharan Trade

The extensive network of trade routes across the Sahara Desert connecting sub-Saharan Africa with the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean worlds.

1.5 Great Zimbabwe

A powerful kingdom and major trade center in Southern Africa, flourishing between the 11th and 15th centuries.

1.5 Hausa Kingdoms

A collection of city-states in present-day northern Nigeria, thriving from the 15th to 18th centuries

1.5 Ghana

An ancient West African empire that flourished from the 8th to the 13th century CE.

1.5 Mali

A powerful West African empire that flourished between the 13th and 16th centuries, known for its wealth derived from the trans-Saharan gold trade and its cultural influence, particularly the role of Timbuktu as a center of learning and commerce.

1.5 Songhai Kingdom

A large West African empire that flourished in the 15th and 16th centuries, known for its control of the trans-Saharan trade routes, particularly gold and salt, and its expansion beyond the region of the Niger River bend.

1.5 Zimbabwe

Typically refers to the Great Zimbabwe, a significant archaeological site and the name of a major kingdom that flourished in Southern Africa between the 11th and 15th centuries.

1.5 Ethiopia

A historically significant East African nation with a long and complex history, including periods of resistance to European colonialism and a role in shaping pan-African movements.

1.5 Indian Ocean Trade

Vast maritime trade network (c. 600–1450) connecting East Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. Driven by monsoon winds, it facilitated the exchange of goods, ideas, religions (like Islam), and cultures across the Indian Ocean basin.

1.6 Magna Carta

A historic document that guaranteed certain rights and liberties to English citizens, particularly barons and the Church, in 1215.

1.6 English Parliament

The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England from the 13th century until 1707 when it was replaced by the Parliament of Great Britain.

1.6 Manors

A system of agricultural estates during the Middle Ages that were owned by a lord and run by serfs or peasants.

1.6 Manorial System

The dominant economic and social organization of medieval Europe, where self-sufficient, agricultural estates were controlled by lords and worked by peasants.

1.6 Three-Field System

A medieval European agricultural practice where farmland was divided into three sections, each cultivated in a different sequence each year.

1.6 Feudalism

A decentralized political system prevalent in medieval Europe where land ownership was exchanged for loyalty, service, and protection, creating a hierarchical structure of lords and vassals.

1.6 Serfs

A term used to describe a person who is bound to the land and under the control of a landowner.

1.6 Bourgeoisie

The middle class, particularly the capitalist class, who own the means of production and play a significant role in economic and political power.

1.6 Burghers

The middle class of medieval European society, primarily merchants and craftspeople, who held significant political and economic power.

1.6 Primogeniture

A rule of inheritance where the firstborn child, typically the eldest son, inherits all or most of the deceased parent's property, title, or wealth, instead of the estate being divided among all children.

1.6 Estates-General

A French consultative assembly representing the three estates (clergy, nobility, and the commoners).

1.6 Estates

A social and political system, particularly in pre-revolution France and other European societies, where society was divided into distinct groups or orders with varying privileges and obligations.

1.6 Otto I

The first German king and the first ruler of the Holy Roman Empire.

1.6 Crusades

A series of religious wars initiated by European Christians between the late 11th and 13th centuries, primarily aimed at reclaiming the Holy Land from Muslim rule.

1.6 Marco Polo

A Venetian merchant and explorer who traveled to China and served in the court of Kublai Khan during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1295).

1.6 Renaissance

A transformative period in European history, roughly spanning the 14th to 17th centuries, characterized by a rebirth of classical art, literature, and learning following the Middle Ages.

1.6 Humanism

A Renaissance intellectual movement emphasizing human potential and achievement.

1.6 Lay Investiture Controversy

A significant power struggle in medieval Europe, primarily between the Holy Roman Emperor and the Pope, over the appointment of church officials like bishops and abbots.

1.6 Great Schism

The split between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church that officially occurred in 1054.

1.6 Antisemitism

Prejudice, discrimination, or hostility towards Jewish people.

1.6 Little Ice Age

A period of significant global cooling that occurred from roughly the 13th to the 19th centuries.