AP World History Unit 1

filial piety

a Confucian principle emphasizing respect for one's elders and ancestors, central to Chinese family structure and social order.

Confucianism

A philosophical and ethical system based on the teachings of Confucius, focusing on morality, proper social relationships, and justice.

Neo- Confucianism

A revival of Confucian thought during the Song dynasty that incorporated Buddhist and Daoist elements, emphasizing metaphysics and the integration of moral philosophy. (Backlash against Buddhism)

Patriarchal Society

A social system in which men hold primary power, dominating roles in political leadership, moral authority, social privilege, and control of property.

Champa rice

A fast-maturing, drought resistant rice variety from the Champa region in Vietnam, which allowed for two harvests per year and significantly increased agricultural productivity. Caused massive population growth. This rice variety contributed to food security and supported the economic expansion of various East Asian societies.

The Grand Canal

A vast waterway system in China that was expanded during the Sui dynasty, connecting major rivers and facilitating trade, transportation, and agricultural productivity across the empire. The Grand Canal is the longest artificial river in the world, enhancing connectivity and cultural exchange between northern and southern China.

Porcelain

Porcelain is an highly durable, translucent ceramic, originating in China (Tang/Song Dynasties) and becoming a major global luxury export. It symbolized wealth, technological superiority, and facilitated cross-cultural exchange, driving trade networks (Silk Road, Indian Ocean) and influencing European ceramic techniques.

Abbasid Caliphate

The Abbasid Caliphate (750–1258 CE) was the third Islamic caliphate, succeeding the Umayyads and shifting the center of power to Baghdad. As a key unit in AP World History (Dar al-Islam), it is defined by the “Islamic Golden Age” featuring a currant from government, cultural flourishing, trade expansion, and the synthesis of Arab and Persian traditions.

Seljuk Turks

The Seljuk Turks (11th–13th centuries) were a nomadic, Sunni Muslim, Oghuz Turkic dynasty that conquered Persia and the Abbasid Caliphate, establishing a massive empire across the Middle East. They brought Turkish military strength into the Islamic world, defeated the Byzantine Empire (Manzikert, 1071), and triggered the Crusades, acting as a pivotal force in bridging Central Asia, Persia, and Anatolia.

Greek Rationalism

Greek rationalism (c. 600–300 BC) was a transformative intellectual shift in Ancient Greece that prioritized logic, reason, and imputable observation over mythology and religious dogma to understand the natural world. Key thinkers like Thales, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle sought, using logical deduction, to explain the universe through universal principles.

Dar al- Islam

"Dar al-Islam" refers to the regions where Islam is the dominant faith and where Islamic law prevails. It encompasses a vast area historically characterized by cultural and religious flourishing, including the advancements seen during the Islamic Golden Age under caliphates such as the Abbasids.

Sufism

a mystical Islamic belief system that emphasizes the inward search for God and the spiritual journey towards divine love and knowledge. Sufis seek to achieve a personal and intimate connection with the divine through practices such as meditation, chanting (dhikr), and poetry. It has played a significant role in the spread of Islam and has influenced various cultural and artistic expressions within the Islamic world.

Monasticism

A religious way of life characterized by the renunciation of worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual work, often involving a communal life in a monastery, strict adherence to vows, and dedicated practices such as prayer, meditation, and asceticism.

Srivijaya Empire

A powerful maritime and commercial kingdom that flourished between the 7th and 13th centuries in Southeast Asia, centered on the island of Sumatra. It played a crucial role in trade, cultural exchange, and the spread of Buddhism in the region, acting as a hub for maritime trade routes between China and India.

The Aztecs

The Aztecs were a Mesoamerican culture that emerged in the 14th century in present-day Mexico. They established a powerful empire characterized by a complex social structure, advanced agricultural practices, and impressive architectural achievements, including the construction of the capital city, Tenochtitlan. The Aztecs are known for their rich mythology, religious practices that included human sacrifice, and their influence on subsequent cultures in the region. (***Chinampas)

Chinampas

Chinampas were highly productive "floating gardens" or artificial islands created by the Aztecs in the shallow lakebeds of the Valley of Mexico (specifically Lake Texcoco) to maximize agriculture. These raised beds, built from mud and aquatic vegetation, enabled year-round, intensive farming, supporting large populations like Tenochtitlan.

Inca

The Inca were a powerful civilization that thrived in the Andes Mountains of South America from the early 15th century until the Spanish conquest in the 16th century. They are known for their advanced engineering, agricultural practices, and vast empire, which connected various regions across modern-day Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Chile.

Swahili City States

The Swahili city-states were independent, prosperous trading centers along the East African coast that thrived by acting as middlemen in the Indian Ocean trade network. They merged Bantu-speaking cultures with Islam and Arabic influences, connecting African interior resources—like gold, ivory, and slaves—to markets in Arabia, Persia, and India.

Feudalism

Feudalism is a decentralized political and social system prevalent in Western Europe (and Japan) from 1200- 1450, characterized by a, rigid hierarchy where lords granted land (fiefs) to vassals in exchange for loyalty, military service, and labor.

Manorialism

Manorialism (or the manor system) was the economic and social backbone of medieval Europe (1200-1450) characterized by self sufficient agricultural estates (manors) managed by a lord and worked by land-bound serfs. Serfs traded labor and crops for protection and the right to farm small plots, creating a, reciprocal, local, and, largely non-monetary, closed economy. 

Serfdom

Serfdom is a labor system in medieval Europe and Russia where peasants (serfs) were legally bound to a lord's land, or manor, providing mandatory labor in exchange for protection and a small plot of land. Unlike slaves, serfs were not chattel property, but they could not leave, marry, or sell land without the lord's permission. 

Ming Dynasty

The Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) was the ruling Han Chinese dynasty that followed the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty, known for restoring traditional Chinese culture, strengthening centralized bureaucratic rule, and establishing massive economic expansion. It is defined by its Confucian-based civil service exam, construction of the Forbidden City in Beijing, and the voyages of Zheng He.