AP WH Vocab (Pt. 6)

Sanskirt

sacred language of the Vedas in India

Scholar Gentry

Confucian educated social class that became the most influential social class of china

Shinto

the indigenous religion of Japan in which people believed that kami (spirits) were present in their natural surroundings

Shiva

an important Hindu deity who in the trinity of gods was the Destroyer

Sinhala Dynasties

Sri Lankan dynasties which were largely Buddhist

Silk Road

a vast network of trading routes that connected the East to the West: Constantinople in Europe and chang’an in Asia

Song Dynasty

a Chinese imperial dynasty that ruled from 960 to 1279 that preceded the Yuan Dynasty

Srivijaya Empire:

an Indonesian Hindu sea-based empire based on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia which was an important trade center

Sufis

a mystical Muslim group that had successful missionaries. They believed they could

become closer to God through prayer, fasting, and a simple life

Sukhothai Kingdom:

a kingdom in north central Thailand from 1238 until 1438

Swahili:

blended language that combined Bantu and Arabic languages and is still spoken today

Syncretism:

the blending of elements from more than one religion into a distinct system of

worship

Tang Dynasty

Chinese imperial dynasty which preceded the Song; one of the greatest periods

of peace and prosperity in Chinese history, and it is remembered for its cultural achievements

and its strong and centralized government

Teotihuacan:

a major city in Mesoamerica that was the center for cultural and religious activities

Theater State:

a state that acquires prestige and power by developing attractive cultural forms

and staging elaborate public ceremonies

Theravada Buddhism:

Buddhism focused on meditation found in Southeast Asia

Tibetan Buddhism:

form of Buddhism in Tibet centered around chanting

Trans-Saharan Trade Routes:

networks of exchange that transformed West Africa by

connecting it to the larger parts of the world

Universalizing Religion:

a religion seeking to convert others. Islam was a universalizing religion

Urdu

a new language with elements of Hindi, Arabic, and Farsi that developed among the

Muslims of South Asia

Varnas

warriors within the Indian caste system

Vedas

the oldest collection of scriptures of Hinduism and religious texts in an ancient Sanskrit

language

Vijayanagara Empire:

an empire in southern India between 1336 and 1646; founded by the

brothers Harihara and Bukka Raya in 1336 to protect the people in the southern region from the

Muslim states, or sultanates, in the north

Vishnu:

Hindu god considered the preserver of the world

Woodblock Printing:

a technique for printing text, images or patterns used widely throughout

East Asia that originated in China

Xiongnu:

the Chinese name for the confederacy of Turkish-speaking peoples who were

nomadic herders in Central Asia