World History Units 1 & 2

A set of vocabulary flashcards based on the provided World History review list.

Pure Land School of Buddhism

A popular branch of Mahayana Buddhism that emphasizes salvation through faith and devotion to Amitabha Buddha.

An Lushan Rebellion

A major rebellion against the Tang Dynasty in China led by general An Lushan.

Ulama

Islamic religious scholars and experts in Islamic law and theology.

Madrassas

Islamic colleges and formal institutions of higher learning focused on religious and secular studies.

Sufis

Islamic mystics who emphasized a personal, emotional connection to God and spiritual experience.

The hajj

The annual pilgrimage to Mecca required of Muslims at least once in their lifetime if physically and financially able.

Baghdad

The capital city of the Abbasid Caliphate, referenced on page 438.

House of Wisdom

A major intellectual center and translation academy established in Baghdad during the Islamic Golden Age.

Neo-Confucianism

A revival of Confucian philosophy during the Song Dynasty incorporating elements of Daoism and Buddhism.

Censorate

An agency in imperial China responsible for monitoring and evaluating government officials.

Hangzhou

The capital city of the Song Dynasty.

Foot binding

The Chinese practice of tightly wrapping young girls' feet to modify their shape, reflecting patriarchal social norms.

"middle kingdom"

The traditional Chinese concept representing China as the central and supreme civilization of the world.

kowtow

A traditional Chinese ritual bow involving touching the forehead to the ground to show respect to the emperor.

Xiongnu

A confederation of nomadic pastoral peoples who inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe and conflicted with China.

Sultanate of Delhi

An Islamic kingdom based in Delhi that ruled over parts of northern India.

Kabir

A 15th-century Indian mystic poet and saint whose writings influenced the Bhakti movement and Sikhism.

Sikhism

A monotheistic religion founded by Guru Nanak in the Punjab region, combining elements of Hinduism and Islam.

Timbuktu

A major West African trade city and center of Islamic scholarship in the Mali and Songhai Empires.

Mexica

An indigenous Mesoamerican ethnic group who founded Tenochtitlan and established the Aztec Empire.

Triple Alliance

An alliance formed between Tenochtitlan, Texcoco, and Tlacopan that established the Aztec Empire.

Tenochtitlan

The capital city of the Mexica Empire, built on an island in Lake Texcoco.

Chinampas

An agricultural technique using artificial islands built on shallow lake beds, also known as "floating gardens".

Huitzilopochtli

The Aztec deity of war, the sun, and human sacrifice, serving as the patron god of Tenochtitlan.

Quechua

The native language of the Incas, spoken widely across the Andean region.

Gender Parallelism

A social structure where men and women operate in separate but equivalent and complementary spheres.

Yuan Dynasty

The Mongol-led dynasty that ruled China from 1271 to 1368, established by Khubilai Khan.

Khubilai Khan

The Mongol ruler and founder of the Yuan Dynasty in China.

Hulegu

The Mongol ruler who founded the Ilkhanate and led the destruction of Baghdad in 1258.

Khutulun

A Mongol noblewoman and famed wrestler, daughter of Qaidu.

Kipchak Khanate

The Mongol khanate established in Russia, also known as the Golden Horde.

Monsoon winds

Seasonal wind patterns in the Indian Ocean that facilitated maritime trade between East Africa, Arabia, and Asia.

Swahili language

A Bantu language with significant Arabic influence, spoken along the East African coast.

Great Zimbabwe

A powerful kingdom and stone city in Southern Africa that grew wealthy through gold trade.

Jenne-Jeno

An ancient urban site along the Niger River known as an early center of West African trade.

Camel caravans

Groups of camels used to transport commercial goods across the Sahara Desert.

Dar al Islam

An Arabic term meaning 'house of Islam,' referring to lands where Islam is the dominant faith and law.

Caliph

The supreme religious and political ruler of the Islamic community after Prophet Muhammad.

Civil Service Exams

An examination system used in imperial China to select administrative officials based on merit.

Hindu Devotional Cults

Religious movements within Hinduism (such as Bhakti) emphasizing intense personal devotion to specific deities.

Angkor

The capital city of the Khmer Empire in Southeast Asia, site of the Angkor Wat temple complex.

Mansa Musa

The ruler of the Mali Empire famed for his gold wealth and celebrated pilgrimage to Mecca.

Trans Saharan Trade

Trade routes crossing the Sahara Desert that connected West Africa with North Africa and the Mediterranean.

Bantu

A group of Niger-Congo languages and migrating agricultural peoples who spread throughout Sub-Saharan Africa.

Swahili

An East African coastal culture and civilization developed through the integration of Bantu and Arab influences.

Zanj Revolt

A major rebellion of enslaved East African agricultural workers against the Abbasid Caliphate.

Feudalism

A political and social system based on land ownership, loyalty, and military service in medieval Europe and Japan.

Black Death

A devastating bubonic plague pandemic that struck Eurasia in the 14th century.

The Crusades

A series of religious military campaigns waged by European Christians to secure control of holy sites in the Middle East.

Mita

A mandatory public service and labor system required of subjects in the Inca Empire.

Quipus

Knotted cord devices used by the Incas to record numerical data and administrative information.

Champa Rice

A fast-ripening, drought-resistant rice strain from Vietnam that significantly boosted Chinese agricultural yields.

Islamic Agricultural Revolution

A period of widespread agricultural advancement, crop diffusion, and innovation across the Islamic world.