Champa Rice
Quick-maturing rice that can allow two harvests in one growing season. It was later sent to China as a tribute gift.
Proto-industrialization
a set of economic changes in which people in rural areas made more goods than they could sell in East Asia
artisan
A skilled crafts person
Scholar-gentry
in China, a group of people who controlled much of the land and produced most of the candidates for civil service
Filial Piety
In Confucian thought, one of the virtues to be cultivated, a love and respect for one's parents and ancestors.
Grand Canal
The 1,100-mile (1,700-kilometer) waterway linking the Yellow and the Yangzi Rivers. It was begun in the Han period and completed during the Sui Empire.
Song Dynasty
During this Chinese dynasty (960 - 1279 AD) China saw many important inventions. There was a magnetic compass; had a navy; traded with India and Persia (brought pepper and cotton); paper money, gun powder; landscape black and white paintings
Imperial Bureaucracy
Division of an empire into organized provinces to make it easier to control
Meritocracy
government or the holding of power by people selected on the basis of their ability.
woodblock printing
a type of printing in which text is carved into a block of wood and the block is then coated with ink and pressed on the page
Foot Binding
Practice in Chinese society to mutilate women's feet in order to make them smaller; produced pain and restricted women's movement; made it easier to confine women to the household.
Buddhism
Belief system that started in India in the 500s BC. Happiness can be achieved through removal of one's desires. Believers seek enlightenment and the overcoming of suffering.
Theravada Buddhism
the oldest of the two major branches of Buddhism. Practiced mainly in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, and Cambodia, its beliefs are relatively conservative, holding close to the original teachings of the Buddha
Mahayana Buddhism
"Great Vehicle" branch of Buddhism followed in China, Japan, and Central Asia. The focus is on reverence for Buddha and for Bodhisattva, enlightened persons who have postponed nirvana to help others attain enlightenment.
Tibetan Buddhism
a Buddhist doctrine that includes elements from India that are not Buddhist and elements of preexisting shamanism, a tradition of Buddhism that teaches that people can use special techniques to harness spiritual energy and can achieve nirvana in a single lifetime
Syncretic
Combining several religious traditions
Chan Buddhism
Known as Zen in Japan; stressed meditation and appreciation of natural and artistic beauty; popular with members of elite Chinese society
Neoconfucianism
In post-classical China, a mixture of traditional Confucian and Buddhist beliefs.
Heian Period
The era in Japanese history from A.D. 794-1185, arts and writing flourished during this time
nuclear family
a couple and their dependent children, regarded as a basic social unit.
Polygyny
a form of marriage in which men have more than one wife
Mamluk Sultanate
- A political unit in Egypt (1250-1517), defeated the Mongols, did not set up a consistent, hereditary line of succession, which hurt them greatly
Seljuk Turks
Nomadic invaders from central Asia via Persia; staunch Sunnis; ruled in name of Abbasid caliphs from mid-11th century
Sultan
Military and political leader with absolute authority over a Muslim country
Abbasid Caliphate
(750-1258 CE) The caliphate, after the Umayyads, who focused more on administration than conquering. Had a bureaucracy that any Muslim could be a part of & considered Golden Age of Islam
Mongols
People from Central Asia when united ended up creating the largest single land empire in history.
Crusades
a series of military expeditions in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries by Western European Christians to reclaim control of the Holy Lands from the Muslims
Sufis
Muslim mystics who seek communion with God through meditation, fasting, and other rituals
House of Wisdom in Baghdad
Large Islamic-based Library and learning center. Focus of conversion of Greek and Roman classics and Indian learning into Arabic. Preserved knowledge.
Nasir al-Din Tusi
(1201-1274) Persian mathematician and cosmologist whose academy near Tabriz provided the model for the movement of the planets that helped to inspire the Copernican model of the solar system.
Aishah al-Ba'uniyyah
most prolific female Muslim writer before the 20th century; wrote a long poem honoring Muhammad called "Clear Inspiration, on Praise of the Trusted One"
Vijayanagar Kingdom
Southern Indian trade-based kingdom (1336-1565) that later fell to the Mughals.
Rajput Kingdoms
set of kingdoms in India that arose after the fall of the Gupta dynasty; were hundreds of kingdoms ruled by land owning Kshatriyas, wealthy due to trade and a good economy. Hindu beliefs and this is when the practice of sati began, as well as purdah (the separation of women from society).
Delhi Sultanate
(1206-1526 CE) The successors of Mahmud of Ghazni mounted more campaigns, but directed their goals to creating this empire.
Srivijaya Empire
flourished from the 600s to 1200s; controlled the Strait of Malacca thus impacting Chinese trade into the Indian Ocean
proselytize
to convert someone to a faith, belief, or cause
Bhakti Movement
An immensely popular development in Hinduism, advocating intense devotion toward a particular deity.
Urdu
A Persian-influenced literary form of Hindi written in Arabic characters and used as a literary language since the 1300s.
Mississippian Culture
Last of the mound-building cultures of North America; flourished between 800 and 1300 C.E.; featured large towns and ceremonial centers; lacked stone architecture of Central America.
Matrilineal
relating to a social system in which family descent and inheritance rights are traced through the mother
Cahokia
Mississippian settlement near present-day East St. Louis, home to as many as 25,000 Native Americans
Maya city-states
Classical culture in Southern Mexico and Central America; contemporary with Teotihuacan; extended over broad region; featured monumental architecture, written language, calendrical system, mathematical system; highly developed region.
Aztecs
Also known as Mexica, they created a powerful empire in central Mexico (1325-1521 C.E.). They forced defeated peoples to provide goods and labor as a tax.
Theocracy
a system of government in which priests rule in the name of a god.
human sacrifice
Killing of humans for a purpose like worshiping a god, practiced widely by the Aztecs and a little by the Maya
Pachacuti
Ruler of Inca society from 1438 to 1471; launched a series of military campaigns that gave Incas control of the region from Cuzco to the shores of Lake Titicaca
Incan Empire
Formed in present day Peru. Expanded out as far south as Chile and as far North as Ecuador. Best known for their enormous wealth and extensive road building. Imposed a mit'a (work tax) on its people.
Carpa Nan
During Incan rule, this is a massive roadway system made possible by captive labor, stretched 25,00 miles
Temple of the Sun
Inca religious center located at Cuzco; center of state religion; held mummies of past Incas
Animism
Belief that objects, such as plants and stones, or natural events, like thunderstorms and earthquakes, have a discrete spirit and conscious life.
Kin-based networks
Relation between two or more people that is based on common ancestry or marriage
Swahili
A Bantu language with Arabic words, spoken along the East African coast
Zanj Rebellion
A series of revolts by slaves working on sugar plantations in Mesopotamia, led by Ali bin Muhammad
Trans-Saharan Trade
route across the Sahara Desert. Major trade route that traded for gold and salt, created caravan routes, economic benefit for controlling dessert, camels played a huge role in the trading
Indian Ocean Trade
world's richest maritime trading network that was essential for the prosperity of East Africa
Indian Ocean Slave Trade
East Africa -> Middle East & India, similar conditions to the Atlantic Slave Trade, cultural diffusion
Great Zimbabwe
A powerful state in the African interior that apparently emerged from the growing trade in gold to the East African coast; flourished between 1250 and 1350 C.E.
Hausa states
people of northern Nigeria formed these states; formed following the demise of the Songhay Empire & combined Muslim & pagan tradition
Kingdom of Ghana
West African empire from 700s to 1076, grew wealthy and powerful by controlling gold-salt trade.
Mali Empire
From 1235-1400, this was a strong empire of Western African. With its trading cities of Timbuktu and Gao, it had many mosques and universities. The Empire was ruled by two great rulers, Sundiata and Mansa Musa. Thy upheld a strong gold-salt trade. The fall of the empire was caused by the lack of strong rulers who could govern well.
Ethiopia
A Christian kingdom that developed in the highlands of eastern Africa under the dynasty of King Lalaibela; retained Christianity in the face of Muslim expansion elsewhere in Africa
Magna Carta
the royal charter of political rights given to rebellious English barons by King John in 1215, "no taxation without representation" began with this document
English Parliament
-Firmly established by the 14th century
-Gained power at the expense of the king
-Composed of the House of Lords (titled nobility) and the House of Commons (gentry and middle classes)
Manors
Large farm estates of the Middle Ages that were owned by nobles who ruled over the peasants living in the land
Manorial System
an economic system in the Middle Ages that was built around large estates called manors
three-field system
a system of farming developed in medieval Europe, in which farm land was divided into three fields of equal size and each of these was successively planted with a winter crop, planted with a spring crop, and left fallow (unplanted)
Feudalism in Europe
Political system in which land is exchanged for protection.
1. King (no real power; only figurehead)
2. Lords (receive a fief from the king)
3. Vassals (lesser lords)
4. Knights (warrior class)
5. Serfs (provided free labor)
Serfs
People who gave their land to a lord and offered their servitude in return for protection from the lord.
Primogeniture
right of inheritance belongs exclusively to the eldest son
Burghers
a member of the middle class who lived in a city or town
Estates General
France's traditional national assembly with representatives of the three estates, or classes, in French society: the clergy, nobility, and commoners.
Otto I
Crowned emperor by pope in 962 CE; first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. Close ties with the Catholic Church
Marco Polo
Venetian merchant and traveler. His accounts of his travels to China offered Europeans a firsthand view of Asian lands and stimulated interest in Asian trade.
Rensissance
Period of great "re-birth" of Greco-Roman culture that began in Italy during the 15th century. Art, politics, and economic changes took place.
Humanism
A Renaissance intellectual movement in which thinkers studied classical texts and focused on human potential and achievements
Lay Investiture Controversy
A disagreement between Henry IV and Pope Gregory VII about who should appoint church officials.
Great Schism of 1054
The separation between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church
Antisemitism
hostility to or prejudice against Jews.
Little Ice Age
Temporary but significant cooling period between the fourteenth and the nineteenth centuries; accompanied by wide temperature fluctuations, droughts, and storms, causing famines and dislocation.
magnetic compass
Chinese invention that aided navigation by showing which direction was north
rudder
Steering device, usually a vertical blade attached to a post at, or near, the stern of the boat
Chinese Junk
A very large flat-bottom sailing ship produced in the Tang and Song Empires, specially designed for long-distance commercial travel.
Kashgar
a central trading point where the Eastern and Western Silk Roads met.
Samarkand
During the rule of Timur Lane was the most influential capital , a wealthy trading center known for decorated mosques and tombs.
Caravanerais
Rest stops along the Silk Roads that merchants could exchange ideas and goods under the protection of the Mongols.
flying cash
a paper currency of the Tang dynasty in China and can be considered the first banknote
Banking Houses
These European banks developed during the Middle Ages to aid trade. Along with innovations such as bills of exchange, or bank drafts, and credit, the rise of banking houses supported the development of interregional trade in luxury goods.
Hanseatic League
an organization of north German and Scandinavian cities for the purpose of establishing a commercial alliance.
paper money
legal currency issued on paper; it developed in China as a convenient alternative to metal coins
Khan
Title given to Mongol leaders, meaning "supreme ruler"
Kuriltai
Meeting of all Mongol chieftains at which the supreme ruler of all tribes was selected
Genghis (Chinggis) Khan
Founder and supreme leader of the Mongol Empire, which became the largest contiguous empire in history after his death, consisting of several Eurasian societies. He used battle tactics, psychological warfare, and foreign weapons to conquer land easily. He ruled his territory fairly, protecting the Silk Roads.
Khanates
Four regional Mongol kingdoms that arose following the death of Chinggis Khan.