AP World Modern Unit 1 Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering major historical terms, political structures, religions, and empires from AP World Modern Unit 1.

Champa Rice

A fast-growing, drought-resistant rice variety from Vietnam that increased agricultural productivity in China and contributed to population growth during the Song Dynasty.

Artisans

Skilled workers who produce goods by hand, such as textiles, metalwork, pottery, and tools; their specialized production contributed to economic growth and urbanization.

Scholar-Gentry

In China, an educated social class of Confucian scholars who passed civil service examinations and served as government officials.

Filial Piety

Confucian principle emphasizing respect, obedience, and devotion to one's parents and ancestors; it reinforced family hierarchy and social order.

Grand Canal

A massive Chinese canal system connecting northern and southern China, facilitating the movement of grain, people, and goods and helping unify the Chinese economy.

Song Dynasty

Chinese dynasty (960-1279) known for economic growth, technological innovation, population growth, commercialization, and the strengthening of Confucian traditions.

Bureaucracy

A system of government in which officials administer the state according to established rules and procedures.

Meritocracy

A system in which individuals gain positions based on ability or achievement rather than birth; in China, civil service examinations helped select government officials.

Foot Binding

A Chinese practice in which girls' feet were tightly bound to prevent normal growth; it became associated with elite status and women's restricted social roles.

Buddhism

A religion originating in South Asia based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha), emphasizing overcoming suffering and achieving enlightenment.

Theravada Buddhism

A branch of Buddhism emphasizing the teachings of the historical Buddha and individual spiritual achievement; became prominent in Sri Lanka and much of mainland Southeast Asia.

Mahayana Buddhism

A branch of Buddhism emphasizing the possibility of salvation for all people and the role of bodhisattvas; spread widely across East Asia.

Tibetan Buddhism

A form of Mahayana Buddhism that developed in Tibet and incorporated local religious traditions and practices, including a strong role for monastic leaders.

Syncretism

The blending of different religious or cultural beliefs and practices, often occurring when societies come into contact.

Zen (Chan) Buddhism

A form of Mahayana Buddhism emphasizing meditation, discipline, and direct spiritual insight; spread from China to Japan and other parts of East Asia.

Neo-Confucianism

A revival and adaptation of Confucian philosophy that incorporated ideas from Buddhism and Daoism; became influential in Song China and emphasized social hierarchy and moral behavior.

Heian Period

Period of Japanese history (794-1185) characterized by an aristocratic court culture centered in Kyoto, influenced heavily by Chinese traditions.

Mamluk Sultanate

Muslim state based in Egypt and Syria (1250-1517) ruled by military slaves who became powerful political leaders; it defeated the Mongols at the Battle of Ain Jalut.

Seljuk Turks

Turkic people who established a powerful Sunni Muslim empire across parts of the Middle East during the 11th-12th centuries and challenged Byzantine control.

Sultan

A Muslim political ruler, especially one who exercises authority over a state or empire.

Mongols

Nomadic pastoral peoples of Central Asia who, under Genghis Khan and his successors, created the largest contiguous land empire in history and facilitated trade and cultural exchange across Eurasia.

Abbasid Caliphate

Muslim caliphate centered in Baghdad (750-1258) known for cultural, scientific, and economic achievements during the Islamic Golden Age.

Muhammad

Prophet of Islam who lived in Arabia during the 7th century and whose teachings became the foundation of Islam.

Crusades

Series of Christian military campaigns beginning in the late 11th century aimed largely at gaining or defending Christian control of territories in the eastern Mediterranean.

Sufis

Muslim mystics who emphasized a personal and spiritual relationship with God; Sufi missionaries helped spread Islam into parts of Africa and Asia.

House of Wisdom

Major intellectual center in Abbasid Baghdad where scholars translated and studied works from Greek, Persian, Indian, and other civilizations, contributing to advances in science and philosophy.

Delhi Sultanate

Muslim-ruled states that controlled much of northern India from the 13th to 16th centuries and contributed to the spread of Islam and cultural exchange in South Asia.

Srivijaya Empire

Maritime Southeast Asian empire centered on Sumatra that controlled important Indian Ocean trade routes and grew wealthy by taxing trade.

Bhakti Movement

Hindu devotional movement emphasizing a personal relationship with a particular deity; it helped spread Hindu religious practices and challenged some social barriers.

Cahokia

Large Mississippian urban center near present-day St. Louis, known for massive earthen mounds and complex social and political organization.

City-States

Independent political units consisting of a city and the surrounding territory; in Mesoamerica, cities such as those of the Maya functioned as separate states.

Mexica

Indigenous people who established the powerful Aztec Empire in central Mexico, centered at the capital city of Tenochtitlan.

Theocracy

A system of government in which religious leaders or religious beliefs play a central role in political authority.

Incan Empire

Large Andean empire centered in present-day Peru that developed extensive roads, agricultural terraces, administrative systems, and labor obligations.

Mit'a System

Inca labor system requiring subjects to provide labor for public projects, agriculture, military service, or state construction.

Kin-Based Networks

Social and political systems organized around extended family and clan relationships; they were important in many African and other societies for maintaining political and economic ties.

Swahili

Bantu language and culture that developed along the East African coast through interactions between African communities and Indian Ocean traders; heavily influenced by Islam and Arabic.

Trans-Saharan Trade

Trade network crossing the Sahara Desert that connected West Africa with North Africa and the Mediterranean, especially exchanging West African gold for North African salt and other goods.

Indian Ocean Trade

Extensive maritime trade network connecting East Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and East Asia, facilitated by monsoon winds and improved navigation.

Hausa Kingdoms

Independent city-states in West Africa that became wealthy through agriculture, crafts, and participation in trans-Saharan trade.

Kingdom of Ghana

West African state that became wealthy and powerful by controlling and taxing trans-Saharan trade, particularly the trade in gold.

Mali Empire

Powerful West African empire that succeeded Ghana and became wealthy through control of gold and trans-Saharan trade; famously ruled by Mansa Musa.

Manors

Self-sufficient agricultural estates in medieval Europe where peasants produced most of the food and goods needed by the local community.

Manorial System

Economic system of medieval Europe in which peasants worked agricultural estates controlled by lords in exchange for protection and access to land.

Three-Field System

European agricultural technique dividing farmland into three sections, with two planted and one left fallow each year; increased agricultural productivity.

Feudalism

Political and social system in medieval Europe based on relationships between lords and vassals, in which land and military service were exchanged for loyalty and protection.

Serfs

Peasants legally bound to the land under the manorial system who owed labor, crops, or other obligations to their lord.

Estates-General

Representative assembly in medieval France consisting of representatives from the clergy, nobility, and common people.

Marco Polo

Venetian merchant and traveler whose accounts of his journey through Asia, including China under the Yuan Dynasty, increased European knowledge of Asian societies.

Great Schism (Christianity)

The 1054 division of Christianity into the Roman Catholic Church in Western Europe and the Eastern Orthodox Church in the Byzantine Empire, resulting from religious, political, and cultural differences.