Units 1 and 2 key terms

1. Islam - Major world religion based on the belief that Allah (God) transmitted his words to the

faithful through the prophet Muhammad

2. Shiite - Sect of Islam that believes Muhammad’s son-in-law, Ali, was the rightful heir to the

Ummayad empire; does not believe in drawing the leader from the people

3. Sunni - Sect of Islam that believes the leaders of the Ummayad empire should be drawn from a

broad base of people

4. 5. Qu’ran (Koran) - The Holy Book revered by Muslims to be the exact words of Allah (God)

Five Pillars of Islam - Five commands that Muslims must follow: confession of faith, prayer five

times a day, charity to the needy, fasting during the holy month of Ramadan, pilgrimage to Mecca

at least once during one’s lifetime (if financially able)

6. 7. Caliphate - An Islamic theocracy that is ruled by a central authoritative figure called a caliph

Orthodox Christianity - Separate branch of Christianity influenced by Eastern culture and

originating from the Byzantine Empire

8. Feudalism - The strict, hierarchical European social, economic, and political system of the

Middle Ages

9. Serfs (peasants) - The people belonging to the lowest level of the feudal hierarchy who had to

work on and were usually “tied” to the land

10. Code of chivalry - An honor system that strongly condemned betrayal and promoted mutual

respect

11. Bubonic plague - A deadly epidemic transmitted through new forms of commerce and trade;

destroyed traditional social structures, facilitating the shift toward a commercial economy

12. Magna Carta - A document that reinstated feudal rights of the nobles, but also extended the rule

of law to other people in the country, namely the growing class of Burghers (middle-class

merchants); laid the foundation for the Parliament

13. Tribute system - A system utilized by the T’ang dynasty in which independent countries

acknowledged the supremacy of the Chinese emperor and sent ambassadors to the city with gifts

14. Bureaucracy - A system of government where the decisions are made by state officials rather

than elected representatives; utilized by Chinese dynasties through civil service examinations

15. Civil service - The administrative system founded by the Han dynasty in which government

officials (bureaucrats) were selected through competitive examination

16. Foot binding - A practice born out of Confucianism that forced women to bind their feet in order

to make them seem more beautiful; first used as subordination of women in elite families, but

eventually to many poor families as well

17. Code of Bushido - A strict code of conduct in Feudal Japan that stressed loyalty, courage, and

honor

18. Delhi Sultanate - The kingdom established in northern India by Islamic invaders under a central

leader, the sultan.

19. Jizya tax - A tax paid by non-Muslims who refuse to convert to Islam while living in a State

governed by Islamic law20. Sikhism - A monotheistic religion originating in the Punjab region that is comprised of values

from both Islam and Hinduism, but disavows the caste system

21. Chinampas - A type of agriculture utilized by the Aztecs that consisted of small rectangular areas

of fertile land cut into the hills to grow crops; essential to the Aztecs given the hilly landscape

surrounding the civilization not ideal for agriculture

22. Quipu - An ancient Inca device for recording information, consisting of variously colored threads

knotted in different ways

23. Animism - The idea that all things—animate and inanimate—possess a spirit or an essence;

prevalent in ancient indigenous tribal cultures that emphasized human spiritual development

24. Daoism - A 6th century Chinese philosophy based on the writings of Lao-tzu, who taught that

humans must follow the Cosmic Dao, an all-encompassing guide to life that emphasized harmony

People, Places, and Events

25. Muhammad - The central prophet of Islam, who Muslims believe transmitted the words of

Allah (God)

26. Mecca - The city where Muhammad grew up; gave Muhammad exposure to many different

beliefs due to its position on the trade routes between the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean

27. Baghdad - Capital city of the Abbasid Dynasty, an Islamic empire that oversaw a Golden Age for

the arts and sciences; became one of the great cultural centers of the world

28. Sufis - Islamic mystics that were very effective missionaries due to their emphasis on Islam begin

a personal relationship with Allah rather than a form of ritual; framed Islam as highly adaptable to

different backgrounds and beliefs

29. Hagia Sophia - An enormous cathedral built by in the Christian empire of Constantinople;

evidence of the flourishing of the arts and sciences in Constantinople

30. Vikings - Raiders from Scandinavia who used highly maneuverable, multi-oared boats to raid far

beyond their borders; economy also depended on merchants and commercial fisheries

31. Hundred Years’ War - The war between England and France that lasted from 1337-1453;

liberated France from England, who prior to the war had claimed the entire French territory

32. Mansa Musa - One of the greatest rulers of the Islamic Mali empire; made a pilgrimage to Mecca

complete with an entourage of hundreds of gold-carrying servants and camels

33. Tenochtitlan - The capital city of the Aztecs, also known as the Mexica, who were known for

their expansionism and professional army that established a tribute system with other conquered

civilizations

34. Maya - A civilization comprised of several city-states ruled by a single king but were often at

odds with one another; known for their architecture, mathematics, and fully developed written

language

35. Teotihuacán - A powerful city-state that operated as a religious hub and a wealthy trade

metropolis; became powerful by 400 A.D., but eventually collapsed and was found later by the

Aztecs

36. Jesus Christ - The religious leader and teacher who Christians believe is the Son of God and

whose teachings form the basis of Christianity

37. The Buddha - The title given to Siddhartha Gautama, the religious leader and teacher who

eventually founded Buddhism after attaining Enlightenment

1. Indian Ocean trade - Relatively safe routes connecting ports in western India to ports in the

Persian Gulf and eastern Africa; dominated by the Persians and the Arabs and required

technology resilient to the region's monsoon seasons

2. Silk Road - An ancient network of trade routes that connected the East and the West; utilized

under the reign of the Mongols to trade important goods such as silk and porcelain, and acted as a

hub for cultural and religious exchange

3. Bubonic Plague - A deadly epidemic transmitted through new forms of commerce and trade;

destroyed traditional social structures in Europe, facilitating the shift toward a commercial

economy

4. Pax Mongolica - the period of economic and social stabilization throughout Eurasia during the

13th and 14th century that was ushered in by the Mongol Empire’s widespread conquest; spurred

an increase in trade along the Silk Road due to the Mongols’ dedication to keeping the route safe

for trade

5. Oasis towns - Bustling towns that served as “hand-off” points for passing commodities from

person to person; used by merchants as rest stops during their grueling trips

6. Monsoon season - A seasonal and consistent change that brought dependable winds used by

merchants on the Indian Ocean trade to sail their boats to and from their destinations

7. Lateen sail - A very maneuverable and reliable triangle-shaped sail that allowed merchants on

the Indian Ocean trade routes to harness the seasonal monsoon winds

8. Qanat system - a Persian system of irrigation that utilized gravity through gently-sloped tunnels

to divert groundwater across long distances to needed fields

9. Diaspora - a large group of people with a similar heritage who have been scattered around the

world away from their homeland

10. Dhow - a sailing vessel rigged with lateen sails used by merchants on the Indian Ocean trade

routes to carry their goods to and from their destination

11. Camel caravan - large groups of people that used camels and caravans to travel across the

African desert; utilized for the trading of goods and also carried religion

12. Caravanserai - Inns located across the desert routes that provided accommodation for traveling

caravans so they could rest

13. Silk - A valuable and lucrative good originating from China and traded along the Silk Road

People, Places, Events

14. Mongols - Militaristic nomads originating from Northern Eurasia who formed a massive empire

through conquest under Genghis Khan, thus linking Western and Eastern Eurasia; often

assimilated into the cultures of the people they defeated

15. Genghis Khan - A military and organizational genius who unified the quarreling Mongol tribes,

thus setting them on a path of expansion to form the largest empire in the history of the world

16. Mongol Empire - The empire of the Mongols under Genghis Khan that spanned from the Pacific

Ocean to Eastern Europe17. Khanate - Different hordes of Mongols that split from the central leadership of Genghis Khan

following his death

18. Golden Horde - a Turkic Khanate that conquered and ruled a large chunk of Russia for over two

centuries, largely leaving the Russian Orthodoxy and aristocracy intact; comprised of a group of

people named Tatars

19. Kublai Khan - The successor to Genghis Khan who formed and ruled over the Yuan dynasty in

China after conquering the Song dynasty

20. Tamerlane - Founder of late 14th century Timurid Empire who conquered Western and Central

Asia with the intent of reviving the Mongol Empire

21. Mansa Musa - One of the greatest Malian rulers who expanded his kingdom greatly; made a

internationally famous pilgrimage to Mecca as a Muslim that had extravagant entourages of gold,

camels, and servants

22. Marco Polo - A Venetian merchant who recorded his travels in China at the height of the Mongol

Empire; enabled cultural diffusion between Europe and Asia and stimulated interest in Asian

trade

23. Ibn Battuta - A Muslim legal scholar who wrote accounts of his travels across Islamic world in

order to reveal its wide scope

24. Mali Empire - Islamic Empire that played an influential role in the gold and salt trade within

Africa

25. Swahili City-States - Economically powerful Islamic urban trade centers that were connected to

lucrative Eurasian trade routes; were very interconnected due to relations between merchants in

different city-states

26. Tang/Song China - Known as the Golden Ages of China due to involvement in lucrative trade

routes, such as the Silk Road, and technological innovations, including the compass, paper

money, and gunpowder

27. Yuan Dynasty - First foreign-led dynasty of China; established and ruled by Kublai Khan

28. The Crusades - Military expeditions sanctioned by the Latin Church and organized by Western

European Christians in response to Muslim expansion; aimed to reclaim the Holy Land in the

eastern Mediterranean, check the spread of Islam, and to capture pagan and formerly Christian

land

29. Timbuktu - City in the Mali Empire that acted as a trading post on the Trans-Saharan trade

routes