Module 1:

Allah - Arabic name for God

Justinian's Plague - a deadly disease that affected the Byzantine Empire during the sixth century

Bible - the holy book of Christianity

Torah - the holy book of Judaism

Quran - holy book of Islam

Diffusion - spreading from one area or group of people to another

Migration - movement from one country or place to another

Slavic - the language family of a group of people living in Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe

Burqa - an outer garment worn by women in public in Islamic cultures

Ottoman Empire - a Turkish group that formed an empire that lasted from about 1300 to 1922

Diaspora - the migration of a people away from their homeland

Roman Empire - lasted from 27 BCE to 476 CE

Byzantine Empire - lasted from the 300s to 1453 CE

Sunni - branch of Islam that considers the rightful leaders of Islam to be those chosen by the Muslim community

Shia - branch of Islam that considers Muhammad's descendants the proper leaders of Islam

Module 2:

Urbanization - making an area into a town; the migration of people from the country to a town or city

Serfs - peasants who worked on a lord's land

Hara-kiri - a method of suicide used by the samurai of Japan

Fief - tracts of land that powerful people leased to less powerful people

Primogeniture - a system under which land and titles were inherited by the eldest son (or other male heir)

Epic - an especially long narrative poem, generally one that recounts the deeds of a hero

Bushido - a code of behavior for the samurai of Japan

Guild - a group of people with common interests and goals who unite for their mutual benefit

Journeyman - a worker who has learned a trade and practices by working for a master artisan in exchange for a salary or a wage

Master- an artisan who has mastered his or her craft or trade, may operate a workshop and train apprentices

Usury - the lending of money with a charge of interest, especially at a high rate of interest

Vassals - those who leased land from a lord and pledged fealty

Chivalry - a code of conduct for knights, which dictated honorable behavior

Burgher - a member of the merchant class in a German medieval town, or commune

Apprentice - one who learns a craft or a trade through service to another