AP WORLD Unit 2

Silk Roads → land trade; luxury goods (silk, porcelain); Buddhism spread; Mongol protection

Indian Ocean Trade → sea trade; bulk goods (spices, textiles); monsoon winds; diasporic communities

Trans-Saharan Trade → gold-salt trade; camels & caravans; Islam spread into Africa

Mongol Empire → largest land empire; promoted trade & cultural diffusion; Pax Mongolica

Pax Mongolica → Mongol peace (13–14th c.); safe trade; revived Silk Roads

Caravanserai → roadside inns; rest stops for merchants/camels; boosted Silk Road trade

Paper Money → Chinese innovation; facilitated trade; Yuan dynasty used

Banking Houses → early European banks; credit & bills of exchange

Bills of Exchange → written promises of payment; precursor to checks

Flying Cash → Tang innovation; credit system for merchants; early form of checks

Han Dynasty Collapse → 2nd c. fall; Silk Roads weakened until Tang/Song revival

Song Dynasty Economy → commercial revolution; paper money; iron & silk production

Mali Empire → West African state; controlled gold-salt trade; Mansa Musa’s rule

Ghana → early West African kingdom; gold trade; Islam influence

Great Zimbabwe → Southern African state; trade with Swahili coast; stone structures

Swahili City-States → East African ports (Kilwa, Mombasa); trade hubs; African-Arab blend

Malacca → SE Asian trade city; Strait of Malacca; taxed passing ships for wealth

Srivijaya → SE Asian kingdom; controlled trade routes; Buddhist influence

Khmer Empire → SE Asian state; Hindu & Buddhist culture; Angkor Wat temple

Angkor Wat → Hindu → Buddhist temple complex; symbol of SE Asian syncretism

Samarkand → Silk Road city; trade + Islamic learning center

Kashgar → Silk Road city; caravan hub; Islamic scholarship

Monsoon Winds → seasonal winds; guided Indian Ocean trade; required sailing knowledge

Lateen Sail → triangular sail; maneuverable ships; Indian Ocean trade

Astrolabe → navigation tool; determined latitude with stars

Magnetic Compass → Chinese invention; improved maritime navigation

Junk Ships → large Chinese ships; carried bulk goods in Indian Ocean

Zheng He → Ming admiral; led voyages (1405–1433); Indian Ocean exploration

Diasporic Communities → merchant groups abroad (Arabs in Africa, Chinese in SE Asia, Gujaratis in IO)

Arab Merchants → traded slaves, ivory, gold in Indian Ocean; spread Islam

Gujaratis → Indian Ocean merchants; traded cotton textiles; Hindu & Muslim influence

Chinese Merchants SE Asia → set up communities; spread Chinese culture & goods

Spread of Islam → unified trade networks; influenced Africa, South Asia, SE Asia

Spread of Buddhism → India → East & SE Asia; adapted to local cultures

Spread of Hinduism → expanded into SE Asia; Angkor Wat shows influence

Spread of Christianity → spread via Crusades, missionaries, trade

Gunpowder → Chinese invention; spread by Mongols; transformed warfare

Paper & Printing → Chinese innovations; literacy, record keeping; spread to Dar al-Islam & Europe

Champa Rice → fast-growing rice from Vietnam → China; boosted Song population

Bananas → SE Asia → Africa; improved diets; supported population growth

Sugar → spread via Islamic world; grown on plantations; high demand luxury good

Citrus Fruits → Mediterranean crop; spread via Islamic trade networks

Black Death → plague on trade routes; killed millions in Eurasia; weakened feudalism

Marco Polo → Venetian traveler; described Yuan China; sparked European interest

Ibn Battuta → Muslim traveler; visited Africa, Middle East, India; documented Islamic world

Margery Kempe → English mystic; pilgrimage writings; early female voice in literature

Mansa Musa → Mali king; hajj in 1324; displayed wealth; spread Islam

Timbuktu → Mali city; trade + Islamic scholarship hub; center of learning

House of Wisdom → Baghdad learning center; preserved Greek + Islamic knowledge

Cultural Diffusion → spread of religion, science, tech via trade routes

Environmental Diffusion → crops, animals, diseases spread with trade

Yuan Dynasty → Mongol rule in China; promoted trade; used paper money

Ilkhanate → Mongol state in Persia; Islamic influence; weakened by plague

Golden Horde → Mongol rule in Russia; tribute system; limited Mongol assimilation

Religious Tolerance (Mongols) → allowed multiple religions; promoted cultural exchange

Decline of Mongols → overexpansion, rebellions, plague; empire fragmented