3 Flashcards
3
Mandate of Heaven
an ancient Chinese concept stating that the right to rule was granted by the heavens. Because this power was divinely given, there was a direct connection between ruler and the heavens
dynasty
a powerful family or group of rulers that maintains its position or power for some time
bureaucracy
A system of government in which most important decisions are made by state officials rather then by elected official
tributary system
an arrangement where foreign states acknowledge China’s supremacy by offering gifts or tribute
Five Pillars of Islam
Muslims believe that Allah requires five duties of the people of Islam. The Five Pillars are Shahada (profession of faith), Salah (prayer), Zakat (almsgiving), Sawm (fasting), and Hajj (pilgrimage).
caliph
Caliphs were the political - and to a certain extent religious - successors of Muhammad. The term in Arabic means “deputy.
House of Wisdom
major Abbasid public academy and intellectual center in Baghdad
sufis
Known as the mystics of the Islamic faith. Sufis contributed greatly to the spread of Islam as their practices seemed practical and adoptable by people in foreign lands experiencing Islam for the first time.
Madrasas
Institutions of education dedicated to providing elementary education and religious teachings
astrolabes
an instrument used by sailors to determine their location by observing the position of the stars and planets
Caste system
System in India that gives every Indian a particular place in the social hierarchy from birth. Individuals may improve the position they inherit in the caste system in their next life through their actions, or karma.
Henotheism
Henotheism is a religious philosophy that places faith in one supreme deity while acknowledging the existence of multiple deities.
rajas
A prince, chief, or ruler in India or the East Indies
Mesoamerica
middle america. It encompasses present day Mexico and Most of Central America
Olmec
The Olmec were the first major civilization in Mexico. They lived in the tropical lowlands on the Gulf of Mexico in the present-day Mexican states of Veracruz and Tabasco
Bantu
The Bantu migration spread the Bantu language from Western Central Africa throughout the continent. This represented one of the greatest migrations of early history, and through this process Bantu influence spread throughout the sub-Saharan region
diviners
869-883 C.E. 19. Sub-Saharan Africa. Diviners. An organized class of relgious specialists-individuals who by virtue of their innate abilities had the power to meditate between humanity and supernatural beings
kin-based
Instead, communities formed kin-based networks, where families governed. themselves. A male head of the network, a chief, mediated conflicts and dealt.
syncretism
when different belief systems fuse to form something new
The Crusades
The Crusades were a series of Christian holy wars conducted against infidels—nonbelievers
lords and vassals
The social system in medieval Europe where lords gave lands (fiefs) to vassals in exchange for military service and loyalty
manors
system that described economic and political relations between landlords and ther peasant laborers during the Middle Ages. It involved a heirarchy of reciprocal obligations that exchanged labor or rents for access to land.
serfs
The absence of a strong central authority led many peasants to seek protection on large estates. These peasants became serfs; they had the right to work a portion of the land and could pass that right on to their children, but they could not leave their land.
Artisans
Artisans, who made many goods, such as silk, textiles, and porcelain, were required to increase their production rate to sustain the demand for certain goods
