Period 2 Vocabulary (Viking Longships - Import)

Question 1

Viking Longships

(Technological)

Answer 1

Built by the Scandinavians during the Viking Age (790-1100 CE). Used both within Scandinavia and beyond for transport to trade and warfare. Viking expansion would have been impossible without these ships. Use of them ended around the Middle Ages.

Question 2

Xuanzang

(Religion)

Answer 2

A highly educated Buddhist monk from China who journeyed through India for 16 years(629-645 CE). He made this journey for religious purposes. He regretted that the teachings of Buddhism were not complete and that the scriptures in China were deficient. He visited many hold sites associated with the Buddha’s life. He returned to China with hundreds of manuscripts, statues of the Buddha, and some relics. He was warmly welcomed back by the Chinese emperor and spent the rest of his life translating the documents into Chinese.

Question 3

Abbasids

(Political)
(Religion)

Answer 3

An Arab clan descended from Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib. They became the caliphate’s ruling family and the Islamic world’s supreme heads from 750-1258 CE. The Abbasid caliphate was the 2nd of the 2 great dynasties of the Muslim empire of the caliphate. This was until it was destroyed by the Mongol invasion in 1258 CE.

Question 4

Peasant Revolts

(Political)
(Socio-cultural)

Answer 4

One Peasant Revolt was due to bad conditions in China, a major peasant revolt known as the Yellow Turban Rebellion(184 CE) took place. The goal was to have equality but instead, when the movement was subdued, it only weakened the economy. This was a factor in the collapse of the empire. Another Peasants’ Revolt, also known as Wat Tyler’s Rebellion in 1381 CE, was the first great popular rebellion in English history.

Question 5

Aztec Empire

(Political)

Answer 5

This empire was mostly made up of the Mexica people. They were a semi-nomadic group from northern Mexico that established themselves in Lake Texcoco by 1325. They had a core population of around 5 to 6 million people which made the Aztec Empire be loosely structured. They had conquered peoples and cities provide labor and regularly deliver goods to their Aztec rulers. They had professional merchants called pochteca who were often even richer than nobles. The had a polytheistic belief system.

Question 6

Crusades

(Religion)

Answer 6

Christians waged war for centuries to reclaim the Iberian Peninsula from Muslims. The name was also given to Scandinavian and German warriors who fought to conquer and convert lands along the Baltic Sea. The Byzantine Empire and Russia both followed Eastern Orthodox Christianity and were also crusaded by the west as were Christian heretics, Jews, and more including the pope himself. The Crusades had a little lasting impact on the Middle East. However, Europe interaction and crusading in general with the Islamic world, in particular, had very significant long-term effects.

Question 7

Delhi Sultanate

(Political)
(Religion)

Answer 7

The Sultanate of Delhi was established in 1206. It was an Islamic empire based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of South Asia from 1206-1526. A number of dynasties ruled northern India as the Delhi sultanate. The spread of Islam was very slow.

Question 8

Feudalism

(Political)
(Intellectual)

Answer 8

It was a highly fragmented and decentralized society. It emerged with a lot of local variation. It is the combination of the legal, economic, military, and cultural customs that flourished in medieval Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. It was used by medieval governments in which the king rented land to barons who then provided him knights and taxes.

Question 9

Nomadic Pastoralism

(Socio-cultural)

Answer 9

A result of the Neolithic revolution and other use of agriculture. During that revolution, humans began domesticating animals and plants for food. This stability in recourses started to form cities. It is a form of pastoralism but with livestock that are herded in order to seek fresh pastures to graze.

Question 10

Incan Empire

(Political)

Answer 10

Established the Inca empire in Pre-Columbian America, centered in Peru from 1438-1533. Before 1438 it was known as the Kingdom of Cuzco. They flourished until the 1630s when they were conquered by the Spanish. Even after this, Inca leaders continued to resist them until 1572.

Question 11

Italian City-States

(Political)
(Art)

Answer 11

They were numerous political and independent territorial entities that were located in the Italian Peninsula from the start of the Middle Ages until 1861. They experienced a Renaissance in the 14th century. It caused an explosion of art throughout the area. They became great centers of banking, commerce, and industry. Some were also important in the Mediterranean trade.

Question 12

Feudal Japan

(Political)

Answer 12

The feudal era of Japan consisted of 3 main periods: the Kamakura, Muromachi, and Azuchi Momoyama. Each was named for the shoguns who controlled Japan. During these periods, the Emperor technically controlled the Country. In reality, the shogun had more political power. Shoguns were hereditary military leaders who were technically appointed by the emperor.

Question 13

Mit’a

(Economics)

Answer 13

They were labor services required of conquered people of the Inca. It was required periodically of every household. What people produced at home usually stayed at home, but almost everyone also had to work for the state. Specialized skills were used for manufacturing goods. ‘Chosen women’ were used to make corn beer and cloth and trained in Inca ideology. Later they were given as wives to men of distinction or sent to serve as a priestess in a temple.

Question 14

Mayan City-States

(Political)

Answer 14

Included Coba, Uxmal, Mayapan, Tulum, Palenque, and Kabah. The Mayan City-States were linked by a complex trade network. The Mayan civilization was noted for its logosyllabic script which was the most sophisticated and highly developed writing system in pre-Columbian Americas. the Classic Maya civilization grew to some 40 cities. Empire lasted from around 1800 BC to 800-1000 CE.

Question 15

Mongol Khanates

(Political)
(Socio-cultural)

Answer 15

The Mongol Empire was formed through the unification of several nomadic tribes in the Mongol Homeland. There were 4 Khanates after the death of Genghis Khan. These included the Khanate of the Golden Horde(Kipchak), the Il-Khanate of Peria, The Khanate of Jagadai, and the Great Khanate. They stretched from near the Mediterranean Sea to the edge of East Asia.

Question 16

Song Dynasty

(Political)
(Technology)

Answer 16

The first in world history to issue banknotes or true paper money. Also, the first Chinese government to establish a permanent standing navy. It also had the first recorded chemical formula for gunpowder. It saw the invention of gunpowder weapons such as fire arrows, bombs, and the fire lance. Lasted for the middle of the 10th century to the last quarter of the 13th century.

Question 17

Southeast Asian City-States

(Political)

Answer 17

Included locations such as Paga, Vietnam, Champa, Borneo, Srivijaya, Sailendra, and the Khmer Empire in Funan. The process of Southeast Asian City-States mimicked that of new civilizations in East and West Africa, Japan, Russia, and others. Many of the new societies in Southeast Asia were stimulated and decisively shaped by interaction with trade in the Indian Ocean. The area was very big on trade. They also based more of their economy on domestically produced rice for inland states. They were trading with India, China, and Rome as well as Peria, Central Asia, and Arabia.

Question 18

Military Obligations

(Socio-cultural)

Answer 18

Vassals were known as a person who was in subordinate positions, a term used a lot in medieval Europe. Vassals owned things such as food, labor, and military service to those above them. Additionally, peasants in both Europe and East Asia were bound to military duty if they were called upon. This system worked similarly to a draft.

Question 19

Sui Dynasty

(Political)

Answer 19

The Sui Dynasty lasted from 581-618 CE. They ruled over much of China after uniting the 4 kingdoms of the Northern and Southern Dynasties. They are known for unifying China after the Period of Disunion. They only ruled for a short time before being replaced by the Tang Dynasty.

Question 20

Tang Dynasty

(Political)

Answer 20

The Tang Dynasty ruled from 618 to 906 CE. It is considered a golden age of Chinese arts and culture. It attracted an international reputation that spread its culture across much of Asia through Buddhism. They are known for strong and benevolent rule, successful diplomatic relationships, economic expansions, and rich culture. It was seen as one of the greatest empires in the medieval world.

Question 21

Taxation

(Economics)

Answer 21

Taxation was a tool in many countries. Most often it was met by resistance from the lower classes. In China, the government demanded taxes paid in cash rather than in kind which forced peasants to sell things. Whether this is their labor or goods.

Question 22

Traditions

(Socio-cultural)

Answer 22

In the time period of 1200-1450, trade and interconnectivity is very heavy. Mostly through the Silk Roads, Indian Ocean, and trans-Saharan routes as well as the Mediterranean Sea. This led to the spread of ideas religions and goods. It also boosted those involved in their economic well-being.

Question 23

Little Ice Age

(Geographical)

Answer 23

The term ‘Little Ice Age’ was introduced by geologist F.E. Matthews in 1939. It refers to Earth’s most recent 4,000-year period of an ice age. During this time, temperatures dropped by as much as 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit. This time lasted from 1303-1850. It drowned thousands and was very detrimental to those in colder regions.

Question 24

Champa Rice Varieties

(Technology)

Answer 24

This rice was delivered to China from the Champa Kingdown which is in what is now central Vietnam. From 1012 and now, Champa rice began to receive great attention in China. It is similar to indica and japonica rice. It is very drought-resistant. This greatly appealed to many farmers in China.

Question 25

Chinampa Field Systems

(Technology)

Answer 25

Chinampas were commonly used in pre-colonial Mexico and Central America. The chinampas agricultural system consists of artificial floating islands. They are traditionally built based on oral wisdom transmitted since the time of the Aztecs. They are used in wetlands and constructed of stacked alternating layers of mud and decaying vegetation. Sometimes referred to as ‘floating gardens’.

Question 26

Coerced Labor

(Socio-cultural)

Answer 26

This was forced labor which has been used in many different forms throughout history. Most well known during the regimes of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. It was also used throughout Andean America during the classical period. Europe also relied heavily on free and coerced labor. This was sometimes called serfdom.

Question 27

Craft Production

(Art)
(Technology)

Answer 27

This was a form of labor organization utilized 600-1450 CE. This was a labor organization along with free peasant agriculture, nomadic pastoralism, and guild organization. The definition is manufacturing products without the aid of tools. This is most common for making god pre-industrialization such as pottery.

Question 28

Labor Taxes

(Economics)

Answer 28

The Inca required a labor tax called mit’a. Similarly, the Aztecs had city-states pay with humans to Tenochtitlan. They were not technically slaves. They chose to pay their tax(mit’a) with labor rather than money.

Question 29

Export

(Economics)

Answer 29

Commodities that are traded and sold abroad. Trade was extremely important in world history meaning that imports and exports were very important for economies. A certain empire or city-state’s exports could make or break an economy. For example, China flourished through its exports of silk and porcelain and Saudi Arabia flourished with their export of incense.

Question 30

Guild Organization

(Socio-cultural)
(Art)

Answer 30

The building of guilds was on the rise between the 11th and 16th centuries. They became an extremely foundational part of the economic and social fabric of that time. A guild is a group of artisans and/or merchants who house their projects in a particular area. Craft guilds were very controlled by limiting labor supply.

Question 31

Horse Collar

(Technology)

Answer 31

The horse collar was used heavily in Europe. They began to use horses more heavily than oxen and developed a more efficient collar. This technology likely came from China or Central Asia. It could support much heavier loads.

Question 32

Import

(Economics)

Answer 32

Like exports, imports were extremely valued in the ancient world. Trade was a fundamental part of the economy. Not only did it encourage trade with a community’s own exports, but it also served as a means to share culture. It was also often used as a status symbol like silk was.