Unit 1

Question 1

Tribute System (china)

Answer 1

A diplomatic/economic system that developed between China and surrounding “vassal states” in which these smaller states would bow down before the emperor and pay tribute (gifts, goods, money) for the privilege to trade with China. The system was intended to reinforce Chinese superiority, yet at times this was reversed when dealing with northern nomadic groups. China would, at times, give the powerful nomadic tribes more goods than they received in order to keep them from invading.

Question 2

Song Dynasty

Answer 2

Chinese Dynasty (960-1279 CE) ruled during a “golden age” when China’s economy prospered due to extensive trade along the Silk Road and the Indian Ocean, and a stable political system based on Confucian principles. Important Chinese innovations in this era: magnetic compass, gunpowder, paper money. Conquered by the Mongol Empire in 1279

Question 3

Confucianism

Answer 3

A philosophy based on the teachings of Confucius (551-479 BC), that seeks to explain an individual’s place in society and a ruler’s responsibility to his people. It emphasizes family structure and respect for one’s elders and ancestors, and moral virtue (ren) as the foundation for social harmony and effective government.

Question 4

filial piety

Answer 4

In Confucian thought, one of the virtues to be cultivated: a love and respect for one’s parents and ancestors.

Question 5

Neo-Confucianism

Answer 5

During the Song Dynasty, Confucianism became prominent again after having lost prestige in the previous Tang Dynasty. However, now facing competition from the growing popularity of Buddhism in China, Confucian scholars responded by incorporating certain elements of Buddhism and Daoism into Confucian philosophy. Neo-Confucianists emphasized the idea of self-cultivation (Buddhist influence) and the creation of a virtuous and harmonious society (Daoist influence) by following Confucian principles.

Question 6

Theravada Buddhism

Answer 6

the oldest of the two major branches of Buddhism. Practiced mainly in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, and Cambodia, its beliefs are close to the original teachings of the Buddha - that one must adopt a monastic, ascetic lifestyle and commit fully to meditation and Buddhist principles to attain Enlightenment.

Question 7

Mahayana Buddhism

Answer 7

“Great Vehicle” branch of Buddhism that spread in China, Japan, and Central Asia as Buddhism traveled along trade networks. The focus is on reverence for Buddha (as more of a deity than a teacher) and for Bodhisattvas, enlightened persons who have postponed Nirvana to help others attain enlightenment. It was a more accessible form of Buddhism in that laypeople could achieve Enlightenment without adopting a monastic lifestyle. Instead, they could do good acts, worship at a Buddhist temple, make donations to earn good karma.

Question 8

Champa Rice

Answer 8

Quick-maturing rice that can allow two harvests in one growing season; led to increased populations in Song Dynasty China. Originally introduced into Vietnam from India, it was later sent to China as a tribute gift by the Champa state (as part of the tributary system.)

Question 9

Grand Canal

Answer 9

Grand Canal
The 1,100-mile (1,700-kilometer) waterway linking the Yellow and the Yangzi Rivers. It was completed during the Sui Dynasty. By linking northern and southern China, trade and commerce flourished, population grew, and urbanization occurred, all of which contributed to China’s Golden Age during the Tang and Song Dynasties

Question 10

Sejulk Empire

Answer 10

The Seljuks were a nomadic Turkic tribe from Central Asia who converted to Islam and established an empire across much of Central Asia and the Middle East in the 11th and 12th centuries (1037-1194). As the Abbasid Empire declined, the Seljuks were able to usurp their power and expand. Their success demonstrated the weakness of the Abbasid caliphate in its later years, and established the Turks as another major ethnic group (in addition to the Arabs and Persians) spreading Islam across Eurasia. The empire collapsed amid divisions in the mid 12th century, and was replaced by smaller successor states. Despite their short-lived existence, the Seljuks marked the beginning of Turkic power in the Middle East – a trend continued by the Ottomans.

Question 11

Delhi Sultanate

Answer 11

The first Islamic government established within India from 1206-1520. Controlled a small area of northern India and was centered in Delhi. Beginning of long-term interaction between Islam and Hinduism in India. Majority of India’s population was Hindu - some Hindus converted to Islam - others resented the “foreign” rulers and the jizya (tax paid by non-Muslims). Islam’s emphasis on the spiritual equality of all believers enticed many low-caste Indians to convert, however Muslim rule did little to alter the caste system. India remained politically decentralized as no single ruler was able to establish authority over the entire region.

Question 12

Abbasid Caliphate

Answer 12

(750-1258 CE) The caliphate, after the Umayyads, who presided over a Golden Age of Islam. The empire grew wealthy from trade, and their capital in Baghdad became a commercial, political, and intellectual center in the Muslim World. Arab and non-Arab Muslims could be a part of the Abbasid bureaucracy. By the 1200s, the caliphate was in decline and losing territory to the Seljuk Turks, the Mamluks of Egypt, and the Mongols. The caliphate collapsed during the 1258 Mongol siege of Baghdad.

Question 13

House of Wisdom in Baghdad

Answer 13

Large library and intellectual center under the Abbasid caliphate during the Islamic Golden Age. Translated many Greek and Roman classics and Indian learning into Arabic. Preserved classical knowledge. Destroyed in the 1258 Mongol siege of Baghdad.

Question 14

Bhakti Movement

Answer 14

A popular Hindu reform/renewal movement that promoted intense devotion toward a particular deity, using a mystical form of worship that used music, prayer, chanting and emphasized love to connect with divine
Focused on individual spirituality rather than formal rituals conducted by Brahmin priests. Made Hinduism more accessible - anyone could connect with god. Rebelled against the caste system and advocated a more egalitarian and inclusive path toward moksha. The Bhakti movement had similarities to Muslim Sufism and both facilitated interaction and tolerance between Hindus and Muslims.

Question 15

Sufism

Answer 15

An Islamic mystical tradition that desired a personal union with God–divine love through intuition rather than through study of the Shari’a law. Followed an ascetic routine (denial of physical desire to gain a spiritual goal), dedicating themselves to fasting, prayer, chanting, dancing, and meditation on the Qur’an. Sufis were also successful missionaries that helped spread a more flexible and tolerant version of Islam across Eurasia.

Question 16

Feudalism

Answer 16

A political system in which nobles are granted the use of lands that legally belong to their king, in exchange for their loyalty, military service, and protection of the peasants who live on the land. In this system, kings are dependent on nobles to raise an army in times of war. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, feudal kingdoms developed in in Western Europe. Similarly, Japan developed a feudal system after an era of civil war.

Question 17

serf

Answer 17

an agricultural laborer bound under the feudal system to work on their lord’s estate. Serfdom was considered a form of coerced labor, as serfs had few rights.

Question 18

Zimbabwe

Answer 18

A powerful state in the African interior that apparently emerged from the growing trade in gold to the East African coast; flourished between 1250 and 1350 C.E.

Question 19

Maya city-states

Answer 19

Classical culture that flourished in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico and Central America; contemporary with Teotihuacan; extended over broad region; featured monumental architecture, written language, calendar system, mathematical system

Question 20

woodblock printing

Answer 20

a type of printing in which text is carved into a block of wood and the block is then coated with ink and pressed on the page; invented during the Song Dynasty period of China and allowed to the quick creation and distribution of texts; would later spread to Europe via trade and Mongol expansion allowing Europeans to develop the printing press c. 1440 CE

Question 21

meritocracy

Answer 21

a system in which people theoretically gain power or government positions on the basis of their ability rather than wealth or family background; this was the basis for the Civil Service Exam in China.

Question 22

syncretism

Answer 22

The blending of different ideas or cultural practices, frequently in the realm of religion. For example, when Christianity or Buddhism was adopted by people in a new land, they often incorporate it into their existing culture and traditions.

Question 23

Greek Philosophy

Answer 23

the rational investigation of questions about existence and knowledge and ethics; distinguished by the ideas of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle; preserved by Muslim scholars after the Roman Empire collapsed and revived in Europe during the Renaissance (1400s).

Question 24

Mita System

Answer 24

economic system in Inca society in which conquered people produced food and provided labor (often public works, e.g. building roads and bridges in the mountainous region) to the Inca state in exchange for ongoing protection and prosperity of the empire.

Question 25

Chinamaps

Answer 25

Floating gardens constructed by the Mexica/Aztecs in the lakes region of central Mexico. These artificial islands allowed the Aztec Empire to increase agricultural yields.

Question 26

three-field system

Answer 26

A rotational system for agriculture in which one field grows grain, one grows legumes, and one lies fallow. Restores nutrients to the soil to improve crop yields. It gradually replaced two-field system in medieval Europe.

Question 27

Crusades

Answer 27

A series of holy wars from 1096-1270 CE undertaken by European Christians to free the Holy Land (Palestine) from Muslim rule; not successful in reconquering land, but helped increased trade and the spread of goods (spices, silk) and technology (compass) from Asia to Europe.

Question 28

Renaissance

Answer 28

“rebirth”; following the Middle Ages, a movement that centered on the revival of interest in the classical learning of Greece and Rome; began in Florence, Italy and spread throughout Europe

Question 29

Great Schism

Answer 29

in 1054, divided medieval Christianity into Eastern (Greek) and Western (Latin) branches, which later became known as the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church. Relations between East and West had long been embittered by political and ecclesiastical differences and theological disputes.

Question 30

coerced labor

Answer 30

Any labor system that involves force (slavery, chattel slavery, serfdom, and indentured labor)

Question 31

Ethiopia

Answer 31

Previously known as Axum, a Christian kingdom that developed in the highlands of eastern Africa under the dynasty of King Lalaibela; retained Christianity in the face of Muslim expansion elsewhere in Africa; facilitated trade

Question 32

Buddhist Monks

Answer 32

religious communities where Buddha’s followers stayed, studied, and meditated; both men and women could join monasteries as monks or nuns; often exempt from taxation which put strains on Chinese political systems

Question 33

Srivijaya Empire

Answer 33

A maritime empire in Southeast Asia (modern-day Indonesia) that controlled the strait of Malacca between India and China and grew wealthy from taxing merchants in the Indian Ocean trade. Became an important cultural crossroads between Buddhism, Islam, and Hinduism. After 1450, the Portuguese used military force to control trade routes in the “East Indies”; they were followed by the Dutch who colonized Indonesia.

Question 34

Mali Emprie

Answer 34

From 1235-1400, this Western African empire succeeded Ghana and further consolidated political authority and wealth from the Trans-Saharan trade. Mali and its capital Timbuktu became a center of Islam with many mosques and universities. The Empire was ruled by two great rulers, Sundiata and Mansa Musa.

Question 35

Mandate of Heaven

Answer 35

The belief that the imperial dynasties of China were given the right to rule by the gods; this idea was used to legitimize the authority of new dynasties who would claim the Mandate after taking power. However, it could also be used to undermine political authority: in times of famine, war, or natural disasters, it could be perceived that the rulers had lost the favor of the gods, thereby justifying a rebellion.

Question 36

Civil Service Exam

Answer 36

In Imperial China starting in the Han dynasty, it was an exam based on Confucian teachings that was used to select people for various government service jobs in the Chinese bureaucracy. Preparation for the exam required intensive years of studying Confucian texts. While in theory, the exam allowed for social mobility as anyone who attained an education could take it, in reality, it was often the wealthy who had the means to do so.

Question 37

Al-Andalus (Islamic Spain)

Answer 37

In Spain under Muslim rule, Christians, Jews, and Muslims lived together in relative peace. This period featured a flourishing of architecture, learning, and cross-cultural interaction in key cities like Cordoba. Scholars preserved, translated, and elaborated upon ancient classical Greek texts.

Question 38

Inca Empire

Answer 38

The Western Hemisphereś largest imperial state in the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries; built by a relatively small community of Quechua-speaking people (the Inca), the empire stretched some 2,500 miles along the Andes Mountains, which run nearly the entire length of the west coast of South America, and contained perhaps 10 million subjects. The Inca built extensive infrastructure – roads and bridges – to link their vast empire and transport goods across its various ecological zones.

Question 39

Aztec Empire

Answer 39

Major empire that developed in what is now Mexico in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries; dominated by the semi-nomadic Mexica, who had migrated and settled in the region. The Aztecs built extensive bridges and causeways to construct their capital Tenochtitlan over the lake region of central Mexico. The Aztec Empire was highly militaristic – they conquered surrounding indigenous groups and extracted tribute from their conquered subjects, including human sacrifice which was based in their religious belief that the sun god required it to continue rising.