Unit 2: Topic 5 - Cultural Consequences of Connectivity Flashcards
Swahili
African language that blended elements of the Bantu and Arabic languages
Hangzhou
Large Chinese city that shows how trade supported urbanization. Center of culture in Southern China.
Marco Polo
Venetian merchant and traveler. His accounts of his travels to China offered Europeans a firsthand view of Asian lands and stimulated interest in Asian trade.
Ibn Battuta
Moroccan Muslim scholar; the most widely traveled individual of his time. He wrote a detailed account of his visits to Islamic lands throughout Asia, Africa, and parts of Spain.
Margery Kempe
Wrote one of the first English autobiographies, though she was illiterate. She told of her pilgrimages to Jerusalem, Rome, Germany, and Spain. Her book also tells of life for a medieval woman.
Urdu
An Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia that was heavily influenced by the Hindi, Arabic and Farsi languages.
Which Chinese state had the most urban population by the 1000s?
The state with the world’s largest urban population was the Song Empire; several cities in the Song had more than a million residents.
With the Song Dynasty’s emphasis on trade, Canton (now Guangzhou), a port city on the Chinese coast, was one of the world’s largest cities and trading ports.
What does it mean that Japan and Korea were “countries in China’s orbit”? Why would they adopt Confucianism and Buddhism at this time (think back to the Song Dynasty)?
Japan and Korea were heavily influenced by China and adopted many of the Chinese’s beliefs and traditions at the time. This includes Confucianism and Buddhism.
How did Buddhism spread to China?
Buddhism came to China from its birthplace in India via the Silk Roads. The 7th-century Buddhist monk Xuanzang helped increase its’ popularity and reach.
How did Hinduism and Buddhism spread to Southeast Asia?
The Indian religions of Hinduism and Buddhism made their way to Southeast Asia through networks of trade.
What evidence do we have that Buddhism had a strong influence (in Southeast Asia)?
The sea-based Srivijaya Empire on Sumatra was a Hindu kingdom, while the later Majapahit Kingdom on Java was Buddhist. The South Asian land-based Sinhala dynasties in Sri Lanka became centers of Buddhist study with many monasteries. Buddhism’s influence was so strong under the Sinhala dynasties that Buddhist priests often advised monarchs on matters of government. The Khmer Empire had both Hindu and Buddhist cultural influences.
How does the Khmer Empire (Angkor Wat) evidence religious diffusion?
The royal monuments at Angkor Thom are evidence of both Hindu and Buddhist cultural influences on Southeast Asia. Hindu artwork and sculptures of Hindu gods adorned the city. Later, when Khmer rulers had become Buddhist, they added Buddhist sculptures and artwork onto buildings while keeping the Hindu artwork.
How and where did Islam spread?
Through merchants, missionaries, and conquests, Islam spread over a wide swath of Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.
Diffusion
Spread of something (typically a cultural aspect like religion) from its place of origin.
What literature did Islamic scholars translate into Arabic?
Ancient Greek literature from people such as Aristotle.
