Unit 1-4 ID Terms for AP World Exam (157 Total)

Abbasid (ah-BAH-sihd)

Cosmopolitan Arabic dynasty (750-1258) that replaced the Umayyads; founded by Abu al-Abbas and reaching its peak under Harun al-Rashid.

Abolitionism

Antislavery movement.

Absolutism

Political philosophy that stressed the divine right theory of kingship: the French king Louis XIV was the classic example.

Ahimsa (uh-HIM-suh)

Jain term for the principle of nonviolence to other living things or their souls.

Analects

The teachings of Confucius (551-479 B.C.E.) compiled by his disciples.

Ancestor Worship

Belief that dead ancestors can influence one's fortunes in life. Those who practice often conduct rituals and ceremonies to the memory or remains of their ancestors.

Aryans (AIR-ee-anns)

European tribes who settled in India after 1500 B.C.E.; their union with indigenous Dravidians formed the basis of Hinduism.

Astrolabe

Navigational instrument for determining latitude.

Audiencias

Courts appointed by the king who reviewed the administration of viceroys serving Spanish colonies in America.

Aztec empire

Central American empire constructed by the Mexica and expanded greatly during the fifteenth century during the reigns of Itzcoatl and Motecuzoma I.

Bantu (BAN-too)

African peoples who originally lived in the area of present-day Nigeria; around 2000 B.C.E. they began a centuries-long migration that took them to most of sub-Saharan Africa; the Bantu were very influential, especially linguistically.

Barracks Emperors

Series of Roman generals who seized the throne between 235 and 284 C.E.

Battle of Britain

German strategy to defeat Britain through aerial bombing; causes many civilian casualties, but invasion is prevented by the Royal Air Force.

Bodhisattvas (BOH-dih-SAT-vuhs)

Buddhist concept regarding individuals who had reached enlightenment but who stayed in this world to help people.

Bronze

Material made from copper and tin used for weapons and agricultural tools.

Bubonic Plague

Epidemic that swept Eurasia, causing devastating population loss and disruption. Known as the Black Death in Europe after 1350 C.E.

Buddha (BOO-duh)

The "enlightened one," the term applied to Siddhartha Gautama after his discoveries that would form the foundation of Buddhism.

Buddhism (BOO-diz'm)

Religion, based on Four Noble Truths, associated with Siddhartha Gautama (563--483 B.C.E.), or the Buddha; its adherents desired to eliminate all distracting passion and reach nirvana.

Bunraku (boon-RAH-koo)

Japanese puppet theater.

Bushido (BOH-shee-DOH)

The "way of the warrior," the code of conduct of the Japanese samurai that was based on loyalty and honor.

Byzantine (BIHZ-ann-teen)

Long-lasting empire centered at Constantinople; it grew out of the end of the Roman empire and carried legacy of Roman greatness and was the only classical society to survive into the early modern age; it reached its early peak during the reign of Justinian (483--565).

Caesaropapism

Concept relating to the mixing of political and religious authority, as with the Roman emperors, that was central to the church versus state controversy in medieval Europe.

Cahokia (kuh-HOH-kee-uh)

Large structure in modern Illinois that was constructed by the mound-building peoples; it was the third largest structure in the Americas before the arrival of the Europeans.

Caste

Social class system in which distinctions and restrictions on marriage, occupation, handling of food, and other matters are transferred through generations or through class. The term usually refers to the social system of India.

Cathedral Schools

Schools organized by bishops and archbishops in France and northern Italy whose liberal arts curricula often offered instruction in law, medicine, and theology.

Catholic Reformation

Sixteenth-century Catholic attempt to cure internal ills and confront Protestantism; it was inspired by the reforms of the Council of Trent and the actions of the Jesuits.

Chinampas

Style of agriculture used by Mexica (Aztecs) in which fertile muck from lake bottoms was dredged and built up into small plots.

Chivalry

European medieval concept, a code of conduct for the knights based on loyalty and honor.

Columbian Exchange

Global proliferation of plants, crops, animals, human populations, and diseases following Columbus' voyage.

Copernican Universe

Copernicus' suggestion in 1543 that the sun, rather than the earth, was the center of the universe.

Corpus iuris civilis (KOR-puhs yoor-uhs sih-VEE-lihs)

Body of the Civil Law, the Byzantine emperor Justinian's attempt to codify all Roman law.

Council of Trent

Catholic attempt (1545-1563) that sought to direct reform of the Roman Catholic Church.

Criollos (kree-OH-lohs)

Creoles, people born in the Americas of Spanish or Portuguese ancestry.

Crusades

Campaigns by Christian knights to seize the holy lands that led to trade with Muslims and the importation of Muslim ideas regarding science and mathematics.

Crystal Palace

Enormous glass and iron structure built in 1851 in London for the Great Exhibition. Demonstrated British technological, economic, and military prowess.

Cuneiform

Written language of the Sumerians, probably the first written script in the world.

Daimyo (DEYEM-yoh)

Powerful territorial lords in early modern Japan.

Dao

Key element in Chinese philosophy that means the "way of nature" or the "way of the cosmos."

Daoism (DOW-i'zm)

Chinese philosophy with origins in the Zhou dynasty; it is associated with legendary philosopher Laozi, and it called for a policy of inaction.

Deism (DEE-iz'm)

An Enlightenment view that accepted the existence of a god but denied the supernatural aspects of Christianity; in deism, the universe was an orderly realm maintained by rational and natural laws.

Delian League

The military and economic alliance between Greek poleis against the threat presented by the Persian Empire.

Devshirme

Ottoman requirement that the Christians in the Balkans provide young boys to be slaves of the sultan.

Dhow

Indian, Persian, and Arab ships, one hundred to four hundred tons, that sailed and traded throughout the Indian Ocean basin.

Dravidians

Peoples who produced the brilliant Harappan society in India, 3000-1500 B.C.E.

Dutch learning

European knowledge that reached Tokugawa Japan.

Encomienda (ehn-KOH-mee-ehn-dah)

System that gave the Spanish settlers (encomenderos) the right to compel the indigenous peoples of the Americas to work in the mines or fields.

Engenho

Brazilian sugar mill; the term also came to symbolize the entire complex world relating to the production of sugar.

Enlightenment

Eighteenth-century philosophical movement that began in France; its emphasis was on the preeminence of reason rather than faith or tradition; it spread concepts from the Scientific Revolution.

Equal-field system

Chinese system during the Han dynasty in which the goal was to ensure an equitable distribution of land.

Eunuchs (YOO-nihks)

Castrated males, originally in charge of the harem, who grew to play major roles in government; eunuchs were common in China and other societies.

Five Pillars

The foundation of Islam; (1) profession of faith, (2) prayer, (3) fasting during Ramadan, (4) alms, and (5) pilgrimage, or hajj.

Floating Worlds

Term for centers of urban culture in Japan under the Tokugawa shogunate.

Four Noble Truths

The foundation of Buddhist thought: (1) life is pain, (2) pain is caused by desire, (3) elimination of desire will bring an end to pain, (4) living a life based on the Noble Eightfold Path will eliminate desire.

Ghazi (GAH-zee)

Islamic religious warrior.

Gilgamesh

Legendary king of the Mesopotamian city-state of Uruk (ca. 3000 B.C.E.), subject of the Epic of Gilgamesh, world's oldest complete epic literary masterpiece.

Golden Horde

Mongol tribe that controlled Russia from the thirteenth to the fifteenth centuries.

Grand Canal

Project that integrated the economies of northern and southern China.

Great Zimbabwe

Large sub-Saharan African kingdom in the fifteenth century.

Guilds

Socially significant groups of craftspeople who regulated the production, sale, and quality of manufactured goods.

Hacienda (HAH-see-ehn-dah)

Large Latin American estates.

Hajj (HAHJ)

Pilgrimage to Mecca.

Hammurabi's Code (hahm-uh-RAH-beez cohd)

Sophisticated law code associated with the Babylonian king Hammurabi (r. 1792-1750 B.C.E.).

Han Dynasty

Chinese dynasty that ruled an expanding empire with a large bureaucracy based upon Legalist and Confucian values. The empire taxed agriculture and trade and raised large armies to colonize Vietnam, Korea, and the Xiongnu territory.

Hanseatic League

Association of trading cities in northern Europe linked by major rivers to the Mediterranean.

Harappan (hah-RAP-puhn)

Early brilliant Indian society centered around Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro.

Heavy Plow

Device of the sixth century permitting the turning of heavy northern soils, rotating crops, and increased agricultural production.

Hellenistic Era

Second phase in Greek history (328-146 B.C.E.), from the conquest of Greece by Philip of Macedon until Greece's fall to the Romans; this era was a more cosmopolitan age facilitated by the conquests of Alexander the Great.

Hieroglyphics (heye-ruh-GLIPH-iks)

Ancient Egyptian written language.

Hijra

Muhammad's migration from Mecca to Medina in 622, which is the beginning point of the Islamic calendar and is considered to mark the beginning of the Islamic faith.

Hinduism

Main religion of India, a combination of Dravidian and Aryan concepts; Hinduism's goal is to reach spiritual purity and union with the great world spirit; its important concepts include dharma, karma, and samsara.

Holy Roman Empire

Central and western European kingdom created at the Treaty of Verdun in in 843 and lasting until 1806.

Homo sapiens sapiens (HOH-MOH SAY-pee-uhns SAY-pee-uhns)

First human being of the modern type, which appeared roughly one hundred thousand years ago; Cro-Magnon falls into this category.

Humanists

Renaissance scholars interested in moral philosophy, history, and literature, drawing inspiration from classical texts.

Ibn Battuta

An Islamic Scholar (1304-1369) who served as qadi to the sultan of Delhi and offered counsel to Muslim rulers in west Africa.

Indulgences

Remissions of the punishment of a Christian's sins that could be purchased from the Roman Catholic Church.

Islam

Monotheistic religion of the prophet Muhammad (570-632); influenced by Judaism and Christianity, Muhammad was considered the final prophet because the earlier religions had not seen the entire picture; the Qu'ran is the holy book of Islam.

Istanbul

The new name of Constantinople after it is sacked by Sultan Mehmed II in 1453.

Janissaries

Slave troops serving the Ottoman Empire.

Jati

Indian word for a Hindu subcaste.

Ka'ba (KAH-buh)

Main shrine in Mecca, goal of Muslims embarking on the hajj.

Kabuki (kah-BOO-kee)

Japanese theater in which actors were free to improvise and embellish the words.

Karma (KAHR-mah)

Hindu concept that the sum of good and bad in a person's life will determine his or her status in the next life.

Kingdom of Kongo

Kingdom dominating small states along the Congo River that maintained effective, centralized government and a royal currency until the seventeenth century.

Latifundia (LAT-ih-FOON-dee-uh)

Huge state-run and slave-worked farms in ancient Rome.

Legalism

Chinese philosophy from the Zhou dynasty that called for harsh suppression of the common people.

Li (LEE)

Confucian concept, a sense of propriety.

Mali

African kingdom founded in the thirteenth century by Sundiata; it reached its peak during the reign of Mansa Musa.

Manchus

Manchurians who conquered China, putting an end to the Ming dynasty and founding the Qing dynasty (1644-1911).

Mandate of Heaven

Chinese belief that the emperors ruled through the mandate, or approval, of heaven contingent on their ability to look after the welfare of the population.

Manila Galleons

Heavily armed, fast ships that brought luxury goods from China to Mexico and carried silver from Mexico to China.

Maroons

Runaway African slaves.

Mesopotamia

Term meaning "between the rivers," in this case the Tigris and Euphrates; Sumer and Akkad are two of the earliest societies.

Mestizo

Latin American term for children of Spanish and native parentage.

Missi dominici (mihs-see doh-mee-nee-chee)

"Envoys of the lord ruler," the noble and church emissaries sent out by Charlemagne.

Moksha

Hindu concept of the salvation of the soul.

Monotheism (MAW-noh-thee-iz'm)

Belief in only one god, a rare concept in the ancient world.

Mughals (MOO-guhls)

Islamic dynasty that ruled India from the sixteenth through the eighteenth centuries; the construction of the Taj Mahal is representative of their splendor; with the exception of the enlightened reign of Akbar, the increasing conflict between Hindus and Muslims was another of their legacies.

Mulattoes

Brazilians of mixed ancestry.

Métis (may-TEES)

Canadian term for individuals of mixed European and indigenous ancestry.

Neo-Confucianism (nee-oh-kuhn-FYOO-shuhn-iz'm)

Philosophy that attempted to merge certain basic elements of Confucian and Buddhist thought; most important of the early Neo-Confucianists was the Chinese thinker Zhu Xi (1130-1200).

Neolithic

New Stone Age (10,000-4000 B.C.E.), which was marked by the discovery and mastery of agriculture.

Nirvana (nuhr-VAH-nuh)

Buddhist concept of a state of spiritual perfection and enlightenment in which distracting passions are eliminated.

Noble Eightfold Path

Final truth of the Buddhist Four Noble Truths that called for leading a life of balance and constant contemplation.

Oracle bones

Chinese Shang dynasty (1766-1122 B.C.E.) means of foretelling the future.

Ottoman empire

Powerful Turkish empire that lasted from the conquest of Constantinople (Istanbul) in 1453 until 1918 and reached its peak during the reign of Süleyman the Magnificent (r. 1520-1566).

Paleolithic

Old Stone Age, a long period of human development before the development of agriculture.

Pater familias (PAH-tur fuh_MEE-lee-ahs)

Roman term for the "father of the family," a theoretical implication that gave the male head of the family almost unlimited authority.

Patriarchy (PAY-tree-ahrky)

System of social organization in which males dominate the family and where public institutions, descent, and succession are traced through the male line.

Patricians

Roman aristocrats and wealthy classes.

Pax Romana

Roman Peace, a term that relates to the period of political stability, cultural brilliance, and economic prosperity beginning with unification under Augustus and lasting through the first two centuries C.E.

Peloponnesian War

A war between camps led by Athens and Sparta the ended in 404 B.C.E. with the unconditional surrender of Athens.

Pharaohs (FARE-ohs)

Egyptian kings considered to be gods on earth.

Plebians (plih-BEE-uhns)

Roman common people.

Polis (POH-lihs)

Greek term for the city-state.

Popol Vuh (paw-pawl vuh)

Mayan creation epic.

Protestant Reformation

Sixteenth-century European movement during which Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, and others broke away from the Catholic church.

Ptolemaic Universe

The theory that the earth is motionless and surrounded by nine spheres. Could not account for observable planetary movements, but was consistent with Christian theory of creation.

Putting-out system

Method of getting around guild control by delivering unfinished materials to rural households for completion.

Qin (chihn)

Chinese dynasty (221-207 B.C.E.) that was founded by Qin Shihuangdi and was marked by the first unification of China and the early construction of defensive walls.

Quinto (KEEN-toh)

The one-fifth of Mexican and Peruvian silver production that was reserved for the Spanish monarchy.

Quipu (KEE-poo)

Incan mnemonic aid comprised of different colored strings and knots that served to record events in the absence of a written text.

Relics

Revered artifacts from saints that inspired pilgrimages to cities such as Rome, Compostela, and Jerusalem.

Ren

The Confucian value of propriety, courtesy, respect, and deference to elders.

Sacraments

Christian rite mediating or symbolizing divine grace.

Samsara (sahm-SAH-ruh)

Hindu term for the concept of transmigration, that is, the soul passing into a new incarnation.

Samurai (SAM-uhr-eye)

A Japanese warrior who lived by the code of bushido.

Sati (suh-TEE)

Also known as suttee, Indian practice of a widow throwing herself on the funeral pyre of her husband.

Satraps (SAY-traps)

Persian administrators, usually members of the royal family, who governed a satrapy.

Scholasticism

Medieval attempt of thinkers like St. Thomas Aquinas to merge the beliefs of Christianity with the logical rigor of Greek philosophy.

Seppuku

A Japanese term for ritual suicide committed by the samurai when he had been dishonored.

Siddhartha Gautama (sih-DHAR-tuh GOW-tau-mah)

Indian kshatriya who achieved enlightenment and became known as the Buddha, the founder of Buddhism.

Silk roads

Ancient trade routes that extended from the Roman empire in the west to China in the east.

Songhay

Empire that replaced Mali in the late fifteenth century.

Sufis (SOO-fees)

Islamic mystics who placed more emphasis on emotion and devotion than on strict adherence to rules.

Ten Commandments

Moral and ethical standards for followers of Moses.

The Social Contract

Rousseau's work in which he advocates social and political equality and freedom.

Theme

Byzantine province under the control of generals.

Third Rome

Concept that a new power would rise up to carry the legacy of Roman greatness after the decline of the Second Rome, Constantinople; Moscow was referred to as the Third Rome during the fifteenth century.

Thirty Years' War

Conflict lasting from 1618 to 1648 starting in Bohemia and eventually involving much of Europe.

Three Estates

Term for the social classes of the spiritual estate (clergy), the military estate (feudal nobles), and the estate of peasants and serfs.

Timbuktu

City in Mali, Africa, that was notable for its Islamic university and 180 religious schools.

Tokugawa (TOH-koo-GAH-wah)

Last shogunate in Japanese history (1600-1867); it was founded by Tokugawa Ieyasu who was notable for unifying Japan.

Treaty of Tordesillas

Treaty (1494) dividing the world outside Europe between Spain and Portugal along the North-South meridian at 370 leagues west of the Cape Verdes Islands.

Triangular trade

Trade between Europe, Africa, and the Americas that featured finished products from Europe, slaves from Africa, and American products bound for Europe.

Twelver Shiism (SHEE'i'zm)

Branch of Islam that stressed that there were twelve perfect religious leaders after Muhammad and that the twelfth went into hiding and would return someday; Shah Ismail spread this variety through the Safavid empire.

Upanishads (oo-PAHN-ee-shahds)

Indian reflections and dialogues (800-400 B.C.E.) that reflected basic Hindu concepts.

Vedas (VAY-duhs)

"Wisdom," early collections of prayers and hymns that provide information about the Indo-European Aryans who migrated into India around 1500 B.C.E.; Rig Veda is most important collection.

Venus figurines

Small Paleolithic statues of women with exaggerated sexual features.

Volta do mar (VOHL-tah doh MAHR)

"Return through the sea," a fifteenth-century Portuguese sea route that took advantage of the prevailing winds and currents.

Wind wheels

Prevailing wind patterns in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans north and south of the equator; their discovery made sailing much safer and quicker.

Wuwei (woo-WAY)

Daoist concept of a disengagement from the affairs of the world.

Xiao (SHAYOH)

Confucian concept of respect for one's parents and ancestors.

Yellow Turban Uprising

A revolt against the land distribution policies of the Han dynasty (25-220 C.E.).

Yurts (yuhrts)

Tents used by nomadic Turkish and Mongol tribes.

Zambos (ZAHM-bohs)

Latin American term for individuals born of indigenous and African parents.

Ziggurats

Mesopotamian temples.

Zoroastrianism (zohr-oh-ASS-tree-ahn-iz'm)

Persian religion based on the teaching of the sixth-century-B.C.E. prophet Zarathustra; its emphasis on the duality of good and evil and on the role of individuals in determining their own fate would influence later religions.

Accessed on: 1/24/2012 at 11:00:39