Unit 2 Vocabulary #1
AP World History
1. Abacus - An ancient Chinese counting device that used rods on which were mounted movable counters
2. Anasazi - Cultural group of people known as the ancestors of the modern Pueblo peoples. The ancestral Puebloans were a prehistoric Native American culture centered around the present-day Four Corners area of the Southwest United States.
3. Arabesque - Complex designs typical of Islamic art, combining intertwining plants and geometric patterns
4. Astrolabe - A navigational instrument used to determine latitude by measuring the position of the stars
5. Ayllus - In Incan society, a clan or community that worked together on projects required by the ruler
6. Bakufu - A military government established in Japan after the Gempei Wars; the emperor became a figurehead, while real power was concentrated in the military, including the samurai
7. Benefice - In medieval Europe, a grant of land or other privilege to a vassal
8. Bushi - Regional military leaders in Japan who ruled small kingdoms from fortresses
9. Bushido - The code of honor of the samurai of Japan
10. Battle of Tours - The 732 battle that halted the advance of Muslim armies into Europe at a point in northern France
11. Caliph - The chief Muslim political and religious leader
12. Calpulli - Aztec clans that supplied labor and warriors to leaders
13. Celadon - Type of pottery having the a pale green glaze, originally produced in China. Chemically, celadon is formed by combining chromium oxide, cadmium yellow, and titanium-zinc white. It was most commonly used in Korean art.
14. Chimor - Political grouping of the Chimú culture that ruled the northern coast of Peru, beginning around 850 AD and ending around 1470 AD. Chimor was the largest kingdom in the Late Intermediate period, encompassing 1000 km of coastline and including up to 2/3 of the people of the Andes.
15. Chinampas - Platforms of twisted vines and mud that served the Aztecs as floating gardens and extended their agricultural land
16. Chivalry - A knight’s code of honor in medieval Europe
17. Daimyo - A Japanese feudal lord in charge of an army of samurai
18. Dar al-Islam - The House of Islam; a term representing the political and religious unity of various Islamic groups
19. Excommunication - The practice of the Roman Catholic and other Christian churches of prohibiting participation in the sacraments to those who do not comply with church teachings or practices
20. Feudalism - A political, economic, and social system based on the relationship between lord and vassal in order to provide protection
21. Fief - In medieval Europe, a grant of land given in exchange for military or other services
22. Flying Money - Paper money that was first used in China in the 9th century AD. Originally it was called 'flying money' (fei-chien) because it could blow out of your hand. To start with it was used by merchants as a note of exchange, but the government soon caught onto the idea and used it for forwarding tax payments. Real paper money backed by deposited money started in the 10th century.
23. Footbinding - In China, a method of breaking and binding women’s feet; seen as a sign of beauty and social position, footbinding also confined women to the household
24. Gempei Wars - (1180–85), final struggle in Japan between the Taira and Minamoto clans that resulted in the Minamoto's establishment of the Kamakura shogunate, a military dictatorship that dominated Japan from 1192 to 1333.
25. Gothic Architecture - Architecture of the twelfth-century Europe, featuring stained-glass windows, flying buttresses, tall spires, and pointed arches
26. Investiture - The authority claimed by monarchs to appoint church officials
27. Junks - Large Chinese sailing ships especially designed for long-distance travel during the Tang and Song dynasties
28. Kowtow - A ritualistic bow practiced in the China court
29. Hadith - A collection of the sayings and deeds of Muhammad
30. Hajj - The pilgrimage to the Ka’aba in Mecca required once of every Muslim who was not limited by health or financial reasons
31. Hijrah - The flight of Muhammad from Mecca to Medina; the first year in the Muslim calendar
32. Jihad - Islamic holy war
33. Ka’aba - Cube like structure housing a black stone or meteorite that became the most revered shrine in Arabia before the introduction of Islam; situated in Mecca, it later was incorporated in the Islamic faith
34. Kamikaze – The “divine wind” credited by the Japanese with preventing the Mongol invasion of Japan during the thirteenth century
35. Magna Carta - A document written in England in 1215 that granted certain rights to nobles; later these rights came to be extended to all classes
* Underlined words will be counted entirely wrong if spelled incorrectly.