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World History AP - Chapter 7 - Commerce and Culture Flashcards

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5247360391Silk RoadAn ancient network of trade routes that for centuries were central to cultural interaction through regions of the Asian continent connecting the East and West from China to the Mediterranean Sea.0
5247360392Buddhism and merchantsDuring the fifth and sixth centuries C.E., Merchants played a large role in the spread of religion, in particular Buddhism. The Silk Road transmission of Buddhism essentially ended around the 7th century with the rise of Islam in Central Asia.1
5247360393DunhuangDunhuang was the trade center between China and its western neighbors. At that time, it was the most westerly frontier military garrison in China. With the flourishing of trade along the Silk Road, it was prompted to become the most open area in international trade in ancient Chinese history. It provided the only access westward for the Chinese Empire and eastward for western nationalities.2
5247360394Mahayana BuddhismOne of the two major traditions of Buddhism, now practiced in a variety of forms especially in China, Tibet, Japan, and Korea. The tradition emerged around the 1st century AD and is typically concerned with altruistically oriented spiritual practice as embodied in the ideal of the bodhisattva.3
5247360395Bubonic Plague• The most common form of plague in humans, characterized by fever, delirium, and the formation of buboes. • A form of bubonic plague that spread over Europe in the 14th century and killed an estimated quarter of the population.4
5247360396Black DeathAn epidemic of bubonic plague, a disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis that circulates among wild rodents where they live in great numbers and density.5
5247360397Mongols• A native or inhabitant of Mongolia; a Mongolian. • People of an empire founded in the 12th century by Genghis Khan, which reached its greatest territorial extent in the 13th century, encompassing the larger part of Asia and extending westward to the Dnieper River in eastern Europe.6
5247360398VeniceAn Italian city that by 1000 ce emerged as a major center of Mediterranean trade7
5247360399Alexandria, EgyptCity on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt founded by Alexander. It became the capital of the Hellenistic kingdom of the Ptolemies. It contained the famous Library and the Museum-a center for leading scientific and literary figures.8
5247360400Magnetic compassDetermines direction using the magnetic poles of the earth; used during the song dynasty; magnetic needle floating in water; key role in european exploration9
5247360401Straits of MalaccaThe center of which a port city (Malacca) in the modern Southeast Asian country of Malaysia, founded about 1400 as a trading center.10
5247360402SrivijayaAn important center for the expansion of Buddhism from the 8th to the 12th century. In Sanskrit, śrī means "fortunate", "prosperous", or "happy" and vijaya means "victorious" or "excellence".11
5247360403"Indianization"To cause, to acquire, or conform to the characteristics, culture, or usage of American Indians or of India.12
5247360404SwahiliA Bantu language with Arabic words spoken along the East African coast13
5247360405East African city statesTrade centers (especially Swahili) that developed as powerful merchant communities.14
5247360406Ibn BattutaHe was a Moroccan traveller, geographer, botanist and man of the law. At times he was a Qadi or judge; however, he is best known as a traveller and explorer, whose account documents his travels and excursions over a period of almost thirty years, covering some 73,000 miles (117,000 km). These journeys covered almost the entirety of the known Islamic world, extending from present-day North and West Africa to Pakistan, India, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia and China, a distance readily surpassing that of his predecessor and near-contemporary Marco Polo.15
5247360407Great ZimbabweA ruined city in the south-eastern hills of Zimbabwe near Lake Mutirikwe and the town of Masvingo. It was the capital of the Kingdom of Zimbabwe during the country's Late Iron Age.16
5247360408OasesA fertile spot in a desert where water is found.17
5247360409Niger River Valley-Civilization located along Niger River in West Africa developed. -Significant urbanization occurred from 1st century CE to 5th century CE due to migrating peoples from southern Sahara looking for water. -Absence of state structure. -Urban centers weren't controlled by imperial central government, and instead had little authoritative guidelines. -Iron smithing was most prestigious profession. -Occupational castes developed. -Specialization also occurred in farming due to various ethnic groups working in different areas of agriculture. -Very large commerce system became apparent. -Decentralized city life declined during second millennium CE.18
5247360410Camel CaravansAny group traveling in or as if in a caravan and using a specific mode of transportation, as pack animals or motor vehicles.19
5247360411West African SlaveryA slave might be enslaved in order to pay off a debt or pay for a crime. Slaves in Africa lost the protection of their family and their place in society through enslavement. But eventually they or their children might become part of their master's family and become free. This was unlike chattel slavery, in which enslaved Africans were slaves for life, as were their children and grandchildren.20
5247360412European slavesMany European economies were very dependent on slaves since they did most of the work and made up the majority of the population.21
5247360413Sudan in African StatesA large region of West Africa that became part of a major exchange circuit.22
5247360414Mali GoldIn the ancient empire of Mali, the most important industry for trading was the gold industry. Much gold was traded through the Sahara desert, to the countries on the North African coast. The traders would travel by caravans, on camels.23
5247360415Llamas• Used to transport goods (in Andean civilizations) made possible specialized production and trade among people living in different ecological zones and fostered the integration of these zones by Chavín and later Andean states. Could carry up to 70 lbs. • Llamas integrated different ecological zones by allowing the Chavin to transport high volumes of goods from one zone to another.24
5247360416Cahokia and rivers• The largest and most influential urban settlement of the Mississippian culture that developed advanced societies across much of what is now the central and southeastern United States, beginning more than 1000 years before European contact. • Mound building center near St. Louis, Missouri.25
5247360417PochtecaProfessional, long-distance traveling merchants in the Aztec Empire. They were a small, but important class as they not only facilitated commerce, but also communicated vital information across the empire and beyond its borders. The trade or commerce was referred to as pochtecayotl.26
5247360418Inca roadsStretched out about a total of 20,000 miles across the Inca empire and were used to transport goods by pack animals such as llamas, sending messages by foot [messengers operating in relay could cover as many as 150 miles a day], and they even included about 2,000 inns where travelers from in and out of the empire could find food and shelter.27
5247360419QuechuaThe language of the Inca Empire, now spoken in the Andes Highlands28
5247360420QuipusSystem of knotted strings utilized by the Incas in place of a writing system; could contain numerical and other types of information for censuses and financial records29

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