Period 2 Vocabulary (Islam - Venice) Flashcards
(35 cards)
Islam
(Religion)
The religious faith of Muslims, including belief in Allah as the soledeity and in Muhammad as his prophet. Islam is a monotheistic religion centered primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of Allah. Muslims believe in the Five Pillars of Islam which include Shahada (profession of faith), Salat (daily prayers), Zakat (giving), Saum (fasting during Ramadan), and Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca). Islam spread very quickly as a result of global trade routes to and from Mecca, military conquests of territories, and fair treatment of people. Islam split into two different types, Sunni and Shia, as a result of the conflict between empires and the death of Muhammad. The Sunni believed that the leader of Islam should be selected by the Islamic community, while the Shia believed that the leader of Islam should derive from the bloodline of Muhammad.
Luxury Goods
(Economics)
An item or good not necessary to live, but is deemed highly desirable within a culture or society. Luxury goods tend to be sensitive to a person’s income or wealth, meaning that as wealth rises, so do purchases of luxury items. These items were usually reserved for the elite and people of high status or wealth. As merchants traveled further away from the place where the item was made, the price increased. These luxury goods such as gold, silk, and ivory were traded via trade routes throughout Afro-Eurasia.
Marco Polo
(Intellectual)
(Socio-cultural)
Merchant, explorer and writer who travelled through Asia along the Silk Road. He worked closely with the Chinese emperor and had knowledge of 4 Asian languages. His travels are recorded in the Travels of Marco Polo, which is a book that described to Europeans the mysterious culture and the inner workings of the Eastern world, including the wealth and great size of the Mongol Empire and China in the Yuan Dynasty. The book talked little about himself and more about the social and economic practices of the people he meets. Polo was also considered an outsider due to him being Christian and not Muslim.
Melaka
(Economics)
(Political)
(Geography)
State in Malaysia located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, next to the Strait of Malacca. Due to its location, it was a very strategic position for international trade routes. In fact, it developed into the most important trading port in Southeast Asia. Many different cultures and ethnicities traded here, including Indian, Arab, and European merchants, leading to lots of diversity and a rich cultural heritage.
Mexican
(Economics)
(Political)
(Geography)
The people who occupied territory in Mesoamerica, and the capital city, Tenochtitlan (located in what today is Mexico City). They developed a system of feudalism, which had similarities to that of Japan and Europe and were ruled by a single monarch, who exerted power over local rulers. The people had an agricultural economy, where farmers cultivated crops in rectangular plots of land on lake beds. Society was mainly patriarchal, however, women were able to own property and agree to business contracts.
Minting of Coins
(Economics)
(Technology)
The process of manufacturing coins using a kind of stamping. Ghana’s gold gained in value and became a major supplier of gold to the worked economy as a result of Europe minting coins. Minting coins facilitated trade by creating trade organizations like the Hanseatic League, and the creation of commercial infrastructure like the Grand Canal in China contributed to commercial growth. Helped the process of monetization.
Monetization
(Economics)
(Technology)
The action or process of earning revenue from an asset, business, etc. As the Mongols began to take control of Asia and the Silk Roads, more and more caravans and inns were used. Paper money from China began to use farther west, and modern market economies developed. China used this as a way to convert their monopoly on silk and porcelain into money.
Mongols
(Political)
(Geography)
(Economics)
(Socio-cultural)
Members of a Central Asian ethnographic group of closely related tribal peoples who live mainly on the Mongolian Plateau and share a common language and nomadic tradition. They were known for their brutality and laws, but they also had positive impacts on the territories which they conquered. They were strong leaders who aided in the growth of the economy as well as diffusion across the empire. The Mongols made travel safe for travelers and merchants on the Silk Road.
Waru Waru
(Intellectual)
(Technology)
(Economics)
An Aymara term for the agricultural technique developed by pre-Hispanic people in the Andes region of South America from Ecuador to Bolivia. It consists of raised beds and irrigation to prevent soil erosion from doing damage during floods. It also helps to collect water, but at the same time drain it so that it will not be affected by brutal floods. This led to an extended growing season and for a larger food supply.
Muhammad
(Religion)
The Arab prophet who was the last messenger of Allah and through whom the Qua’ran was revealed, and the religion of Islam established. He was born around 570 AD in Mecca and was raised by his grandfather and then his uncle. Later on in his life (610) he had his first revelation given to him by the angel Gabriel. In 632, he had his last revelation revealed that God has sent mercy for the people of the world. Muhammad died in June of 632.
Muslim
(Socio-cultural)
(Religion)
Followers of Islam. Muslims are monotheistic and worship one, all-knowing God, who in Arabic is known as Allah. They aim to live a life of complete submission to Allah. Followers of Islam believe that nothing can happen without Allah’s permission, but humans have free will. A key component of their beliefs in the Five Pillars of Islam which include Shahada (profession of faith), Salat (daily prayers), Zakat (giving), Saum (fasting during Ramadan), and Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca).
Neo-Confucianism
(Religion)
A revival of Confucian teachings during the Tan Dynasty and Song Dynasty and a subsequent synthesis of Confucianism with aspects of Buddhism and Taoism. It reached the height of it’s cultural significance during the Northern Song Dynasty. It can be characterized as humanistic and rationalistic. It was built on the beliefs that the universe could be understood through human reason, and that it was up to humanity to create a harmonious relationship between the universe and tine individual.
Novgorod
(Economics)
(Political)
(Geography)
A city in Russia on the Volkhov River. It was the main Russian port for many centuries and was important for Baltic sea trade. The city participated in the Hansa Union (the Union of the richest Baltic ports). One of the main routes for medieval Europe lead through Novgorod, and it was on the way from Northern Europe to Rome Empire and Constantinople.
Urbanization
(Political)
(Geography)
(Religion)
(Economics)
(Socio-cultural)
Rapid population growth, leading to a process of equally rapid building of houses and cities. This led to a major growth of inhabitants in Europe, which in turn lead to commercial and industrial centers. An example of this is the Bantu Migration where people migrated from Western Africa southward and eastward, spreading out across the southern half of the African continent to get away from natural diseases and diseases. Another example is the Polynesian migration where Polynesians go eastward to Hawaii in boats to spread their culture, bring the caste system, military leadership, and religious beliefs.
Paper Money
(Economics)
(Technology)
(Socio-cultural)
Money in the form of banknotes. It was an invention of the Song Dynasty in China. It was used to convert their monopoly on silk and porcelain into money through monetization along the trade routes. It also began to be used farther west, and modern market economies developed as a result. A small problem with paper money is counterfeiting and inflation.
Pathogens
(Socio-cultural)
(Economics)
(Political)
(Geographical)
Any disease-producing agent. An example of this is the black death. Which is an outbreak of the bubonic plague that spread across Asia, North Africa, and Europe. It spread by flea-ridden rats on boats and fleas on the bodies and clothes of travelers. This was caused by a bacterium Yersinia (Y) pestis.
Polynesian Migration
(Political)
(Geographical)
(Economics)
(Socio-cultural)
The Polynesian people came from present day China and Taiwan. The migration took place in waves, and the first place the Polynesians reached was the Philippines. They migrated due to overpopulation. The effects of this migration was spread of agriculture and influence on language.
Precious Metals
(Economics)
(Socio-cultural)
(Political)
(Religion)
(Art)
Metals that are rare and have a high economic value due to various factors, including their scarcity, use in industrial processes, hedge against currency inflation, and role throughout history as a stored value. The most popular precious metals are gold, platinum, and silver. These metals were traded via the Saraha trade routes, the Silk Road, and maritime routes. They were also preserved mainly for the wealthy and elite.
Unfree Labor
(Socio-cultural)
Generic or collective term for those work relations, in which people are employed against their will by the threat of destitution, detention, violence, lawful compulsion, or other extreme hardship to themselves or to members of their families. This includes all forms of slavery and penal labor. Slaves were traded by maritime routes, the Silk Road, and trade routes throughout Africa. People who were conquered by empires or dynasties such as the Mongols usually worked against their will and would be considered unfree labor.
Printing
(Socio-cultural)
(Technology)
The production of books, newspapers, or other printed material. Scribes were responsible for creating much of the printed material. Some began experimenting with ways to make books easier to reproduce, and eliminate human errors made in the copying process. The innovation of the printing press enabled people to share knowledge more quickly and widely. The printing of books was used widely by the Timbuktu’s scholars and in the libraries.
Silk
(Economics)
(Socio-cultural)
(Religion)
A fine, strong, soft lustrous fiber produced by silkworms in making cocoons and collected to make thread and fabric. Silk is also spun by some insect larvae and by most spiders. It was a major export and monopoly for China on the silk roads. It was considered a luxury good and could only be bought by the elite and upper class.
Spices
(Economics)
(Socio-cultural)
An aromatic or pungent vegetable substance used to flavor food. Spices included sugar, salt, black pepper, cinnamon, ginger, saffron, nutmeg, mace and cloves. Many of the world’s most valuable spices came from China, India, and the Indonesian islands, including the Moluccas. They were considered luxury goods and could only be bought by the lite and upper class.
Sogdians
(Political)
(Geography)
(Economics)
(Socio-cultural)
Iranian people whose homeland, Sogdiana, was comprised of oasis towns strategically located at the center of several Silk Road routes in present-day Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. They were conquered by Alexander the Great on his journey east across Asia. The Sogdians reached a peak of wealth and prominence during the 4th into the 8th centuries CE. Sogdiana was made up of a patchwork of oasis towns and rich agricultural land, uniquely placed between the great empires of the Asian continent.
Terracing
(Geography)
(Technology)
(Economics)
Make or form into a number of level flat areas resembling a series of steps. The essential feature of terracing agriculture is excavating and moving topsoil to form farmed areas and ridges. The trick is that water flows down to lower platforms when the upper ones are full, therefore, distributing the water more easily and not just at the foot of the hill. Ancient civilizations in Peru often constructed terraces in very seep, mountainous areas allowing agriculture.
