Silk Road
was a network of trade routes, formally established during the Han Dynasty of China, which linked the regions of the ancient world in commerce
Mahayana Buddhism
A bodhisattva who has accomplished this goal is referred to as, "fully enlightened Buddha". They can establish the Dharma and lead disciples to enlightenment. This type of Buddhism teaches that enlightenment can be attained in a single lifetime, and this
Bodhisattvas
a person who is able to reach nirvana but delays doing so out of compassion in order to save suffering beings
Theravada Buddhism
one of two great schools of Buddhist doctrine emphasizing personal salvation through your own efforts; a conservative form of Buddhism that adheres to Pali scriptures and the non-theistic ideal of self purification to nirvana; the dominant religion of Sri
Bantu Migrations
The Expansion of the Bantu-speaking people from Cameroon and Eastern Nigeria into East, Central, and Southern Africa. Archaeologists know about it because of the shared language.
Islam
the religion of the Muslims, a monotheistic faith regarded as revealed through Muhammad as the Prophet of Allah.
Muhammad
The Arab founder of Islam, Muhammad is held by Muslims to be the chief prophet of God. He was born in Mecca. Muslims believe that the Koran was dictated to him by an angel sent from God.
Ka'ba
A Muslim shrine in Mecca toward which the faithful turn to pray. Muslims believe Ibrahim and his son, Ismail, constructed the Kaaba. Tradition holds that it was originally a simple unroofed rectangular structure.
Shi'ites
A member of the branch of Islam that regards Ali and his descendants as the legitimate successors to Muhammad and rejects the first three caliphs
Sunnis
Also called Sunnite. a member of one of the two great religious divisions of Islam, regarding the first four caliphs as legitimate successors of Muhammad and stressing the importance of Sunna as a basis for law
Umayyad Caliphate
was the second of the four major Arab caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. This caliphate was centered on the Umayyad dynasty hailing from Mecca
Abassid Caliphate
was the third of the Islamic caliphates to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. first centered its government in Kufa, but in 762 the caliph Al-Mansur founded the city of Baghdad, north of the Sasanian capital city of Ctesiphon.
Sufism
mystical Islamic belief and practice in which Muslims seek to find the truth of divine love and knowledge through direct personal experience of God.
Byzantine Empire
also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire in the East during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul, originally founded as Byzantium).
Council of Nicaea (329 CE)
was a council of Christian bishops convened in the Bithynian city of Nicaea (currently called Iznik, Bursa province, Turkey) by the Roman Emperor Constantine I. Its main accomplishments were settlement of the Christological issue of the nature of the Son
The Franks
are historically first known as a group of Germanic tribes that inhabited the land between the Lower and Middle Rhine in the 3rd century AD, and second as the people of Gaul who merged with the Gallo-Roman populations during succeeding centuries, passing
Clovis
a Paleo-Indian culture of Central and North America, dated to about 11,500-11,000 years ago and earlier. The culture is distinguished by heavy, leaf-shaped stone spearheads.
Charles Martel
(c. 686 - 22 October 741) was a Frankish statesman and military leader who as Duke and Prince of the Franks and Mayor of the Palace, was de facto ruler of Francia from 718 until his death. Defeated the Spanish Muslims at the battle of Tours (732-33) and b
Charlemagne
Charles' grandson, extended the Frankish realms to include much of the West, and became the first Emperor in the West since the fall of Rome. Therefore, on the basis of his achievements, Charles is seen as laying the groundwork for the Carolingian Empire.
Vikings
any of the Scandinavian seafaring pirates and traders who raided and settled in many parts of northwestern Europe in the 8th-11th centuries.
Manor System
The manor system was a common way of life in medieval Europe, consisting of a knight in charge of a manor and 15 or more peasant families working to support the manor. This system is responsible for many of the castles that survive in Europe
Serfs
agricultural laborers bound under the feudal system to work on his lord's estate.
Feudalism
the dominant social system in medieval Europe, in which the nobility held lands from the Crown in exchange for military service, and vassals were in turn tenants of the nobles, while the peasants (villeins or serfs) were obliged to live on their lord's la
First Crusade
started as a widespread pilgrimage in western Christendom and ended as a military expedition by Roman Catholic Europe to regain the Holy Land taken in the Muslim conquests of the Levant (632-661), ultimately resulting in the capture of Jerusalem in 1099.
Fourth Crusade
(1202-04) was a Western European armed expedition called by Pope Innocent III, originally intended to conquer Muslim-controlled Jerusalem by means of an invasion through Egypt, but failed and was diverted into a battle for Constantinople.
Sui Empire
was a short-lived imperial dynasty of China of pivotal significance. It unified the Northern and Southern dynasties and reinstalled the rule of ethnic Han Chinese in the entire China proper, along with sinicization of former nomadic ethnic minorities with
Emperor Yang
( 569 - April 11, 618) 2nd member of Sui dynasty; murdered his father to gain throne; restored Confucian exam system; responsible for construction of Chinese canal system.
Tang Dynasty
was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. It is generally regarded as a high point in Chinese civilization, and a golden age of cosmopolitan culture.
Li Shimin
was the second emperor of the Tang dynasty of China, ruling from 626 to 649.
An Lushan
(c. 703- 29 January 757) was a general who launched the devastating "An Lushan Rebellion" against the Tang dynasty in China. He was of Sogdian and G�kt�rk origin, at least by adoption.
Song Dynasty
(960-1279) was culturally the most brilliant era in later imperial Chinese history. A time of great social and economic change, the period in large measure shaped the intellectual and political climate of China down to the twentieth century.
Flying Money
Chinese credit instrument that provided credit vouchers to merchants to be redeemed at the end of the voyage; reduced danger of robbery; early form of currency.
Chan (Zen) Buddhism
is a school of Mah?y?na Buddhism combined with Taoism.
Shinto
a Japanese religion dating from the early 8th century and incorporating the worship of ancestors and nature spirits and a belief in sacred power ( kami ) in both animate and inanimate things. It was the state religion of Japan until 1945.
Samurai (Bushi)
were the warriors of premodern Japan. They later made up the ruling military class that eventually became the highest ranking social caste of the Edo Period (1603-1867). Samurai employed a range of weapons such as bows and arrows, spears and guns, but the
Mongols
bound together by a common heritage and ethnic identity. They are an East-Central Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia and China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. They also live as minorities in other regions of China, as well as in Russia.
Genghis Khan
(1162-1227), founder of the Mongol empire. Born Temujin. He took the name Genghis Khan (ruler of all) in 1206 after uniting the nomadic Mongol tribes. Conquered most of Asia and of East Europe to the Dnieper River.
Yuan Dynasty
was the ruling dynasty of China established by Kublai Khan, leader of the Mongolian Borjigin clan.
Kublai Khan
Mongol emperor (1260-1294) and founder of the Mongol dynasty in China. A grandson of Genghis Khan, he conquered the Song dynasty (1279) and established a great capital, now Beijing, where he received Marco Polo (1275-1292). Mongolian general and statesman
Hulagu Khan
(c. 1218 - 8 February 1265), was a Mongol ruler who conquered much of Western Asia. His army greatly expanded the southwestern portion of the Mongol Empire, founding the Ilkhanate of Persia, a precursor to the eventual Safavid dynasty, and then the modern
Mande People
They are known as having been early producers of woven textiles (by a process known as strip-weaving). They founded the Ghana and Mali empires and led the expansion of the Songhai Empire across West Africa. Predominantly Muslim, they have a patrilineal ki
Griots
African tribal storytellers and musicians. Their role was to preserve the genealogies and oral traditions of the tribe. They were usually among the oldest men in a tribe.
Ghana
(c. 300 until c. 1200) first of the great medieval trading empires of western Africa (fl. 7th-13th century). It was situated between the Sahara and the headwaters of the S�n�gal and Niger rivers, in an area that now comprises southeastern Mauritania and p
Mali
Also historically referred to as the Manden Kurufaba, was a Mandinka/Bambara empire in West Africa from c. 1230 to c. 1600. The empire was founded by Sundiata Keita and became renowned for the wealth of its rulers, especially Mansa Musa.
Epic of Sundiata
is an epic poem of the Malinke people and tells the story of the hero Sundiata Keita (died of possible drowning in 1255), the founder of the Mali Empire.
Mansa Musa
was an emperor (mansa) of the Mali Empire during the 14th century. He became emperor in 1307. He was the first African ruler to be widely known throughout Europe and the Middle East. He was the great nephew of Sundiata Keita, who was founder of the empire
Timbuktu
A city of central Mali near the Niger River northeast of Bamako. Founded in the 11th century by the Tuareg, it became a major trading center (primarily for gold and salt) and a center of Islamic learning by the 14th century. It was sacked in 1591 by invad
Delhi Sultanate
the kingdom established by Muhammad's successors to spread Islam in India
significance: spread Islam to India
Turks
Nomads from the north encroaching on Eurasian civilization. Various Turkic-speaking clans and tribes in Mongolia and Southern Siberia
Tamerlane
Mongol ruler of Samarkand 1369-1405; Tartar name Timur Lenk ('lame Timur'). Leading a force of Mongols and Turks, he conquered Persia, northern India, and Syria and established his capital at Samarkand; he was the ancestor of the Mogul dynasty in India
Renaissance
the humanistic revival of classical art, architecture, literature, and learning that originated in Italy in the 14th century and later spread throughout Europe.
Scholasticism
the system of theology and philosophy taught in medieval European universities, based on Aristotelian logic and the writings of the early Church Fathers and having a strong emphasis on tradition and dogma.
Humanism
an outlook or system of thought attaching prime importance to human rather than divine or supernatural matters. Humanist beliefs stress the potential value and goodness of human beings, emphasize common human needs, and seek solely rational ways of solvin
Divine Comedy
is an epic poem by Dante Alighieri, begun c. 1308 and completed 1320, a year before his death in 1321. It is about a trip through the afterlife. The poem has three parts: Inferno (Hell), Purgatorio (Purgatory), and Paradiso (Paradise, or Heaven).
Johannes Gutenberg
A German printer of the fifteenth century, who invented the printing press. Gutenberg also invented the technique of printing with "movable type" � that is, with one piece of type for each letter, so that the type could be reused after a page was printed.
Prince Henry the Navigator
(4 March 1394 - 13 November 1460) Prince of Portugal who led military campaigns in North Africa and directed voyages that spurred the growth of Portugal's colonial empire.
Columbian Exchange
refers to a period of cultural and biological exchanges between the New and Old Worlds. Exchanges of plants, animals, diseases and technology transformed European and Native American ways of life.