E. Asia
The fast-ripening, drought-resistant crop imported from Vietnam that fueled a massive population surge in Song China.
What is Champa rice?
The renowned intellectual center in Baghdad where scholars translated and preserved classical Greek, Persian, and Indian texts.
What is the House of Wisdom?
The southern Indian Hindu empire established in 1336 by two brothers who converted back from Islam.
What is the Vijayanagara Empire?
The capital city of the Mexica (Aztec) Empire built on an island in Lake Texcoco.
What is Tenochtitlan?
The political and military system of medieval Europe based on land grants (fiefs) exchanged for loyalty and military service.
What is feudalism?
The official state ideology of Song China that synthesized traditional Confucian moral values with elements of Buddhism and Daoism.
What is Neo-Confucianism?
The pastoral Turkic nomads who converted to Islam, took control of Baghdad in 1055, and adopted Persian culture.
What is the Seljuk Empire?
The sea-based Buddhist empire centered on Java that controlled vital maritime trade chokepoints in Southeast Asia.
What is the Majapahit Empire?
The mandatory public service labor system used by the Incan state to construct roads, terraces, and buildings.
What is the Mit'a system?
The ruler of the Mali Empire whose lavish 1324 pilgrimage to Mecca highlighted West Africa's vast gold wealth to the world.
Who is Mansa Musa?
The rigorous merit-based testing system used by Song emperors to recruit scholar-bureaucrats, allowing for limited social mobility.
What is the Civil Service Examination?
The regime founded by Turkish slave-soldiers in Egypt who successfully repelled both Crusaders and Mongols.
What is the Mamluk Sultanate?
The land-based empire in modern Cambodia famous for constructing the massive temple complex at Angkor Wat.
What is the Khmer Empire?
The floating agricultural fields constructed by the Aztecs in shallow lake beds to maximize food output.
What are chinampas?
The wealthy southern African kingdom renowned for its massive stone-walled capital and trade in gold and cattle.
What is Great Zimbabwe?
The patriarchal practice popular among elite Song women that physically restricted mobility as a status symbol.
What is foot binding?
The head tax required of non-Muslim subjects (dhimmi) living under Islamic governance in exchange for legal protection and religious exemption.
What is the Jizya?
The devotional movement in Hinduism that emphasized direct, personal devotion to a specific deity, ignoring caste barriers.
What is the Bhakti Movement?
The Mesoamerican civilization organized into decentralized city-states, famous for advanced calendars and step-pyramids.
What are the Maya?
The self-sufficient economic system of medieval Europe centered on a lord's estate and worked by bound serfs.
What is manorialism?
The 1,100-mile artificial waterway that linked northern and southern China, fostering commercialization and internal trade.
What is the Grand Canal?
The Moroccan scholar who traveled over 73,000 miles across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, recording details about the Islamic world.
Who is Ibn Battuta?
The Islamic government established in northern India in 1206 that ruled over a majority-Hindu population.
What is the Delhi Sultanate?
The system of knotted strings used by the Inca to keep administrative and statistical records in place of written text.
What are quipus?
The Christian kingdom in East Africa that remained isolated from Islamic neighbors by mountainous geography, famous for rock-hewn churches.
What is Ethiopia (or Aksum/Solomonic Dynasty)?