Humans and the Environment (ENV)
The introduction of Champa rice to China during the Song dynasty had this major demographic effect.
What is a population increase due to higher agricultural productivity and double-cropping?
The rise of Neo-Confucianism in Song China was in part a response to the spread of these two foreign belief systems.
What are Buddhism and Daoism?
The Song dynasty’s bureaucracy relied on this Confucian-based institution to select officials.
What is the civil service examination system?
The Silk Roads revived under Mongol rule primarily facilitated the trade of this type of good.
What are luxury goods such as silk, porcelain, and spices?
The magnetic compass and astrolabe revolutionized navigation for this maritime trade network.
What is the Indian Ocean network?
The Swahili Coast’s prosperity depended on its geography because of this monsoon-based environmental pattern.
What are the Indian Ocean monsoon winds enabling seasonal trade?
The Delhi Sultanate influenced Indian culture by promoting this process of religious and artistic blending.
What is Islamic-Hindu syncretism (seen in architecture and Sufism)?
The Mongol Empire governed its vast territory through a system of regional administrators known as what?
What are khanates?
The caravanserais found along Afro-Eurasian trade routes served what key economic and social function?
What is supporting long-distance trade through rest stops that promoted safety and exchange?
The Mongols’ use of gunpowder technology spread to the Middle East and Europe via which process?
What is diffusion through conquest and trade routes?
The Mongols’ success in Central Asia was partly due to their adaptation to this specific type of ecosystem.
What is the Eurasian steppe (grassland environment)?
The House of Wisdom in Baghdad reflected a broader Abbasid commitment to this intellectual movement.
What is the translation and preservation of classical Greek, Persian, and Indian knowledge?
The Ottoman devshirme system exemplified this method of imperial governance and control.
What is the recruitment of Christian boys for military and administrative service to ensure loyalty to the state?
The Abbasid Caliphate’s introduction of checks and credit systems was part of this larger economic innovation.
What is the development of banking and monetized economies?
The Song Dynasty’s iron and steel production expanded due to improvements in this field.
What is metallurgy (and the use of coal and blast furnaces)?
The Inca terrace farming system demonstrated advanced adaptation to this challenging environment.
What are the steep Andean mountains?
The Bhakti Movement and Sufi Islam both shared this common characteristic in spreading religion.
Both included mystical elements of the religion (Bhakti - Hindu, Sufi - Islam)
The Safavid Empire’s reliance on Shi’a Islam to unify its population often created tension with which neighboring power?
What is the Sunni Ottoman Empire?
The Gunpowder Empires like the Ottomans and Mughals funded their militaries primarily through this form of land-based taxation.
What is the timar (Ottoman) or zamindar (Mughal) system of land revenue?
The Ottoman siege of Constantinople in 1453 demonstrated the military effectiveness of this new weapon.
What are large-scale cannons/artillery?
The Little Ice Age of the 14th century led to what significant environmental and social consequences across Afro-Eurasia?
What are agricultural decline, famine, and increased social unrest due to colder climate conditions?
The Ottoman use of monumental architecture, such as the Süleymaniye Mosque, served primarily what cultural and political purpose?
What is legitimizing the ruler’s power through Islamic and imperial symbolism?
The Mughal Emperor Akbar’s policy of religious tolerance represented what broader pattern of governance in early modern empires?
What is using inclusivity and flexibility to maintain stability in diverse, multiethnic states?
The Indian Ocean trade network differed from the Silk Roads primarily in this economic characteristic.
What is the dominance of bulk goods (like timber and spices) and the use of maritime rather than overland routes?
The Mughal Empire’s architectural advancements, such as the Taj Mahal, demonstrate the fusion of these two cultural and technological traditions.
What are Islamic and Indian (Persian-influenced) architectural techniques?