Age Grade
An age group into which children were placed in Bantu societies of early sub-Saharan Africa; children within the age grade were given responsibilities and privileges suitable for their age and in this manner were prepared for adult responsibilities
Austronesian
A branch of languages originating in Oceania
Bantu-Speaking Peoples
Name given to a group of sub-Saharan African peoples whose migrations altered the society of sub-Saharan Africa
Black Death
The European name for the outbreak of bubonic plague that spread across Asia, Europe, and North Africa in the fourteenth century
Caravel
A small, easily steerable ship used by the Portuguese and Spanish in their explorations
Griots
Storytellers and historians of sub-Saharan Africa who carried on oral traditions.
Kami
Japanese nature spirits revered in the Shinto religion
Khan
A Mongol ruler
Lateen Sail
A triangular sail attached to a short mast
Malay Sailors
Southeast Asian sailors who traveled the Indian Ocean; by 500 C.E., they had colonized Madagascar, introducing the cultivation of the banana
Maori
A member of a Polynesian group that settled New Zealand about 800 C.E.
Metropolitan
Of or constituting a large city or urbanized area, including adjacent suburbs and towns
Middle Kingdom
Term applied to the rich agricultural lands of the Yangtze River valley under the Zhou dynasty
Ming Dynasty
The ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty; the Ming dynasty was the last dynasty in China led by ethnic Hans.
Mongol Peace (Pax Mongolica)
The period from about 1250 to 1350 in which the Mongols ensured the safety of Eurasian trade and travel
Perspective
An artistic technique commonly used in Renaissance painting that gave a three-dimensional appearance to works of art
Renaissance
The revival of learning in Europe beginning about 1300 and continuing to about 1600
Stateless Society
A society that is based on the authority of kinship groups rather than on a central government
Steppe Diplomacy
The skill of political survival and dominance in the world of steppe nomads; it involved the knowledge of tribal and clan structure and often used assassinations to accomplish its goals
Syncretism
A blend of two or more cultures or cultural traditions
Yuan Dynasty
The Mongol led dynasty of China from 1271 to 1368
Dhow
Arab sailing vessels with triangular or lateen sails; strongly influenced European ship design
Jinshi
Title granted to students who passed the most difficult Chinese examination on all of Chinese literature; became immediate dignitaries and eligible for high office
Mawali
Non-Arab converts to Islam
Dhimmi
Literally "people of the book"; applied as inclusive term to Jews and Christians in Islamic territories; later extended to Zoroastrians and even Hindus & Buddhists
Quinoa
A species of goosefoot grown as a crop primarily for its edible seeds. Although it is technically not a grain it is treated as such because of its baking characteristics