Blue Book Exam

Quipu

knotted cords of various lengths and colors used by the Inca to keep financial records

Jesuits

members of the Society of Jesus, a Roman Catholic religious order founded by Ignatius of Loyola

indigenous people

native people

sextant

navigation tool that determines latitude and longitude

Manoralism

paying money to the lord in exchange for protection and the use of his land to live on and farm.

origami

the art of folding paper

commerce

the buying and selling of goods and services

Heliocentric Theory

the idea that the earth and the other planets revolve around the sun.

Census

the official count of a population

Desertification

the process by which fertile land becomes desert, typically as a result of drought, deforestation, or inappropriate agriculture.

Cartography

the science of making maps and globes

barter system

a system of exchange in which goods or services are traded directly for other goods or services without the use of money.

Beauracracy

a system of government in which most of the important decisions are made by state officials rather than by elected representatives.

porcelain

a thin, beautiful pottery invented in China

quadrant tool

a tool invented by the Arabs that sailors used to determine their location

Serf

an agricultural laborer bound under the feudal system to work on his lord's estate.

Vernacular

Everyday language of ordinary people

annul

(v.) to reduce to nothing; to make ineffective or inoperative; to declare legally invalid or void

Scientific Method

A logical, systematic approach to the solution of a scientific problem

Daimyo

A Japanese feudal lord who commanded a private army of samurai

Humanism

A Renaissance intellectual movement in which thinkers studied classical texts and focused on human potential and achievements

Conquistador

A Spanish conqueror of the Americas

Griot

A West African storyteller

Rationalism

A belief or theory that opinions and actions should be based on reason and knowledge rather than on religious belief or emotional response

Popular Sovereignty

A belief that ultimate power resides in the people.

Kente Cloth

A brightly colored, woven cloth made by the Ashanti and Ewe peoples.

Grand Canal

A canal linking northern and southern China

Ellipse

A elongated circle, or oval shape, the shape of the planets orbit.

Kofun

A giant circular, square, or keyhole shaped burial mound

Vassal

A knight who promised to support a lord in exchange for land

bazaar

A market selling different kinds of goods

Council of Trent

A meeting of Roman Catholic leaders, called by Pope Paul III to rule on doctrines criticized by the Protestant reformers.

Indulgence

A pardon given by the Roman Catholic Church in return for repentance for sins

Isolationism

A policy of nonparticipation in international economic and political relations

Feudalism

A political system in which nobles are granted the use of lands that legally belong to their king, in exchange for their loyalty, military service, and protection of the people who live on the land

Caravel

A small, highly maneuverable three-masted ship used by the Portuguese and Spanish in the exploration of the Atlantic.

plague

A widespread disease

Trans-Saharan

Across the Sahara

Mercantilism

An economic policy under which nations sought to increase their wealth and power by obtaining large amounts of gold and silver and by selling more goods than they bought

Fief

An estate granted by a lord to a vassal in exchange for service and loyalty

barometer

An instrument that measures atmospheric pressure

Barbarians/Germanic Tribes

Anyone who lived along the frontiers of the Roman Empire. They were not citizens and fought against Rome's expansion into their lands.

95 Theses

Arguments written by Martin Luther against the Catholic church.

Excommunication

Banishment from the church

Predestination

Calvin's religious theory that God has already planned out a person's life.

Counter Reformation

Catholic Church's attempt to stop the protestant movement and to strengthen the Catholic Church

Clergy

Church officials

Secular

Concerned with worldly rather than spiritual matters

Shogun

In feudal Japan, a noble similar to a duke. They were the military commanders and the actual rulers of Japan for many centuries while the Emperor was a powerless spiritual figure.

Newton's three laws of motion

Inertia, acceleration, action -reaction

Caliphate

Islamic empire ruled by those believed to be the successors to the Prophet Muhammad.

Encomienda System

It gave settlers the right to tax local Native Americans or to make them work. In exchange, these settlers were supposed to protect the Native American people and convert them to Christianity

Noh

Japanese drama that appealed to the nobles and samurai

Dynasty

a powerful family or group of rulers that maintains its position or power for some time

Genaology

a record or history of the ancestors or descendants of a person, a people, or a nation

Hajj

Pilgrimage to Mecca

Anti-Semitism

Prejudice against Jews

Roman Twelve Tables

Roman foundation for early codified law

monarch

a ruler of a kingdom or empire

Cultural Blending

Something new created from combining the elements of two or more cultures

Caliph

Successor to Muhammad

Animism

The belief that bodies of water, animals, trees, and other natural objects have spirits

Papacy

The central administration of the Roman Catholic Church, of which the pope is the head.

Maritime Trade

The exchange of goods using sea routes

Spanish Armada

The great fleet sent from Spain against England by Philip II in 1588; defeated by the terrible winds and fire ships.

Quran

The holy book of Islam

cultural diffusion

The spread of ideas, customs, and technologies from one people to another

Minerats

Tower where a crier calls people to prayer

Sunnis and Shiites

Two major sects of Islam

Terrace Farming

a farming system that is in the form of steps going up a mountain

Viceroy

a governor who ruled as a representative of a monarch

patron

a person who provides financial support for the arts

Landlocked

completely surrounded by land with no direct access to the ocean

Geocentric Theory

earth-centered view of the universe

Chinampas

floating farming islands made by the Aztec

caravan

group of traveling merchants and animals

Astrolabe

instrument used to determine latitude by measuring the position of the stars

cultural diversity

the state of having a variety of cultures in the same area

Theology

the study of religion

Chiaroscuro

the treatment of light and shade in drawing and painting

dissecting

to cut apart

Circumnavigate

to sail around the world