Asia 

c. 1200-1450

Kinkakuji Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan

Contents


​Asia, c. 1200-1450:

Objectives

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  • Explain how systems of belief and their practices affected society in the period from c. 1200 to c. 1450.

  • Explain the systems of government employed by Chinese dynasties and how they developed over time. 

  • Explain the effects of Chinese cultural traditions on East Asia over time.

  • ​Explain the effects of innovation on the Chinese economy over time.

  • Explain how the various belief systems and practices of South and Southeast Asia affected society over time.

  • Explain how and why various states of South and Southeast Asia developed and maintained power over time.

  • Explain the causes and effects of the rise of Islamic states over time.

  • ​Explain the effects of intellectual innovation in Dar al-Islam.

  • ​​Explain the process of state building and decline in Eurasia over time.

  • ​Explain how the expansion of empires influenced trade and communication over time.
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  • ​Explain the significance of the Mongol Empire in larger patterns of continuity and change.

Religious Traditions

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Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, and Shinto, and their core beliefs and practices, continued to shape societies in South and East Asia.

Hinduism

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Spread of Hindu cultural influence

Buddhism

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Spread of Buddhism

Confucianism

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Scene from the Song Dynasty Illustrations of the Classic of Filial Piety (detail), depicting a son kneeling before his parents
audio pronunciation guide:

Daoism

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Yin-yang symbol
audio pronunciation guide:

Shinto

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Amaterasu, one of the central kami in the Shinto faith
Article: Core stories of Shinto
audio pronunciation guide:
torii gate at the Itsukushima Shine

Asian Religious Traditions (comprehensive)

Asian Religious Traditions (abridged)

East Asia

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Northern Song in 1111
Kangxi Emperor aboard a Chinese junk
European illustration of the Porcelain Tower
The 1,104 mile long Beijing–Hangzhou Grand Canal, the world's oldest and longest artificial river, links northern and southern China.
  • Empires and states in Afro-Eurasia and the Americas demonstrated continuity, innovation, and diversity in the 13th century. This included the Song Dynasty of China, which utilized traditional methods of Confucianism and an imperial bureaucracy to maintain and justify its rule.

  • Chinese cultural traditions continued, and they influenced neighboring regions.

  • The economy of Song China became increasingly commercialized while continuing to depend on free peasant and artisanal labor.
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  • ​The economy of Song China flourished as a result of increased productive capacity, expanding trade networks, and innovations in agriculture and manufacturing.
Song Dynasty China
audio pronunciation guide:
A size comparison of China and the lower 48 states of the United States
song_dynasty_china_thematic_overview.pdf
File Size: 5472 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
Throne Hall at Gyeongbokgung, ​royal palace of the Joseon dynasty
Korea
audio pronunciation guide:
korea_japan_and_vietnam_c._1200-1450_ce.pdf
File Size: 12790 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

East Asian Civilizations (comprehensive)

East Asian Civilizations (abridged)

South and Southeast Asia

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stable for Vijayanagara war elephants
Angkor Wat, 12th century Hindu (later Buddhist) temple, Cambodia
Borobudur on the island of Java in Indonesia is the world's largest Buddhist temple. It was constructed during the 9th-century.
​State formation and development demonstrated continuity, innovation, and diversity, including the new Hindu and Buddhist states that emerged in South and Southeast Asia.
audio pronunciation guide:

Oceania

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Australasia comprises Australia, New Zealand, and some neighboring islands.
area of Polynesian colonization between 700-1200 CE
ruins of Nan Madol on Pohnpei Island
audio pronunciation guide:

Civilizations of SE Asia & Oceania (comprehensive)

Civilizations of SE Asia & Oceania (abridged)

​Dar al-Islam

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Islam in the world today
In this time-elapsed photo, Muslims circle the Ka’aba in Mecca during hajj, the pilgrimage to Islam's holy city.
copy of al-Bukhari, 13th century Egypt
Sufi mystic dervishes dancing
The battle of Wadi al-Khazandar (1299) depicting Mongol archers and Mamluk cavalry.
Article: Arab Conquests and Sasanian Iran
  • Islam, Judaism, Christianity, and the core beliefs and practices of these religions continued to shape societies in Africa and Asia.

  • As the Abbasid Caliphate fragmented, new Islamic political entities emerged, most of which were dominated by Turkic peoples. These states demonstrated continuity, innovation, and diversity.​

  • ​Muslim rule continued to expand to many parts of Afro-Eurasia due to military expansion, and Islam subsequently expanded through the activities of merchants, missionaries, and Sufis.​
audio pronunciation guide:
Article: How Scholars of the Islamic Golden Age Saved Ancient Greek Knowledge

Dar al-Islam (comprehensive)

Dar al-Islam (abridged)

Mongol Empire

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Article: The brutal brilliance of Genghis Khan
Article: The Story Of Genghis Khan’s Children And The Staggering Spread Of His DNA Around The World
Mongol soldiers, in Jami al-tawarikh by Rashid-al-Din Hamadani, 1305-1306
Yuan empress Chabi
Article: The Mongol Empire Versus China: The Way of War
Article: The Mongol Empire and Divine Winds: The Mongol Invasion of Japan
  • Empires collapsed in different regions of the world and in some areas were replaced by new imperial states, including the Mongol khanates. 

  • ​​The expansion of empires—including the Mongols—facilitated Afro-Eurasian trade and communication as new people were drawn into their conquerors’ economies and trade networks.
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  • ​Interregional contacts and conflicts between states and empires, including the Mongols, encouraged significant technological and cultural transfers.
audio pronunciation guide:
Article: Mongol Fashion Statement
Article: Genghis Khan’s grandson introduced paper money—and inadvertently tanked the Mongol Empire

Mongol Empire (comprehensive)

Mongol Empire (abridged)

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Resources:

Barron's AP European History Flashcards, Second Edition​

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