New World Beginnings Vocabulary (Chapter 1 in Textbook)

Front

Define the term: Ice Age.

Back

A period lasting thousands of years during which the Earth was covered by ice and glaciers.

Front

Define the term: Maya.

Back

American Indian people of the Yucatan area of southern Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize whose civilization reached its height between A.D. 300-900.

Front

Define the term: Aztecs.

Back

An American Indian people dominant in Mexico before the Spanish conquest of the 16th century.

Front

Define the term: Iroquois League.

Back

A confederation of Native American tribes in the northeastern United States, also known as the Haudenosaunee or Six Nations, formed for mutual defense and cooperation.

Front

Define the term: Ghana.

Back

An ancient West African empire known for its wealth and trade in gold, which flourished from the 6th to the 13th century.

Front

Define the term: Mansa Musa.

Back

The emperor of the Mali Empire in the 14th century, known for his immense wealth and his famous pilgrimage to Mecca. His kingdom was one of the largest in the world.

Front

Define the term: Songhai.

Back

A West African empire that succeeded Mali and became one of the largest Islamic empires in history, flourishing in the 15th and 16th centuries.

Front

Define the term "Renaissance."

Back

A period of cultural, artistic, political, and economic rebirth following the Middle Ages, typically dated from the 14th to the 17th century in Europe. It emphasized the importance of the individual and renewed interest in classical learning.

Front

Define the term: Reconquista.

Back

Campaign, ending in 1492, that reestablished Spanish Christian rule on the Iberian Peninsula.

Front

Define the term: Prince Henry the Navigator.

Back

A Portuguese prince who was a central figure in the early days of the Age of Discovery, sponsoring many exploratory voyages along the west coast of Africa.