Steppe
Dry grass-covered plains that stretch across Europe and Asia.
Genghis Khan
“Universal Ruler”; Leader of the Mongols.
Pax Mongolica
“Mongol Peace”; period of peace and stability under the rule of the Mongol Empire.
Stirrups
Ring-shaped straps attached to a horse saddle where a rider places his or her foot to aid in support while riding.
Nomad
A member of a group that has no permanent home, wandering from place to place in search of food and water.
Domestication
The taming of animals for human use.
Clan
A group of people descended from a common ancestor.
Daoism
A philosophy based on the ideas of the Chinese thinker Laozi, who taught that people should be guided by a universal force called the Dao (“Go with the flow”).
Movable Type
Blocks of metal or wood, each bearing a single character, that can be arranged to make up a page for printing.
Magnetic Compass
A navigation instrument that uses a magnetized steel bar to point in the direction of the earth’s magnetic (North and South) poles.