Chapter 7

Silk Roads:

Environment: Different environment between inner/outer Eurasia, outer=good for agriculture whereas inner not so pastoral peoples did not farm, roads extend across huge landmass of Eurasia, diseases such as Black Death are carried along these trade routes

Technology:Textiles: Silk production depends on weaving

technology.Pastoral peoples from Central Asia diffuse bronze

metallurgy and horse-based technology to outer Eurasia (China, India, Middle East and Mediterranean). The Chinese protected the silk industry, making it a crime to share this knowledge, however, the secrets did get out.

Economics:Luxury goods b/c it’s costly to transport via Silk

Roads. Elites creating the demand.Long-distance trade diminishes the self-sufficiency of

regions; now they produce for faraway markets. So, peasants gave up producing food and focused on producing luxury goods. Homes become small industries. Consumption changed.

Gender:Women contributing to family income. Women mostly

the ones in the actual production of silk.

Government:Taxes paid in cloth, not money. State depends on

taxes from peasants. Trade networks prosper most when protected by large

states and empires (Pax Romana, Persia, etc.)

CultureCultural impact of trading network is huge. Buddhism

in particular as people converted and felt a link to larger and wealthier civilizations. Cities develop around the monasteries; they become centers of learning and commerce. Foreign merchants bring Buddhism with them (cultural diffusion), and Buddhism changes as it travels (more materialistic).

Chapter 8 is the beginning of Part Three of your text? What period, or era, in history does part three of your text deal with?

A= there are various names such as “post-classical”, “third wave”

Timeframe?A= 500-1500Why does it end with 1500?A= Columbus and the “discovery” of the New World

marks the beginning of the modern era in history.Do these “3rd Wave” (called by Strayer) civilizations

have anything in common with earlier civilizations?A= states, cities, division of labor, social

hierarchies, patriarchy, trading networks

So, what’s changed?A= more than ever, people interact with one

another (for example, before Rome and China had little contact) cultural diffusion happens on a large scale and massive societal change is the result. So, the “3rd Wave” or post-classical” era is characterized by the scale and pace of this interaction, especially in trade.

4 examples of this?A= Sahara, Silk Roads, Indian Ocean Sea “roads”

and the Mississippi…more often people are producing goods for a distant market rather than their own communities..and $$$ money from this trade helps to create new states (ex. Ghana, Mali in West Africa)

What else spreads besides goods?A= technology, germs, religions)

How was the trade along the Silk Roads a “relay trade”?

A= goods changed hands many times

How did trade along the Silk Roads begin?A= people of inner Eurasia (pastoral peoples of Russia

and Central Asia) brought goods such as hides, furs, wool, amber in exchange for agricultural products.

How do large empires contribute to the increase in trade?

A= the security encouraged travelers and tradersRome and China provided anchors for long distance

trade, later during the 13th/14th cen. Mongols encompass whole Silk Road

What is the initial appeal which contributes to the spread of Buddhism in China?

A= it appeals to merchants (Hinduism had privileged higher castes which excluded the merchants). New ideas such as Buddhism were brought by Indian traders and Buddhist monks to the trans-Eurasian trade routes. So, in Buddhism many found a link to the prosperous and prestigious civilization of India. Monasteries provided a place of rest along trade routes…cosmopolitan cities developed at these sites. This process was voluntary, it did not happen through conquest.

Why did Buddhism spread slowly amongst the pastoral peoples of Central Asia?

A= they often did not possess a written language and settled monasteries didn’t fit into their nomadic lifestyle.

Which religion stops it from spreading west? A= Zoroastrianism

What type of Buddhism flourished on the Silk Roads (i.e. how did it change as it migrated?)

A= a much more materialistic form (due to wealth of trade) Mahayana branch flourishes: they turned Buddha into a deity, focus on compassion and gaining merit. Not as austere as original.

Religions such as Christianity and Buddhism drew followers after disease outbreaks since these religions both preached compassion.

How did disease have a positive impact on the lives of workers who survived?

A= workers are now in short supply so those left can demand higher wages, better chance of getting work too. And, in the long run this built up European immunity.

Sea Roads (Indian Ocean Trade)Economics:Costs for transport are lower on water so non-luxury

goods are transported in bulk. Indian Ocean trade had existed for a long while before, however during 500-1500 CE it increases. This trade connects cities (in Africa, India etc.); goods are brought from the interior to these coastal cities, for example, gold, ivory, quartz, leopard skins, slaves are brought from the interior of Africa to the Eastern Swahili coast. Cities like Venice become very wealthy as trade centers.

Government: this trade is not really occurring between countries, instead it is mostly between cities. Swahili coast is made up of city-states. The revival of China and the rise of Islam dramatically change the Afro-Eurasian trade. New large states are created from wealth from sea road trade.

Swahili Coast

Culture:The “Indianization” of SE Asia occurs. Leaders take on

ideas of Karma to give legitimacy to hierarchy and wealth. Artistic forms, sculpture, architecture and languages diffuse to SE Asia from India. This was not through conquest so much of SE Asian culture remained (Hybrid).

After rise of Islam, commerce really takes off. Islam links Swahili coast to Ind. Ocean Trade.

Gender: For example, family life retained its’

traditional SE Asian ways in that they were matri and patrilineal. Also, women had a greater role in public life, fewer restrictions and more power.

Largest pre-modern religious structure in the world

Environment: Monsoons are key. People had to learn about the wind currents. This knowledge increased trade in the Indian Ocean. Geographically, the area which is today Cambodia, Vietnam and Malaysia benefitted from this trade, as they were located between China and India; they also had access to natural resources such as spices and gold.

Which European city, by 1000 C.E., was a major center of commerce?

A= Venice (wealth comes from control of expensive goods coming from Asia) from Red Sea & Indian Ocean

What kinds of goods were shipped across the Indian Ocean?

A= porcelain from China, spices from S.E. Asia, cotton and pepper from India, ivory & gold from African coast…it was also cheaper this way (than on the Silk Roads) why?

A= ships can carry more… over time, this meant that items such as rice, sugar, textiles went to a mass market

Is the post-classical era the beginning of the Indian Ocean sea roads, explain?

A= no, this trade goes back to 1st civilizations (Mesopotamia and Indus Valley)..and within the 1st millennium BCE Indonesians made it to Madagascar (bringing food and language).

Why does this Indian Ocean trade increase during the classical age?

A=mariners learned how to ride the monsoons. Roman Empire merchants created settlements along Indian and African coasts. By 100CE the Chinese had reached India as well.

How does the Afro-Eurasian trade change during the post-classical era (3rd Wave)?

A= China’s back! And Islam has developed.

How does Islam influence the Indian Ocean trade?A= it’s merchant friendly and its’ empire eventually

spreads from the Atlantic Ocean to Mediterranean. This expansion gave rise to an international maritime culture…the power and prestige of the Islamic Empire convinced many to convert.

How is Southeast Asia influenced by this trade?A= ports along the Malay Peninsula begin to compete

intensely for traders/travelers…they are attractive because they have a lot of gold, spices and the ability to tax passing traders led to dev of state. Very influenced by Buddhism (major center). Java, Khmer (Angkor) also influenced in this “Indianization”=spread of Hinduism and Buddhism. Some say it’s similar to Alexander Great Hellenization yet in this case there is no conquest.