The Impact of Long-Distance Trademshouapworld.weebly.com/.../1/4/9/1/14918798/2.18_long_distance_t… · The Impact of Long-Distance Trade Unit 2, Lesson 18 Copyright © 2011, K12

Essential Questions• Howdidnewtechnologiessuchasyokes,saddles,andstirrupsallow

domesticatedanimalstotransportgoods?

• Whatwereinnovationsinmaritimetechnologies?

• HowdidthespreadofcropsfromSouthAsiatotheMiddleEastencouragechangesinfarmingandirrigation?

• Whatweretheeffectsofthespreadofdiseasepathogens?

• Howwerethetradesystemsconnectedtothespreadofbeliefsystems?

• HowwereculturaltraditionsinChina,Christianity,andHinduismtransformedastheRoman,Indian,andChineseculturesspread?

The Impact of Long-Distance Trade

Unit 2, Lesson 18

Copyright © 2011, K12 Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced in whole or in part, including illustrations, without the express prior written consent of K12 Inc.

Inventions in TransportationPeopleoftheClassicaleradidnotsuddenlybegintoexchangegoodsmoreoftenandmoreeasilyfornoreason.Newtechniquesforlandandseatransportationmadetravellinggreaterdistancesandcarryingmoregoodseasier.Inparticular,peoplebegantoharnesspowerfulforceswhetherthoseforceswerehorses,camels,andotherfour-leggedbeastsorthewindsthattraveledsoerraticallyovertheeasternseas.

Yokes, Saddles, and StirrupsOneofthefirstofthesetransportationinnovationscamewhencamelswerefirstusedasbeastsofburden.Peoplebegantravelingbycamelinthe600sB.C.E.tocrossthedesertwastelandoftheSaharaandotherpartsofAfricathathadbeendifficulttotraverseduetothelackofwaterintheregion.Camelscouldtravellongerandfartherwithlesswaterthanotheranimalscould.AstheCommonEradrewnear,twotypesofsaddlesweredevelopedthatmadecamelseasiertorideanduseaspackanimals.Thefirsttypeofsaddle,fromsouthArabia,wasdesignedprimar-ilyfortransportationandsecurity.Itplacedtheriderdirectlybehindthecamel’shump.Thesaddlesafelyharnessedbelongings,butcouldnotbeusedverywellforcombat.Thesecondtypeofsaddle,developedinnorthArabiainresponsetothedeficienciesofthefirsttypeofsaddle,placedtheriderfurtherbackonthecamel,moreakintowhereonemightsitonahorse.Thissecondsaddleenabledpeopletousecamelsforcombatmoreeffectively.Within900yearsoftheirintroduction,camelsbecametheprimaryanimalusedfortransportintheregion.

People’srelianceonsaddlesledtoanotherinnovationthatmadeiteasiertoridecamelsandotherbeasts:thestirrup.StirrupsappearedinAfghanistan,cre-atedbytheKushanfolk,somewhereinthe400yearsafter100B.C.E.Stirrupshaddefinitelyfallenintoregularuseby300C.E.Thisstirrupisapieceofequipmentthatextendsfromasaddleonbothsides,andthepersonsittinginthesaddlecanputhisorherfeetintothestirrupswhileridingtogainbettercontroloftheani-malbeingriddenandtobemoresecureontheanimal’sback.Overtime,stirrupsevolvedfrombig,bulkycylinderstosleekpiecesconnectedtosaddleswithleather.Mostsaddlesthatusedstirrups,suchasthosethatcametobeusedonhorseback,alsowrappedaroundtheanimalsinseveralplacesandwerereliablefoundationsforriders,especiallywarriors.

Set the StageA traveling missionary enters a Buddhist temple for worship. He prepares himself in the traditional manner before settling down to pray. He could be anywhere in Asia. Buddhist temples were prominent all along the Silk Road. Outside the temple, a region would quickly reveal its provenance. Faces and crops would provide hints about the region. Yet inside the temple, a missionary might feel like he had not left home at all; the religion of his homeland would be practiced with the same fervor in districts far away.

Unit 2, Lesson 18 2


Stirrupsalsohadapracticaladvantageforwarriors:usingstirrups,awarriorcouldcontinueridingananimalwhilealsowieldingweaponsincombat.WarriorsacrosstheClassicalworldbeganusingstirrupsinfighting,includinginChinaandEurope.InChina,peoplebeganusingstirrupsmadefromironduringthe400sC.E.,andwarriorsreliedonthemparticularlyduringthetimeoftheTangEmpire.Usingthesestirrups,warriorscouldrideatincreasedpacesandalsodirecttheirhorsesinmorespecificways—significantadvantagesonthecombatfield.

Anotherimportantinnovationprovedmoreusefuldomestically,especiallytothosefolkswhoreliedonagriculturefortheirlivelihood.Theyokeallowedmorethanoneoxatatimetoplowfields.Theyokewouldlinktwooxentogetherandattachthemtosomethingheavy,suchasatoolusedforplowingorturningtheearth.Theoxencouldthenworkintandem,andthepeopleusingtheyokewouldbenefitfromdoublethestrengthofasingleox,wieldedwiththesameprecisionasusingjustoneox.

Developing Sails and Taming WindsPeopledevelopedevenmoretechniquestotamethewindsoftheIndianOceanandsurroundingseasthantheydidtotamebeastslikecamelsandoxen.TheIndianOceanhadlongbeenaforebodingareaforsailorstonavigate—insomeways,theproblemsitposedweresimilartotheperilsoftheSaharaDesert,astravelersattemptingtocrosseachhadtodeterminehowtocombatitsbarrierswhethertheyweretoomanywindsfromdifferentdirectionsorthelackoffreshwater.TheIndianOceanisknownforthemanymonsoonsthatpassthroughit.Accordingtothetimeofyear,thewindsthatstirupthesemonsoonsblowinavarietyofdirections.

OnlyinthetimeoftheMauryansdidpeoplebegintocalculatethewaysthesewindsblewwithsomeassurance.Seafarersdiscoveredthatinthewarmerseasons,thewindspushedacrossthewaterfromthewestandsouth;inthecolderseasons,thepathwasreversed.BecauseoftheirproximitytotheIndianOcean,Indianpeoplesbenefitedfromtheincreaseoftradetotheirregion,especiallybecauseitwastheirsailingindustrythathaddiscoveredhowtonavigatethatoceansosmoothly.Soon,IndianshipsvoyagedasfarawayasRomeitself.Indoingso,thesailorstransportedcommerceofeverykind,fromthebasicfoodstuffstoexoticandlimitedgems.

Peopleinotherculturessoondiscoveredthisinformationaboutthemon-soons.EgyptiansunderthereignofthePtolemiesfirstconqueredthesewinds,andinthe100sB.C.E.theHellenesfollowedsuit.Thus,peoplesfromallaroundtheworld—India,Arabia,Africa,andtheHelleniclands—couldusetheIndianOceaneffectivelyandsafelyfortravelandtrade.Peoplecouldexchangemoreatagreaterspeedthroughseatravel,andthefinancialsystemsofallparticipatingregionsbenefited.Inparticular,Hellenicpeoples(individualsofGreekdescentorfromareascolonizedbytheGreeks)grewwealthierfromseatrading.

Peoplebegantounderstandwindsystemsaroundotherbodiesofwater,espe-ciallytheArabianSeaandthePersianGulf.There,sailorsbeganusingthreemoreinnovationsthataidedtheminseafaring.Firstwasthelateensail.Thesesails,shapedwiththreesidesandcraftedfromclothsuchascottonorplantfabrics,couldmakeshipsevenmoredexterous.Secondwastheastrolabe,whichhelped

Unit 2, Lesson 18 3


sailorscalculatewheretheywereonthewateraccordingtothestarsinthesky.Thirdwasthecompass,originallyfromChina,whichsailorsusedtodeterminethedirectiontheyweretraveling.ThecompassespeciallyimpactedChinesesail-ors,whohadnottraveledveryfarbyseauntiltheyearsoftheTangdynasty.TheChinesedevelopedthecompassandbetter-equipped,long-lastingshipstotravelgreaterdistancesforthesolepurposeofacquiringgoodsthatpeopleathomeinChinasodesperatelydesired.

TheChinesedidnotremainaloneintheirquestforbetter-equipped,long-lastingships.TheIndiansbegantocraftlargerandimprovedboatscalleddhows,atermusedbytheSwahili.Dhows,whichwereoriginallycrafteduponIndia’sMalabarCoastandusedduringthesecondmillenniumC.E.,couldcarryhundredsoftonsatatime.Themorepetitedhowswerestaffedbyaboutadozensailors,whilethemorerobustdhowsmighthavemorethandoublethatnumber,oruptothirtysailorsstaffingtheship.Thedhows,builtofteaklinkedbystitchesoffibrousplantsratherthannails,wouldtakealmostafullyeartomakeacircuitfromIndiatoAfricaandback.Atsomepointafter1200C.E.butpriorto1500C.E.,peopleaugmentedthewaytheyguidedthedhowsbymovinganobjectcalledtheruddertotheverybackofthedhowandguidingitfromthere.

During the Songdynasty,people traveling the IndianOceanalsousedtremendousboatscalledjunks,whichcouldholddoubletheweightofthedhows.PeopleprobablystartedcallingtheseboatsjunksinderivationofasimilarMalay-Javaneseterm,“jung.”“Jung”mayberelatedtothewordthatsoundsthesameinChineseforahomethathoversonwater.Tocraftthejunks,peopleusedhugepiecesofwoodandnails.Bothtypesofshipscouldbeusedtoferrymanypeopleormanytypesofgoods—sometimesboth.Thelargestjunkscouldtakeonupto1,000voyagers.Despitethedhowsandjunks’sizeandsophistication,thesailorsstillhadtoplottheircoursesacrosstheIndianOceancarefullytotakeadvantageofthewindsratherthanattemptingtomanipulatethem.Frequently,peoplewouldvoyageacrossspecificportionsoftheIndianOcean.Theseapathwaysdividedintoatleasttwoparts,bothstretchingoutfromIndiaandtraversingeithertheBayofBengalortheArabianSea.Despitethegreatamountoftimethathadtobeinvestedinthesevoyages,theChinesehadnoproblemcrossinggreatdistancesearlyon:theirjunkstraveledasfarasIndonesiaandIndiaasearlyasthe300sC.E.

Acrosstheseastothewest,thepeopleoftheMediterraneanhadsmallershipsthatcouldonlytravelsmallerdistanceswhencomparedtotherigsbuiltbytheChineseandIndians.TheHellenicpeoplesstillreliedonmanpowertomovetheirships,anddidnothavespeciallateensailsliketheIndianOceansailorsdid.TheMediterraneanpeople’sshipsalsodidnotseemashardyasthoseoftheircounter-partstotheeast.Asaresult,thepeopleoftheMediterraneansentsettlerstoareasclosertotheirhomeland,andtradedcontinuouslywiththesehomelikeoutposts.ThepeopleoftheIndianOceansentsettlerstofar-rangingpartsoftheglobeandtradedwiththemlessfrequently.

Despitetheirdifferences,thepeopleoftheMediterraneanandChinasharedaloveforstoriesaboutfantasticseatravel.InGreece,peoplecraftedstoriesaboutgreatPhoeniciantravelers.TheGreeksalsolovedataleaboutHippalus,amanof

Unit 2, Lesson 18 4


commerceanddiscoverybytrade,andtheygrantedhimcreditforfiguringoutthewindsacrosstheIndianOcean.Incontrast,theChinesebelievedamannamedGeneralZhangJianmadethisdiscovery,andtoldtalesabouthimtoproveit.

Positive and Negative: Spreading Crops and DiseaseThegreatshipslikejunksanddhowsandthecaravansthatreliedoncamels,horses,andassociatedequipmentdidnotmerelytransportexoticgoods.Thetradersalsotransportednecessitiesoflifelikefoodstuffs.Thisexchangeoffoodstuffsalsohadthepositiveramificationofdiversifyingfoodaroundtheworld.Frequently,whenonegroupwasintroducedtoafoodonlygrownontheothersideoftheworld(forexample,riceorartichokes),thenewlyintroducedpeopledecidedtogrowittoo.Usually,theseproductswouldcomethroughIndiaontheirwaytodisparateregionsinSouthandCentralAsia,Africa,andtheMediterraneanbasin.Inparticular,tradersbroughtmanyfoodstuffsfromAsiatotheMiddleEastandencouragedthecultivationofnewcropsinhotdesertlands.Aswellasexchangingandfosteringnewkindsofgrainsandproduce,peopletradedplantsthatcouldbecultivatedtoproducematerialsforfabricsanddyes,suchascottonandhenna.

Bycross-pollinatingtheirfoodsupply,tradershelpedpeopleinavarietyofregions,especiallywherepeoplepracticedIslam,tobegineatingawidervarietyofnutrientsandtochangethewaytheyplannedtheirdietsoverthecourseofayear.Peoplecouldgrowdifferentplantsforvaryingamountsoftimeandthushavemoretypesoffoodgrowingripeatdifferenttimesoftheyear.Previously,Islamicfarmerswereinactiveinsummermonths,becausenothingnativetotheareagrewwellinextremeheat.Thispracticechangedwhenfoodstuffsfromotherareas,suchassugarcane,wereintroduced.Tomaintainandfosterthesenewproducts,peopleintheIslamicpartoftheworldredoubledtheireffortstolearnmoreaboutagricultureandnurturetheirgrowingsupplies.Asaresult,thepeopleofIslamicregionsprospered,cultivatingmorefoodbothforthemselvesandfortrading.

Unbeknownsttothetraders,atleastoriginally,theshipsandcaravansalsobroughtdiseasesfromonepartoftheworldtoanotherwhenevertheyengagedintrade.Unfortunately,localsfromoneareausuallydidnotrealizethatontheirpersonsorbelongingstheycarriedminisculegermstowhichtheymighthaveatolerance,buttowhichforeignerswouldnot.Asthegermstraveledfromonesideoftheworldtotheother,theybecamemoredangerous.BoththeHanEmpireandtheRomanEmpire,tremendoustradedestinations,hadimmenseproblemswithdiseaseinthe100sand200sC.E.:mostlikelythesepeopleexperiencedbubonicplague,smallpox,andmeasles.Oneofthesediseasesalonewouldhavebeenbadenough;thecombinationofallthreewasextremelydetrimentaltoboththeChineseandtheRomans.Infact,400yearsafterthediseasesfirststartedtoravageChinaandimperialRome,theamountofpeoplelivingineachregionsharplydeclined.Forexample,inthe100sC.E.,about45millionpeoplelivedintheRomanEmpire,butinthe400sC.E.thepopula-tionhaddroppedatleast5million;likewise,thepopulationinChinadroppedby10millioninthe200yearsfollowing200C.E.,sinkingto50million.While

1SeLf-CheCk

Where did the

seafaring tools called

compasses originate?

Unit 2, Lesson 18 5


lessinformationisavailabletodescribetheeffectsofdiseaseinotherpartsoftheClassicalworld,likeIndiaandPersia,itseemsreasonablethattheirpeopletoowouldhavebeenaffectedbythespreadofdisease,andthattheirpopulationswouldhavedecreasedaswell.

ThedeathrateinbothChina’sandRome’sempires,andinotherpartsoftheworldsignificantlyaffectedinternationalcommerce.Fewercitizensmeantalackofimportsandexports:fewerpeoplecouldproducegoodstosell,andfewerpeopleremainedtopurchasethosegoods.Peoplefocusedmoreontradingwithlocalneighborsthanfar-awayempires.

Trading in Beliefs and Transforming CulturesWhilemanydiseasesandgermsweresharedacrossborders,sotoowerereligiousandphilosophicalideas.Inparticular,Zoroastrianism,Manichaeism,Buddhism,andChristianityalltraveledalongtheroadsthatconnectedempires.

ManyreligionsflourishedintheSassanidEmpireinIran,whichstoodfrom224to640C.E.andposedaseriousthreattotheRomanEmpire.Inparticular,tworeligionsdevelopedthere:ZoroastrianismandManichaeism.ZoroastrianismwasthemostpopularreligioninIranatthattime,andpeoplewhobelievedinZoroastrianismreceivedstateprivilegescomparedtothosewhopracticedotherreligions.WhentimesbecamedifficultintheSassanidEmpire,thepeoplewiththemostprotectionandsafetyweretheZoroastrians.However,otherbeliefsys-tems,includingBuddhism,Christianity,andJudaism,allhadtheiradherentsintheregion.Inparticular,manyJewishpeopleweredrawntotheregionbecausetheretheycouldpracticetheirbeliefsinpeace.EventhoughtheydidnothavethesameprivilegesastheZoroastrians,theJewshadmorelibertytopracticetheirownbeliefsthanpeopleofotherreligionsdid.TheJewsresidedinthreemainareas:Babylon,Khorasan,andIsfahan.Inaddition,theJewshadsomelibertytogovernthemselves,andturnedforguidancetoauthoritiesinMesopotamia.TheJewswouldonlybegintodepartthisareawhenthemovementtore-createaJewishstateinIsraelemerged.

ThesereligionsflourishedontheSilkRoadbecausetheirpractitionersintheSassanidareacontrolledanimportantpartoftheSilkRoadonceitpassedtheEu-phratesRiver.Originally,theSassanidpeoplerecognizedZoroastrianismastheirofficialreligion,andsotradersfromtheregionwouldhavepracticedit,whiletrad-erspassingthroughtheregionwouldhavebeenintroducedtoit.TheSassanidsstronglydiscouragedotherreligiouspracticeswithintheirempire.WhilesomecontinuedtobravelyattempttoretaintheirJewishandChristianbeliefs,manyotherswerepunishedfortheirfaiths.Forexample,ChristianshadadifficulttimefinanciallywhentheRoman-PersianWarsbegan.TheSassanidsmadeChristianscontributeadditionalmoneytotheirsideoftheconflict.

Duringthe400sC.E.,onegroupofChristianscalledNestoriansactuallyreliedontheSassanidsforprotection.TheNestorianshadcomeunderfireintheirnativeByzantinebythinkingaboutChrist’spersonratherthanhisdivinity;intheByzantineEmpire,themajorityofChristiansthoughtChrist’sdivinityshouldbecelebratedandheshouldnotbeanalyzedasameremortal.Asaresult,the

2SeLf-CheCk

Which three diseases

most likely affected both

the Han and Roman

empires during the 100s

and 200s C.E.?

Unit 2, Lesson 18 6


A Piece ofhISTorY

St. Cyprian

Without the transportation and innovations people developed to further trade and commerce, religious beliefs would not have traveled so quickly, nor would diseases have passed between separate genetic groups at such great speeds. Yet what connection might people have seen not with trade, but between disease and religion at a time when they had suddenly been introduced to the two simultaneously? St. Cyprian, who lived in the Roman Empire in the 200s C.E., saw disease spring up and strike his fellows in 251, and he responded by sharing his ideas about Christianity and how religion could conquer illness and death. St. Cyprian, who had significant religious and political power through his position as Carthage’s bishop, writes in a text called On Morality,

It serves as validation of the [Christian] faith when the bowels loosen and drain the body’s strength, when fever generated in bone mar-row causes sores to break out in the throat, when continuous vomiting roils the intestines, when blood-shot eyes burn, when the feet or other bodily parts are amputated because of infection by putrefying disease, when through weakness caused by injuries to the body either mobility is impeded, or hearing is impaired, or sight is obscured. It requires enormous great-ness of heart to struggle with resolute mind against so many onslaughts of destruction and death.

In the 200s C.E., people did not have the scientific knowledge or resources to determine what was actually causing the terrible diseases

decimating the population, nor could they cure these diseases. People died brutal, difficult deaths. In the above passage, St. Cyprian spares no detail when describing the graphic elements of these diseases: “When continuous vomiting roils the intestines, when blood-shot eyes burn, when the feet or other bodily parts are amputated because of infection by putrefying disease…” This descrip-tion reveals a most unpleasant state of being, in which infected people had no choice but to suffer before meeting an unpleasant death. St. Cyprian is writing in response to non-Christian believers in the Roman government, who blamed Christian-ity for these illnesses rather than what historians today know to be the exchange of ordinary germs across trading routes. St. Cyprian passionately defends Christianity, writing that the religion, far from being the cause of such disease, is the only thing that can possibly provide comfort in a time of disease. For St. Cyprian, becoming ill is a mo-ment that provides potential for validation of faith, and shows their “enormous greatness of heart.” Illness provides good Christians with a chance to show their loyalty to their god and their faith in a purpose they do not understand. Without their religious belief, he asserts, they would have nothing with which to meet these terrible physi-cal ailments. However, St. Cyprian’s declaration, while certainly kinder to his fellow Christians than the opinions of his opponents, could not save the lives of those vulnerable to diseases from abroad, and sadly, far too many of the Romans possessed such vulnerability.

Unit 2, Lesson 18 7


While this portion of the Khocho Ruins in China may look unassuming and run-down, this area was once an important stop along the great Silk Road. People of the Han dynasty built Khocho in the last years B.C.E. and settled there for more than a millennium.

NestoriansfledByzantiuminsearchofamorehospitableenvironment,andfoundthatenvironmentintheSassanidEmpire.TheNestoriansendedupproselytizingtheirreligionthroughoutAsia,alongwithothertraders.

OnepractitionerofZoroastrianism,Mani,developedhisownreligiouspracticecalledManichaeisminthethirdcenturyC.E.ManichaeismwasalternatelypraisedandpunishedbytheSassanidgovernment.DespiteMani’suntimelydeathatthehandsofthatgovernment,hisreligionpersevered,andhisdisciplesusedthetrad-ingroutestosharehisideas.

InAsia,travelinggroupsofpeopleknownasnomadsalsoinfluencedreligiouspractices.Thenomadscoveredagreatdealofterritoryandreceivedexposuretoavarietyofideasandreligiouspractices.Asofthe500sC.E.,nomadswhospokeTurkishbegantosettledownthroughoutthecentralportionsoftheAsiancon-tinent,encroachingonportionsoftheSassanidEmpire.Moreandmore,theseformernomadsturnedtoBuddhism.

NomadsalsogainedpowerinChina.AftertheHandynastyrelinquishedpowerinthearea,noimmediatesuccessortotheHanEmpireemerged,whichlefttheportionsofChinaformerlycontrolledbytheHanvulnerabletoattack.CentralChinabecameplaguedbycivilunrest,andabouthalfwaythroughthe400sC.E.,Chineseculturehadfallenintodisarray.ThisdisarrayleftthedooropentoAsiannomadstocomeintoChinaandblendtheirculturewithChineseculture.Whileinotherareasthenomadshadbroughttheircultureandpracticestotheplaces

Unit 2, Lesson 18 8


theysettled,inChinathenomadsactedandbehavedlikeChinesepeopletoo;overtime,thenomadsintermarriedwithChinesepeopleandtheirdescendentsbecameChinese.

WhentheHantraditionofruledisappeared,anotherpreviouslyimportanttraditionwithinChinaalsoranintotrouble:thepracticeofConfucianism,basedinphilosophyandtraditionalbehavior,nolongerappealedtotheChinesefolkconsumedbycivilunrest.ThisdisinterestinConfucianismallowedneweasternreligionslikeBuddhismandDaoismtotakerootinChina.WhileDaoismstartedoutasanintellectualapproachtotheworld,muchlikeConfucianism,inthe400sDaoismbegantobetreatedincreasinglyasatypeoffaith.Inturn,whilemanypeoplewithinChinahadpracticedBuddhismduringtheHandynasty,mostofthosepeoplewerenon-nativecitizens.Startinginthe300sC.E.,moreandmoreChinesecitizensbeganpracticingBuddhismtoo,asdidthenomadswhocametosettlealongsidethem.

Bythispoint,BuddhismhadspreadthroughoutAsiaandthroughotherpartsoftheworld.Buddhism’spopularitybegantoacceleratebetweenthe200sB.C.E.and100sC.E.,whenrulersinAfghanistanandIndiaencouragedtheirsubjectstopracticethereligion.Missionariesandotherseriousworshippersofthereligiontookitsideaswiththemastheytraveledalongroutessetupbytraders,usingtheSilkRoadandsealanesacrosstheIndianOcean.BuddhistpractitionersmayhavetraveledasfarasSriLankaandTibetduringthistime.Later,Buddhismwouldshiftintotwoschoolsofpracticeaccordingtogeographicalboundaries.Oneschool,Theravada,woulddevelopinSriLanka,whileBuddhistsoutsideofSriLankawouldpracticeMahayanaBuddhism.TheravadaBuddhism,whichisalsosometimescalledtheLesserVehicleandisthesmallerschool,ismoretra-ditionalandobservantoforiginalideaspromotedbytheBuddha.InTheravadaBuddhism,peopledonotworshiptheBuddhalikeagod.Incontrast,MahayanaBuddhism,whichisalsosometimescalledtheGreaterVehicleandisthelargerschool,ismoremodernandplacesmoreemphasisonthestateofnirvana,whichislikeWesterners’ideaofheaven.InMahayanaBuddhism,peopledoworshiptheBuddhalikeagod.

WhileBuddhismgainedafoothold,sodidHinduism.BothBuddhismandHinduismhadgrownstronginIndia,andbecausesomanytradingpathwayspassedthroughtheIndianOcean,evenmorepeoplebecameexposedtothesereligiousideas.Inparticular,peoplewholivedonthesouthernandeasternportionsoftheAsiancontinentweredrawntothesetworeligions.Often,thesetworeligionscoexistedharmoniouslyinAsiancountriessuchasVietnam,Sumatra,andCambodia.

AstheSassanidpeoplehadfocusedonZoroastrianism,theRomansandByzantinesfocusedonChristianity.ChristianityhadbeenunpopularintheRomanEmpireatthestartoftheCommonEra,whichmeantChristianshadtraveledwidelyawayfromRomeandsharedtheirideasastheywent.Thisdepar-turechangedduringtheruleofConstantineintheearly300sC.E.:ConstantinesawthepoliticalandimperialpotentialofChristianityandofficiallyendorseditin313.OneofConstantine’ssuccessors,Theodosius,installedChristianityastheRomanEmpire’sofficialreligionjustdecadeslaterin380.Fromthatpoint

3SeLf-CheCk

What problem did

the Nestorian

Christians have?

Unit 2, Lesson 18 9


forward,theRomanspracticedChristianitywithincreasinginterest.First,thecommonpeoplebegantopracticeChristianitybecauseofthehopeitofferedthem;later,peoplefromtheupperclassesalsobecameinterestedwhentheyrealizedthatsharingareligionwiththegovernmentwouldbeanadvantageatcourt.RespectedscholarlyfiguressuchasSt.AugustinelegitimizedChristianityandhelpeddefineitsappealtothechangingpopulationofRome’sempire.St.Augustine,whohadpreviouslybelievedinNeoplatonismandManichaeism,encouragedpeopletoconsidertheircapacityforfreewill;healsointroducedideasoforiginalsinandGod’sgrace.

Earlyon,manydifferentinterpretationsofChristianitycoexisted.However,particularlyduringConstantine’stime,peoplebegantoseekoutfewerinterpre-tationsthatwouldbesharedbymany.Thisinterestinfewer,moreoverarchinginterpretationsledtothedevelopmentandcompositionoftheNewTestament.TheChristianchurchalsobegantorecognizespecificleaderswhohadsayoverpractitionersofthereligionthroughouttheworld.Whilefiveimportantmencalledbishopstookonleadershiprolesindifferentregions,thebishopwhodictatedtermsinRome’sregionhadthemostpowerandsoonreceivedthespecialtitleof“pope.”WhentheRomanEmpiresplitintwo,Christianity’spopularitycontinuedinthenewByzantineEmpirewheretheEasternOrthodoxChurchformed.Meanwhileinthewest,whereanotherempiredidnotimmediatelyemerge,thepopetookonevenmorepowerandinfluence.

Meanwhile,Christianitytraveledalongtraderoutestotheeastandsouth,findingnewdevoteesinArmeniaandEthiopia.TheArmeniansoftenfoundthemselvescaughtbetweentwolargerregions,IranandtheMediterranean.Originally,theArmenianshadbeenmoreinterestedintheZoroastrianregion,butChristianityreplaceditastheprimaryreligionafter400C.E.InEthiopia,Christianityarrivedalongacruelerpath.Traditionrevealsthatinthe300sC.E.peoplefromAksum,whichisapartofEthiopia,attackedaRomanshipvoyag-ingtoIndia.

Everyoneontheshipdiedexceptfortwoyoungandlearnedmen,Frumen-tiusandAedisius.ThesemenjoinedtheAksumcourtasprivilegedcourtiersandovertimebecameinterestedinChristianity.However,therestofthecourtwerepolytheisticandinterestedinmanytypesofdivinities.ManyoftheAksumitesalsohadapassionateregardforeducation.ThemeneventuallycoaxedthenextAksumking,KingEzana,totakeupthereligioninapproximately330C.E.,andthetwothushelpedcementChristianityasanimportantreligioninEthiopia.KingEzanaaddedtothisstabilizationofChristianitybysettingitupastheauthorizedfaithoftherealm.Soon,peoplethroughoutEthiopiabecameinter-estedinChristianity,anintereststabilizedbythepresenceoftravelingmonksinAksum,whohadvoyagedtheretosharetheirreligiousunderstanding.Astimepassed,theotherreligioushousesofworshipinAksumfellandwereconvertedtoChristianhousesofworship.Atthatpoint,Christianity,Islam,andBuddhismhadalltraveledtothethreecontinentsofAsia,Africa,andEuropebecauseoftrade,andintheyearsthatfollowedallthreewouldbattlefordominationineachofthosegeographicareas.

4SeLf-CheCk

Which two men were

the sole survivors

of a ship attack by

Ethiopians, and

who lived to bring

Christianity to Aksum?

Unit 2, Lesson 18 10


This map reveals which early civilizations prospered on the African continent and where; the Aksum region is visible in the upper right-hand corner (shaded in red lines) between the Nubian Desert and the Somali Peninsula.

0°

20°

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Crystal Mounta

ins

D ra ke nsberg

M o u nta i ns

S a h a r a

S a h e l

CongoBasin

KatangaPlateau

ChalbiDesert

SomaliPeninsula

NubianDesert

LibyanDesert

Great R ift Va l le y

Namib D

esert

KalahariDesert

SerengetiPlain

Bantu farmers and herders migrated into southern and eastern Africa over several thousand years.

G u l f o fG u i n e a

LakeVictoria

Lake Tanganyika

Lake Malawi

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zam

b iq u

e C

h ann

e l

Re d S e a

Niger River

Nile

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iver

Zambezi

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ngo River

Orange River

Kwanza River

Lurio RiverRiver

AT L A N T I C O C E A N

I N D I A NO C E A N

Aksum

AdulisMeroë

Djenné-Djeno

Napata

ATL AS MO U N TA I N S

MADAGASC

AR

800 mi0 400

4000 800 km

Kush 1100 B.C.–A.D. 350

Nok 500 B.C.–A.D. 200

Aksum 300 B.C.–A.D. 700

Bantu migrations 1100 B.C.–A.D. 1000

EnvironmentsTropical rain forestMediterraneanDry woodlandSavannaDesert

early African Civilizations



SummaryThedesiretotradeacrossvastdistanceswithincreasedaccuracyencouragedpeopletodevelopseveralinnovations.Onland,peopleusedspecialsaddlesandstirrupstoridehorsesandcamels.Peoplealsousedyokestoharnessoxen.Bysea,peopledevelopedspecialsailsandalsoreliedoninstrumentslikeastrolabesandcom-passes.PeoplediscoveredhowtonavigatetheIndianOceanusingmonsoonwinds.Successintradinghelpedbringnewcropstonewareas,butitalsofostereddisease.Meanwhile,peopleusedtradingroutestosharereligiousideas,addingpractitionerstothevariousworshipsofZoroastrianism,Manichaeism,Hinduism,Buddhism,andChristianity.ReligiouspracticesshiftedastheRomanandHanempiresfell.

Looking AheadTheincreaseintradeandtechnologyenabledreligionstotravelfaracrosstheworldandinspirenewdevoteesineachcountrytheypassed.Unfortunately,thesereligionswouldnotco-existaspeacefullyinallregionsasDaoismandBuddhismdidinChina.Inparticular,tworeligionswouldcomeheadtoheadintheirclashfordominance:ChristianityandIslam.WhileChristianityhadbeenfoundedearlier,Islamwouldrapidlyincreaseinpopularity.Eachreligionwouldposeaseriousthreattotheother.

1. The seafaring tools called compasses originated in China.

2. Bubonic plague, smallpox, and measles most likely affected both the Han and Roman empires during the 100s and 200s C.E.

3. The Nestorian Christians had the problem of focusing on Christ’s person, not his divinity, which was frowned upon by other practitioners of Christianity.

4. The two men who were the sole survivors of a ship attack by Ethiopians and who lived to bring Christianity to Aksum were Frumentius and Aedisius.

SeLf-CheCk ANSWerS



Unit 2, Lesson 18All images © K12 Inc. unless otherwise noted. 1 Khocho ruins, China. © Icolor-fulstone/Dreamstime.com 8 Wilhelm von Hartel, ed. S. Thasci Caecili Cypriani opera omnia in Corpus scriptorium ecclesiasticorum latinorum. trans. Jerry H. Bentley (Vienna, 1868) 3:305–6. 9 Khocho ruins, China. © Icolorfulstone/Dreamstime.com


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