world civ middle ages and trade

what two major events mark the beginning and end of the middle ages?

the fall of rome, the renaissance

Why is the middle ages sometimes called a dark age

because of a lack of advancement and influence

did the rest of the world also experience a dark age during the middle ages

no - others like china or india were thriving

what advantage did Indias location give it

Indias central position in the indian ocean made it vital for trade

how did venice and the swahili states become wealthy

trade taxes and shipping

what were the silk roads

land routes for trade

connecting afro eurasia, and stretching across central asia

how did technology help increase trade

yokes, saddles, stirrups

how did governments encourage silk road trade

protecting routes and maintaining rest stops

why was sea travel more efficient than land travel

cheaper and faster

how did monsoons help traders (indian ocean)

monsoon winds were reliable and helped them sail safely and on a schedule

which areas were connected through indian ocean trade

east africa, south asia, and southeast asia

what happened to india after the gupta dynasty fell

it split into several hindu muslim kingdoms

why was india wealthy during this time (the middle ages)

because of its location in the trade world

what types of economic establishments were created in india during the middle ages

commercial farming and warehouses

how did angkor wat gain its wealth

trade and ship taxes (was a massive temple complex)

what aspects of indian culture spread into southeast asia

language, religion, and art

what two cultures blended to form swahili civilization

bantu and muslim

who did most of the trading in the swahili ports

slaves

what animal was vital for saharan trade

camels

camel saddles allowed caravans to cross the sahara desert

what were caravans and why were they used

groups of traders traveling together for safety

how did disease spread along trade routes affect the world later

many people in the areas developed immunities

what was the Byzantine empire capital

constantinople, also called new rome

why was the byzantines location ideal for trade

between europe and asia, urbanized and wealthy

what is greek fire

a secret weapon that gave byzantine empire military power

what was the hippodrome used for

an arena for entertainment

why was venice built on island

made it easy to defend

what made venice powerful

they focused on commerce, not conquest, becomung the chief center of the mediterranean trade

was venice an empire of land or trade

trade

what was justinian’s (byzantine emperor) most famous architectural project

a massive church called the hagia sophia

what did justinian change about the byzantine empires language

made the official language greek

why was justinian’s marriage controversal

she was a prostitute

what is caesaropapism

the emperor had both political and religious power

what caused the great schism

years of growth in different directions

how did eastern orthodoxy influence russia

culture and alphabet

what was moscow called after the fall of constantinople

third rome

what type of religion did pre-Islamic arabs practice

polytheism

why was mecca an important city before islam

a center for religious tourism that made money

why was arabia not politically united

geography and structure

who was muhammad and where was he from

a merchant who founded islam

what is the quran

a record of his teachings

what event marks the start date of the islamic calendar

hijra (the journey of migration from mecca to medina

what happened when muhammad returned to mecca

they took control of mecca and destroyed pagan idols, rededicating the kaaba to allah

what is a caliph

muslim leader

what regions did the rashidun caliphate conquer

egypt, syria, the holy lands, mesopotamia, persia

why was the umayyad capital moved to damascus

to be closer to trade routes

what city became the center of the abbasid caliphate

baghdad

what was the outcome of the battle of talas river

muslims defeat chinese forces and stopped chinas westward expansion

why was the battle of tour significant

muslims were stopped by the franks in france, halting expansion into western europe

how did islam continue to spread after 750 BCE

trade and missionary work

what is dar al-islam

means the islamic world, a period of a golden age

name two scientific or technological advances from the islamic golden age

medicine and education

what is a madrassa

schools for higher learning - like college

how did trade help spread education

scholars exchanged ideas across the empire through shared arabic language

why was education so important in islamic civilization

islam emphasizes learning and knowledge, and they valued scholarship

what are the five pillars of islam

declaration

prayer

give to the poor

fasting for ramadan

pilgrimage (hajj) to mecca

which pillar involves fasting

fasting during ramadan

what city do muslims face during prayer

mecca

what is sharia

system of islamic laws guiding life

what do the ulama do

interpret the faith

what caused the sunni-shia split

disagreement over leadership

sunni - community

shia - family

what is the jizya

a tax on non muslims

who were the dhimmis

non muslims

what made sufis effective missionaries

simple and spiritual lives

how did islam originally view womens rights

equality

what social changes later reduced womens rights

empires merged with persian culture

what did the quran say about equality

everyone was equal spiritually

what are the hadiths

collections of sayings and stories about muhammad’s life

why are some hadiths debated among muslims

not well sourced

how do hadiths relate to the quran

they give context to beliefs

how did africas geography make it hard to develop large civilizations

high plateaus with few natural harbor, hard rivers and deserts, tsetse fly

what role did the tsetse fly play in limiting argiculture

made farming and raising livestock challenging

why were african rivers difficult for trade and transport

waterfalls and rapids made navigation difficult

what crops helped increase africas population

bananas

how was history and knowledge preserved without writing in africa

griots - oral story tellers

how did climate affect the adoption of farming in africa

increased rainfall allowed farming in savannas

where did bantu speaking people originate from

west africa

what tech and practices did the bantu practice

ironworking, farming, disease

why did the bantu migrate

looking for land to farm

what made meroe wealthy, and what led to its decline

meroe - trade and farming wealth, decline from deforestation

which religions were practiced in axum

judaism, coptic christianity islam

what was nok famous for technologically

iron working before europe

why was jenne jeno important in west africa

iron smelting hub

how did camels change saharan trade

enabled desert trade

what products were ghana and mali known for

gold and salt

why was mansa musa famous

wealthy and spread islam

what made timbuktu (place) significant

trade, education, culture center

what weakened the kongo kingdom

european slave trade

what goods were traded by the swahili city states

gold, ivory, and slaves

how did great zimbabwe use its wealth

large stone complexes

what cultures influenced east Africa’s swahili cities

bantu and muslim influence