Unit 2: Networks of Exchange 1200-1450

Flashcards for vocabulary terms in Unit 2

Silk Roads

Stretched from China to Europe and into North Africa, facilitating trade and cultural exchange.

Goods on the Silk Road

Goods often transported in saddlebags of camel caravans across Afro-Eurasia, mainly luxury items.

Buddhism

Spread widely throughout Central and East Asia, changing as it encountered new cultures along the Silk Roads.

Sogdian city of Samarkand

Syncretism and change

Black Death/Bubonic Plague

Nearly half of the European population died between 1346-1348.

Mongols

Pastoral people who emerged in the 13th century and controlled the largest land-based empire in human history.

Temujin (Genghis/Chinggis Khan)

Born in the 12th century, he united the fractured Mongolian tribes and became a powerful leader.

Mongol Tactics

Instead of destroying or enslaving enemies, the Mongols incorporated them into their military.

Organization of Mongol Army

Led to success despite unfavorable odds

Yuan Dynasty

Unified China into this dynasty (1271-1368)

Cultural influence

Persians had more of this after the Mongols defeated them in 1258

Indian Ocean Trade

Linked societies by sea from China to East Africa and was the largest sea-based trade network before the Atlantic.

Goods Traded in the Indian Ocean

Porcelain (China), spices (SEA), cotton/spices (India), ivory/gold (East Africa)

Srivijaya Kingdom

Kingdom that controlled trade in Indonesia along key trade routes and cities.

Swahili Civilization

Civilization that emerged as a series of commercial city-states, trading gold, ivory, and slaves.

Trans-Saharan Trade Routes

Linked North Africa and the Mediterranean with the interior of Africa.

Arabian Camel

Facilitated trade across the Sahara desert.

Kingdom of Mali

Peaked in the 14th century with a monopoly on the trade of horses and metals.

Neo-Confucianism

Moral, ethical, and metaphysical Chinese philosophy influenced by Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism

Swahili language

Fusion of native Bantu language and Arabic

Triangular lateen sail

Allowed sailors to tack into the wind for more flexibility in travel

Stern post rudder

Allowed for more precision in turning

Hangzhou, China

Increase in trade led to increasing urbanization; became largest and most metropolitan cities in China

Marco Polo

Left Venice in the late 1200s and arrived at the court of Kublai Khan, later becoming an ambassador.

Ibn Battuta

Muslim traveler who wanted to travel throughout dar al-Islam and kept a journal of his travels.

Champa Rice

Spread from Vietnam to China and led to great population growth.

bananas

Spread from SEA to Africa.

Caravanserai

Little cities along Silk Roads where merchants could rest