Unit 2: Networks of Exchange (1200 CE - 1450 CE) Vocabulary

Vocabulary terms and historical concepts from the Unit 2 review regarding the Silk Roads, Indian Ocean, Trans-Saharan trade, and the Mongol Empire.

Networks of Exchange

Another way of referring to trade routes, which expanded between $1200$ and $1450$ leading to further connections in Afro-Eurasia.

Luxury goods

Expensive items such as Chinese silk and porcelain that were the main trade goods on the Silk Road because they yielded high profits for difficult journeys.

Caravanserai

Inns or guesthouses on the Silk Road located a day’s travel apart that provided safety for merchants and goods and facilitated cross-cultural interactions.

Flying Cash/Money System

A Chinese commercial innovation that allowed merchants to deposit money in one location and withdraw the same amount in another.

Bills of exchange

Commercial documents used in European banking houses that functioned like checks to help manage merchant credit.

Kashgar

A trading city located where two major Silk Road routes met, which grew rich and powerful because of its water sources and access to merchants.

Monsoon winds

Environmental factors in the Indian Ocean that blew in predictable directions at specific times of the year, requiring merchants to plan their travel carefully.

Astrolabe

A technological innovation that helped Indian Ocean sailors determine their latitude.

Chinese junks

Large ship designs with massive cargo holds used to transport bulk items like textiles and spices in the Indian Ocean.

Swahili City-States

States on the east coast of Africa that grew into prominent trading ports through their links to Indian Ocean trade and Dar al-Islam.

Swahili language

A language developed from the blending of Bantu and Arabic words, resulting from the growth of trade and diasporic merchant communities.

Zheng He

A sailor sent by the Ming Dynasty to bring states into China’s tributary system, leading to technological and cultural transfers like shipbuilding methods.

Camel Saddles

Improved technological innovations that allowed for the transport of larger cargo loads across the Trans-Saharan trade networks.

Mansa Musa

The ruler of the Empire of Mali who monopolized trade routes and expanded trade networks, making the empire very wealthy through gold and taxes.

House of Wisdom

An institution in Baghdad where ancient Greek and Roman works were translated into Arabic before eventually being transferred back to Europe.

Gunpowder

A significant technological transfer that originated in China and traveled west through the influence of Muslims and Mongols.

Hangzhou

A city in China that saw increased urbanization and wealth due to its strategic location at the end of the Grand Canal.

Baghdad

An example of a city that declined during this period, particularly after it was destroyed by the Mongols in $1258$.

Ibn Battuta

A Muslim scholar from Morocco who traveled for $30$ years throughout Dar al-Islam and wrote a first-hand account of the cultures he observed.

Champa rice

A crop introduced to China via the tribute system that led to rapid population growth.

Bubonic Plague

An epidemic disease that traveled from China along the Silk Road to the Middle East and Europe, resulting in massive loss of life.

Khanates

Individual states ruled by Khans that made up the political structure of the Mongol Empire.

Pax Mongolica

The 'Peace of the Mongols,' a period of stability where the Mongol Empire kept the Silk Road safe and encouraged trade.

Uyghur script

A script from Central Asia adopted by the Mongols to create their own written language.