Studied by 1 person
what 2 things did trade networks allow to be traded?
goods & ideas
4 main items that were traded on the silk roads
silk, horses, gold, cotton
what 2 animals were the main sources of transportation on the silk roads?
camels and horses
what negative item was traded along the silk roads?
spread of disease [smallpox and bubonic plague/black death]
what 2 religions benefited from the silk roads?
buddhism & christianity
who were the xiongnu?
nomads who raided Chinese settlements
why did han emperor wu open the silk roads?
to move goods efficiently
what period did the opening of the silk roads lead to?
pax romana (roman peace)
what did economic and political stability lead to for the Chinese?
increased demand for luxury goods from farther places (more trade)
why were camels so effective at moving goods?
they can withstand harsh desert conditions, travel 10 days without any water, & can carry 500 pounds
what did sailors need to successfully navigate the oceans?
strong understanding of wind patterns and storm systems; compass and astrolabe
what weather issue did the Indian ocean have that controlled the flow of travel in the summer?
monsoon winds from NE in winter & SE in summer
what was silk eventually used for in central Asia?
currency
what goods came from the east indies?
spices
what goods came from Rome?
glass beads
what goods came from china?
silk, ginger, lacquerware (natural plastic)
what are trade cities?
like gas stations for travelers
where is Kashgar and samarkand located?
west china
what products did Kashgar have to trade?
corn, rice, wheat, cotton, melons, grapes, apricots, peaches, cherries, cotton, silk textiles, leather wear, pottery
what religions had influence over samarkand?
islam
who destroyed samarkand in 1220?
genghis khan and the mongol armies
what religion restored samarkand and still controls it?
islam
what was the main reason “flying money” and bills of exchange (checks) were developed?
to pay for expenses without carrying heavy coins
what was the main effect of bills of exchange & paper currency?
increase of trade; it made it easier
what is the obvious problem with paper currency?
it can be ripped
how did Buddhism change as it spread on the silk road?
accepting gifts when og Buddhism didn’t care about worldly things
spread of Mahayana; buddha is God when og buddhism focuses on achieving enlightenment / nirvana
order of Chinese dynasties
song → yuan/mongols → ming
what route did Marco polo use to get into china?
silk roads
what leader did the polos meet in china?
kublai khan; he lead the yuan dynasty
how many ships & people did the polos have on their journey?
14 Chinese junks & 600 people
how many ships & people did zheng he have?
300 Chinese junks & 27,000 people
who helped Marco polo write his famous book?
another prisoner named rustichello who was a writer of romance stories
what were the 3 things about china Marco polo doesn’t mention in his book?
the great wall of china, foot binding, tea
what did Marco polo’s book serve as
a history/geography book
what cultures did Marco polo and zheng he see?
buddhism, islamic wedding, Hindu temples, drying cloth in china
what were the main effects of zheng he’s travels?
expansion of indian ocean trade
chinese diasporic communities throughout the indian ocean basin (on the coast of the indian ocean)
advanced societies
china isolates until 1976 [over 500 years] theory: fixing up junks
established trade connections
showed off china’s power
what were the main effects of Marco polo’s travels?
europe learns a lot about asian culture
europeans learn how hard it is to get to/from china [himalayas and 2 deserts]
they wanna find an easier way to china/asia and so they travel the other way (columbus)
what are three technologies that helped increase trade in the Indian ocean?
ports that were connected to other ports, cities, & trade routes
dhow: boat that could withstand larger waves
astrolabe and compass so traders could travel safely
what 3 cultures helped increase trade in the Indian ocean?
china; islam bc Muslim merchants
where are the Swahili states located, what did they trade, and how were they organized politically?
africa; they trade gold, ivory, and slaves; city-state was independant w a king/no empire
who was zheng he?
Chinese muslim maritime explorer from yunan (south china)
what continents did zheng he travel to?
asia, India, africa
why did the Chinese begin & end the travels of zheng he?
no one knows
diaspora
a spread of people
indigenous
native; originating from a place [ex: aztecs, aboriginals in australia]
what were the main legacies of zheng he’s travels?
diasporic communities all over indian ocean & increased trade
what advantages did zheng he’s junks have over those of Columbus’ ships?
rudder & compass, they don’t sink + faster and bigger
what are diasporic communities?
where merchants introduce their own cultural traditions into other cultures
possible reasons china closed off & burned zheng he’s records + stopped exploring
expeditions were expensive
he couldn’t find anything to impress china other than exotic animals & indian cotton
china was the most advanced; nowhere else could beat them
capital was moved from nankind to Peking (Beijing) to keep an eye on mongol threat from north
deforestation (junks)
what were the two main African trading kingdoms?
ghana & mali in west africa
what were ghana & mali’s main exports?
gold & salt (they were in the desert; salt replaces sweat loss)
what religion influenced ghana & mali?
islam
what trade network did ghana and mali control?
silk road
what technology encouraged the trans-saharan route?
camel saddles; allowed camel to hold goods & evenly distribute the weight evenly on it’s back
what are caravans?
groups of merchants who traveled together on the routes
travelers in order
mansa musa 1324 (mali)
marco polo 1380 (Italy)
zheng he 1420 (china)
christopher columbus 1492 (Spain)
what is the title of mansa?
sultan / king
what is a ferba?
governor that ruled for mansa musa [organized kingdom into cities w governors]
why did mansa musa go on the Hajj?
one of islam’s pillars; he was muslim & wanted to fulfill the fifth pillar
griot
storyteller/historians who told stories orally
causes of growth of trans-saharan
west Africa had a lot of gold
had a lot of salt
ghana & mali made it safe to travel the sahara
effects of the growth of the trans-saharan trade
everyone thought there were tons of gold
many cities rose along trade route
afro-eurasia is connected through trade
west africans became highly educated because timbuktu’s most valuable item was books + trade
where were the trans-saharan trade routes located?
north Africa → sahara desert → middle east → west africa
where is mali located & what did they trade?
west Africa; traded horse and metals
what was mali’s social structure?
royalty → elite classes → merchants →military/religious people → peasants → slaves
where was ibn battuta from?
morroco in north africa
why did ibn battuta go on his journey?
hajj/pilgrammage
how long was ibn battuta’s journey?
30 yrs
what continents did ibn battuta visit?
afro-eurasia
effects of ibn battuta’s travels
islam: he learns about different practice around the world (cultural diffusion)
the cultures in his book: islam, Christianity, judaism, Africa, asia
he connected the silk roads, Indian ocean, & trans-saharan → increase of cultural diffusion; knowledge; trade
growth of Buddhism and how it influenced other belief systems
naturally spread through trade routes; ex of how it influenced other belief systems: diffusion w daoism = zen buddhism/chan buddhism
growth of islam in Africa
islam spread to Africa through the trans-saharan trade route
trade cities
byzantine capital: contantinople in europe
trans-saharan: timbuktu in mali
aztecs: tenochtitlan in north mexico
main effect of trade cities
cultural diffusion because of population growth
marco polo
traveled from Europe → china in 1271. stayed in china for 17 yrs for Kublai Khan then left to escort his daughter to Persia to get married, then got imprisoned otw back to italy
main consequences of Marco polo’'s travels
detailed descriptions of his experience in china so Europeans could understand the geography of Asia and their customs
ibn battuta
traveled from 1325-1354. first traveled from Morocco to mecca, then to Iran, Persia, the Arabian peninsula, and east Africa.
main consequences of ibn battuta
wrote in a journal and gave vivid descriptions of the places he visited that led the islamic world to gain knowledge about afro-eurasia and learn a variety of islamic practices.
technology
astrolabe, lateen sail, magnetic compass (overseas; no need to look at stars), paper currency
contiguous
connected
why do nomads migrate?
to feed flock
where do nomads always live near if they survive by trading?
by settled people
nomads are tough, why?
live close to nature and in harsh conditions
are nomads patriarchal?
less patriarchy; men hunted and went to war & women stayed home
why are mongols thought of as barbaric?
they didn’t have cities; lived in tents and were nomadic
who made the mongols successful at emerging from central Asia?
genghis khan
how did Genghis Khan unite groups?
based on merit (whoever did the best)
lower classes in his clan; killed rich people and become popular w the poor people
describe mongol empire’s size
largest land based empire
what happened to mongol empire after Genghis’ death? (great Khan 1206-1227)
they expanded; grandson mongke took over abbasids, kublai conquered song → yuan
what did the mongols fail to take?
north africa and india
what was the mongol army built on?
COWBOYS
army built on speed and archery (stirrups!)
what did towns and villages do when they heard the mongols were coming?
tell eachother; they surrender to escape slaughter
what makes a civilization
advanced technology (Chromebook)
advanced cities (Sacramento)
record keeping (document)
complex institutions (school)
specialized workers (teacher)
mongols view towards religion
didn’t force a religion on them bc they were so big; let them continue their beliefs
pax mongolica/mongol peace
lead to increased trade and diffusion because the empire was like a trade city; opened up goods, ideas, and cultures to be exchanged
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Flashcard (73)