Chapter 7 - Commerce and Culture

Central Asian steppes

The , which were home to numerous nomadic peoples, including the Mongols, were also devastated, undermining Mongol control and permanently shifting the balance of pastoral and agricultural peoples in favor of established farmers.

second century ce

During the , two Sogdians living in China were influential in translating Sanskrit Buddhist scriptures into Chinese.

Silk Roads

The have their origins in both geography and history.

Buddhism

evolved as it expanded across the Silk Roads from India to Central Asia, China, and beyond.

Long distance trade

across the Sahara, like in Southeast Asia and East Africa, provided both incentives and resources for the building of new and larger political systems.

North Africa

The introduction of the camel to and the Sahara in the early years of the Common Era marked a key turning point in African commercial activity.

Persian Empire

The invaded pastoral peoples 'lands in modern- day Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan from the south.

Eurasia

is frequently separated into inner and outer zones that represent very distinct ecosystems as a geographical unit.

Eurasia

gave rise to one of the world's most extensive and persistent networks of interaction among its different peoples, in addition to its numerous unique communities and cultures.

Buddhism

Conversion to was a consensual process in the oasis cities, with no coercion from invasion or foreign administration.

Silk Roads

The had a small volume of trade compared to modern global business, and its focus on luxury products limited its immediate impact on most people.

Central Asian Steppes

The , which were home to numerous nomadic peoples, including the Mongols, were also devastated, undermining Mongol control and permanently shifting the balance of pastoral and agricultural peoples in favor of established farmers.

Elite Chinese women

supplied a portion of the market for these opulent fabrics that symbolized their high rank

Sogdians

a Central Asian group whose merchants created a durable network of trading with China, played a particularly important role in this process

Bubonic plague

decimated the Mediterranean Sea's coastal districts, when the disease-carrying black rats arrived via seaborne trade from India, where they originated