3. Chapter 3 : Connections and Interactions

Silk Roads

Linked the various peoples and civilizations of the Eurasian landmass from China to Europe by the early centuries of the Common Era. Goods often traveled across harsh environments in camel caravans.

Sea Roads

Stretched from southern China to eastern Africa. Spreads due to the desire for foreign goods. Facilitated by monsoons, improvements in shipbuilding, and diasporic communities.

Sand Roads

A system of long-distance trade across the vast reaches of the Sahara Desert. Linked North Africa and the Mediterranean world with West Africa. Facilitated by the Arabian camel, North African Arabs, and the trans-Saharan slave trade.

Buddhism

Spreads with Indian traders and Buddhist monks. Conversions are voluntary. Links Central Asia and East Asia to Buddhist Indian societies.

Mahayana Buddhism

Features the Buddha as a deity, many bodhisattvas, an emphasis on compassion, and the possibility of earning merit. Flourishes on the Silk Roads.

Chan School of Chinese Buddhism

Emphasized meditation practice. Popularized by court officials and scholars during the Song dynasty.

Neo-Confucianism

Bridges the high moral standards associated with Buddhism with the classical texts of Confucianism. Becomes influential among Japanese intellectuals. Official ideology of the Japanese Tokugawa regime.

Diasporic Communities

Permanent trading posts along the Indian Ocean routes that facilitated trade amongst very different people.

Srivijaya

The Malay kingdom located in the Strait of Malacca. Grows into a civilization with government, military, naval forces. Melting pot of cultures.

Angkor Wat

A temple complex considered the most stunning architectural expression of Hinduism. Constructed by the Khmer kingdom of Angkor.

Malacca

City on the southeastern edge of the Malay Peninsula. Grows from a small fishing village to a major port city. Blending of cultures but retains distinctive Malay culture and identity.

Timbuktu

A major cosmopolitan commercial trade city and center of Islam that emerged from the Sand Roads. Trade in the Sahara also facilitated by diasporic communities.

Chinese Maritime Voyages

(1405-1433) Fleets visit many ports in Southeast Asia, Indonesia, India, Arabia, and East Africa. Led by Zheng He. Voyages establish Chinese power and prestige in the Indian Ocean.

Commerce and State Building in West Africa

Sahara was a barrier to commerce and cross-cultural interactions. New incentives for building larger political structures. Complex social hierarchies form with the African integration.

Islam in West Africa

Introduced by Muslim traders and gradually accepted by West African states. Popularized in African merchant communities. Islam becomes Africanized, West African becomes Islamized.

Connections across the Americas (American Web)

American civilizations less tightly connected compared to the Afro-Eurasian world. No religion/common cultural bond between civilizations. American Web facilitated by four commercial nodes of commercial activity: Cahokia, Chaco Canyon, Mesoamerica, Incan Empire

Swahili Civilization

Commercial city-states along the East African coast, influenced by Arab, Persian, and Indian traders. Islam became integral to Swahili culture, facilitating economic growth.

Great Zimbabwe

Civilization benefiting from trade demand for gold and cattle. Cultivated bananas spread through trade, enhancing agricultural production.

Mali Empire

(1235-1670): Controlled gold and salt trade routes, becoming one of the wealthiest and most powerful empires in West Africa.

Hausa City-States

Flourishing urban centers in Nigeria, serving as middlemen in West African trade and commerce.