Unit 2 – Networks of Exchange (1200-1450 C.E.)

Vocabulary and key concepts flashcards covering Unit 2: Networks of Exchange (1200-1450 C.E.), focusing on trade routes, empire building, and cultural/technological transfers.

Silk Roads

A network of exchange where improved commercial practices led to an increased volume of trade and expanded the geographical range of existing trade routes, promoting the growth of powerful new trading cities.

Paper money

A form of money economy development and commercial innovation that encouraged the growth of interregional trade in luxury goods.

Bills of exchange

An innovation in commercial technology and a form of credit that encouraged the growth of interregional trade.

caravansarai

An innovation in transportation and commercial technology that encouraged the growth of interregional trade in luxury goods across Afro-Eurasia.

Chinggis Khan

A key individual associated with the process of state building and the expansion of the Mongol Empire.

Khubilai Khan

A significant leader in the Mongol Empire/Mongol Khanates who influenced trade and communication in Eurasia.

Black Death

An epidemic disease, also known as the bubonic plague, that diffused along trade routes and resulted in environmental and demographic consequences.

Indian Ocean Trade

A trade network that fostered the growth of states and was characterized by an increased volume of trade due to improved transportation technologies and commercial practices.

monsoons

Seasonal winds whose advanced knowledge was essential for the expansion and intensification of long-distance trade routes in the Indian Ocean.

Trans-Saharan Trade

A network of exchange reaching across the Sahara that grew due to innovations in transportation technologies and the expansion of empires like Mali.

House of Wisdom

A key term associated with the intellectual and cultural effects of exchange and the diffusion of scientific and technological innovations.

pochteca

A specific vocabulary term representing trade concepts and commercial developments within the period of 1200-1450 C.E.

globalization

A concept relating to the increased cross-cultural interactions and the diffusion of literary, artistic, and cultural traditions across Afro-Eurasia.

Mongol Empire/Mongol Khanates

Imperial states that replaced collapsed empires, facilitated Afro-Eurasian trade and communication, and encouraged significant technological and cultural transfers.

Ming Dynasty

A Chinese dynasty characterized by maritime activity led by Admiral Zheng He, which encouraged technological and cultural transfers.

Melaka

A key development or trading city that emerged as a result of the growth of interregional trade and the expansion of trade routes.

Crusades

Interregional contacts and conflicts that encouraged significant technological and cultural transfers between states and empires.

compass

A transportation technology innovation that encouraged the growth of interregional trade in luxury goods within the Indian Ocean network.

astrolabe

A commercial and transportation technology used to improve maritime navigation and expand trade routes.

Zheng He

A Ming Admiral who led Chinese maritime activity, facilitating interregional contacts and technological transfers.

Mali

A West African empire whose expansion facilitated Afro-Eurasian trade and communication by drawing new people into its economies and trade networks.

diasporic communities

Settlements along trade routes where merchants introduced their cultural traditions into indigenous cultures, which in turn influenced merchant cultures.

luxury goods

Items such as textiles and porcelains whose increased demand led Chinese, Persian, and Indian artisans to expand production for export.