Trade Routes and Cultural Exchange in Afro-Eurasia

The Silk Road

Land trade routes connecting Europe and Asia, mainly known for trading silk.

Caravanserai

Inns along trade routes where travelers and merchants rested.

Major central Asian commercial cities

Key trade cities like Bukhara, Samarkand, and Kashgar.

Type of goods exchanged in Silk Roads Route (Luxury Goods vs Staple Goods)

Expensive items like silk traveled long distances; everyday goods like food were traded locally.

Usage of silk

Silk was used as money, a symbol of wealth, and religious gifts.

Camel saddle

A seat that helped camels carry heavy loads more easily on trade routes.

Paper Money (Flying Cash)

Chinese paper money that replaced heavy metal coins, making trade easier.

Bills of Exchange

Contracts that allowed traders to pay without carrying cash.

Banking Houses

Places where traders could borrow money and manage finances on trade routes.

Impact of Silk Road on ordinary people vs merchants

Farmers made goods like silk, while merchants profited from trading.

Spread of Buddhism

Buddhism spread from India to other parts of Asia through trade routes.

Impact of Buddhism on monasteries

Monasteries became wealthy and involved in politics, moving away from strict religious life.

Mahayana Buddhism

A form of Buddhism that sees Buddha as a god and focuses on compassion.

Pure Land Buddhism

A Chinese version of Buddhism that believes repeating Buddha's name ensures rebirth in heaven.

Chinese response to Buddhism

Some Confucian scholars opposed Buddhism, leading to restrictions by the government.

Chan School of Buddhism

A Chinese form of Buddhism focused on meditation and personal experience.

Neo-Confucianism

A blend of Confucian and Buddhist ideas focused on morality but rejected religious aspects.

Religious and cultural integration in China

Buddhism mixed with Chinese traditions like Confucianism and Daoism.

Zen Buddhism

The Japanese version of Chan Buddhism, emphasizing meditation.

Sea Roads

Sea trade routes in the Indian Ocean connecting places like China, India, and East Africa.

Types of Goods Carried on Sea Roads

Bulk goods like rice and spices, and luxury items like porcelain and gold.

Monsoons

Seasonal winds in the Indian Ocean that helped guide ships for trade.

Junks and Dhows

Large ships used for sea trade, with junks from China and dhows from Arabia/India.

Astrolabe

A tool sailors used to navigate by the stars.

Diasporic Communities

Foreign traders who settled in other countries but kept connections to their home culture.

Three religions introduced to S/E Asia

Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam spread to Southeast Asia through trade.

Srivijaya

A powerful kingdom in Southeast Asia that controlled trade and became a center for Buddhism.

Straits of Malacca

A key waterway for trade between India and China, controlled by powerful states.

Borobudur

A massive Buddhist temple in Java, symbolizing a spiritual journey.

Parrots of Palembang

Refers to the diverse, multilingual capital of Srivijaya.

Sailendra Kingdom

A kingdom in Java known for its Buddhist temples like Borobudur.

Champa Kingdom

A kingdom in southern Vietnam, influenced by Indian culture and known for worshiping the Hindu god Shiva.

Khmer Kingdom

A powerful kingdom in Cambodia known for its famous temples like Angkor Wat.

Angkor Wat

The largest religious monument in the world, originally Hindu, later used for Buddhism.

City of Malacca and Malay Muslim Sultanate

A major Muslim port city on the Straits of Malacca, important for Indian Ocean trade.

Globalized cities

Cities like Malacca where people from all over the world mixed, bringing different cultures and languages.

Emperor Yongle

A Chinese emperor who sponsored Zheng He's voyages to show China's power.

Zheng He

A Chinese admiral who led large sea voyages, expanding China's influence and trade.

Description of the Voyage

Zheng He's fleet visited ports in Southeast Asia, India, Arabia, and East Africa.

Reasons for the End of Zheng He's Voyages

Chinese officials stopped the voyages after Emperor Yongle's death, seeing them as too expensive.

Impact on European Exploration

When China stopped its voyages, European powers like Portugal expanded into the Indian Ocean trade.

Sand Roads

Trade routes across the Sahara Desert connecting North and West Africa.

Goods Generated on Sand Roads

North Africa traded cloth and weapons, while West Africa traded gold and slaves.

Arabian Camel

Camels allowed long-distance trade across the Sahara, making commerce easier.

Islam in West Africa

Islam spread to West Africa through trade and was adopted by local rulers.

Mansa Musa of Mali

A wealthy ruler of Mali, famous for his pilgrimage to Mecca and promoting Islam.

Timbuktu

A major city in Mali known for Islamic learning and trade.

Quranic Schools

Islamic schools in West Africa that focused on teaching the Quran.

Ibn Battuta

A Muslim traveler who documented his journeys, including his visits to Mali.

West African Civilization

Powerful states like Ghana, Mali, and Songhay became rich through trade.

Hausa Kingdom

Independent city-states in northern Nigeria known for trade and culture.

Ghana

An early West African empire known for controlling gold trade routes.

Mali

A West African empire that became rich from trade, especially under rulers like Mansa Musa.

Trans-Saharan Slave Trade

The trade of enslaved people across the Sahara to North Africa.

Status of Muslim merchants in trade

Muslim merchants played a big role in Afro-Eurasian trade, and Islamic laws encouraged commerce.

Spread of agricultural products and practices

New crops and farming methods spread across the Islamic world, boosting food production.

Islamic Green Revolution

A time of increased agricultural productivity in the Islamic world, leading to population growth.

House of Wisdom

A center for learning in Baghdad where scholars translated texts and studied knowledge from other cultures.

Al-Razi and Ibn Sina

Famous Islamic scholars in medicine; Al-Razi discovered sulfuric acid, and Ibn Sina wrote a major medical book.

Limitations of connectivity in the Americas

Trade in the Americas was limited by geography and lack of animals for transport.

The American Web

A network of trade and cultural connections in the Americas, less extensive than Afro-Eurasian trade routes.

Cahokia

A large Mississippian city in present-day Illinois known for trade and its large earth pyramid.

Chaco Phenomenon

A network of settlements in New Mexico, known for trade and ceremonial centers.

Pueblo Bonito

The largest building in Chaco Canyon, used for ceremonies and living.

Pochteca

Long-distance merchants in the Aztec Empire who sometimes acted as agents for the state or nobility.

Incan trade and llamas

The Inca used llamas to carry goods along their road networks; most trade was controlled by the state.