The Silk Roads

Essential Question: What were the causes and effects of the growth of networks of exchange after 1200?

Quote:

• Francesco Balducci Peglotti (1471)

• Italian merchant

• Land route of the Silk Roads was vibrant and essential to interregional trade in the 14th and 15th centuries

KEY TERMS BY THEME:

• Technology: Sea Trade

  • Magnetic Compass

    • A navigational instrument that uses the Earth’s magnetic field to determine direction, aiding sailors and explorers in charting courses and understanding their location, particularly during the Age of Exploration

  • Rudder

    • A steering device, typically a vertical blade, attached to a boat’s stern, which improved sea trade by allowing for better control and maneuverability

  • Junk

    • A type of Chinese sailing ship characterized by a central rudder, an overhanging flat transom, watertight bulkheads, and a flat-bottomed design, often used for cargo and trade

    • It had multiple sails and was as long as 400 feet—at least triple the size of the typical Western European ship of its time

    • The hull of the junk was divided into compartments

    • The walls making these divisions strengthened the ship for rough voyages at sea and made sinking less likely

• Government: New Empires

  • Mongol Empire

    • The vast, contiguous empire formed by the Mongol tribes under Genghis Khan (Temujin) and his successors, spanning from China to Eastern Europe, and known for its military prowess and facilitating cultural and economic exchange

    • In 1258, they conquered the Abbasid Caliphate and in the 14th century China came under their control of an authority that respected merchants and enforced laws

    • Mongols improved roads and punished bandits, both of which increased the safety of travel on the Silk Roads

• Culture: Trade Cities

  • Kashgar

    • An ancient city in the Xinjiang region of China, historically significant as a key hub on the Silk Roads, facilitating trade and cultural exchange between China, Central Asia, and beyond

    • Located at the western edge of China where northern and southern routes of the Silk Roads crossed

    • Travelers on the Silk Roads depended on Kashgar for its abundance of water and food

    • Artisans in Kashgar produced textiles, rugs, leather goods, and pottery

    • Its food and handicrafts were sold in a bustling market

  • Samarkand

    • A historically significant city located in present-day Uzbekistan, known as major hub on the Silk Road, a crucial center for trade and cultural exchange between China and the Mediterranean

    • A center of cultural exchange as much as it was a center for trading goods

    • Archaeological remains show the presence of diverse religions, including Christianity, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, and Islam

    • Similar to Kashgar, known for its artisans as well as its centers of Islamic learning and magnificently decorated mosques

• Economics: Innovations

  • Caravanserai

    • A roadside inn or fortified complex, typically found along major trade routes like the Silk Road, that provided shelter, food, and a place for merchants and their animals to rest and exchange goods

    • Often 100 miles apart which is the distance how far camels could travel before they needed water

    • There, travelers could rest both themselves and their animals and sometimes trade their animals for fresh ones

    • The caravanserai derives from the Persian words for caravan and palace

  • Money Economy

    • A system where money, rather than bartering or other forms of exchange, is the primary medium for transactions of goods and services

  • Flying Cash

    • A type of paper negotiable instrument, or a precursor to banknotes, invented by merchants in China during the Tang and Song dynasties to facilitate long-distance trade by allowing money to be deposited and withdrawn without physically transporting coins

  • Paper Money

    • A form of currency, often a negotiable promissory note, issued by governments or banks, that facilitates transactions and the movement of value, particularly across distances

    • The Tang Dynasty’s (7th century) innovation of using paper as a medium of exchange, initially as promissory notes for metal coins, which later evolved into official currency

  • Banking houses

    • Early financial institutions that facilitated trade and commerce by providing services like currency exchange, loans, and safe storage of valuables, essentially acting as precursors to modern banks

  • Bill of Exchange

    • A document stating the holder was legally promised payment of a set amount on a set date

    • A written order binding one party to pay a fixed sum of money to another party

  • Hanseatic League

    • A commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Northwestern and Central Europe

    • Active from the 13th to the 17th centuries

    • Facilitated trade and economic cooperation among its member cities

Innovations in Commerce, 500 B.C.E. to 1603 C.E.