Chapter 1: Introduction

• Overview of AP World History Unit 2 focusing on networks of exchange

• Emphasis on connections between states through trading routes

• Mention of three major networks of exchange: Silk Roads, Indian Ocean Network, Trans Saharan Trade

• General developments among the major networks of exchange:

  • Geographic expansion of networks

  • Innovations in commercial practices and technology

  • Increased wealth and power of states participating

  • Impact on rise and fall of states and cities

Chapter 2: Routes Of Silk

• Distinct features of Silk Road:

  • Stretched across Eurasia

  • Traded luxury goods like Chinese silk and porcelain

• Innovations facilitating expansion of Silk Roads:

  • Caravanserai providing inns and safety

  • Development of money economies and new forms of credit

• Rise of powerful trading cities like Kashgar along the Silk Roads

Chapter 3: Indian Ocean Network

• Expansion of Indian Ocean routes due to understanding of monsoon winds

• Trade of common goods like textiles and spices, along with luxury goods

• Contrast with Silk Roads in terms of traded goods and transportation capacity

Chapter 3: Know The Empire

Technological Innovations

• Magnetic Compass: Helped merchants navigate the ocean.

  • Allowed knowing the direction on the ocean.

• Improved Astrolabe: Assisted in measuring stars for latitude and longitude.

  • Comparing stars with charts aided navigation.

• New Ship Designs: Chinese junk ships with large cargo holds.

  • Enabled transportation of goods across the ocean.

Commercial Practices

• Introduction of Credit: Similar to practices on the Silk Road.

  • Facilitated trade and economic growth.

• Swahili City States: Acted as brokers for goods from the African interior.

  • Grew in power and wealth through trade.

• Diaspora Communities: Settlements of ethnic people in locations away from their homeland.

  • Led to cultural intermingling and spread of Islam.

• Cultural Diffusion: Influence of Muslim merchants on Swahili states.

  • Emergence of Swahili language blending Bantu and Arabic words.

• Zheng He's Voyages: Spread of China's maritime technology and cultural exchanges.

  • Contributed to the Indian Ocean network's development.

Trans Saharan Trade Network

• Innovations in Transportation: Expansion of the network due to transportation technologies.

  • Introduction of new and improved camel saddle for transporting cargo.

• Empire of Mali: Conversion to Islam in the 9th century.

  • Grew wealthy through gold trade and taxing merchants.

  • Peak under Mansa Musa's leadership in the 14th century.

Cultural and Environmental Consequences

• Cultural Consequences:

  • Transfer of Religion: Spread of belief systems across networks.

• Environmental Consequences:

  • No details provided in the transcript.

Chapter 4: Networks Of Exchange

• Spread of Buddhism

  • Originated in South Asia

  • Entered China via Silk Roads by merchants and missionaries

• Cultural Consequences of Connectivity

  • Literary and artistic transfers worldwide

    • Islamic scholars in Baghdad translated Greek and Roman classics into Arabic

    • Works later transferred to Europe, leading to the Renaissance

  • Transfer of scientific and technological innovations

    • Gunpowder invented in China, spread to Muslim empires and Eastern European states

• Rise and Fall of Cities

  • Rise: Hangzhou in China due to trade facilitated by the Grand Canal

  • Fall: Baghdad destroyed by Mongol armies in 1258

• Increased Interconnectivity

  • Facilitated travelers like Ibn Battuta who wrote about their experiences

• Transfer of Crops and Diseases

  • Champa rice introduced to China, leading to increased food production

  • Bubonic plague spread through trading routes, causing massive deaths in the Middle East and Europe

Chapter 5: Conclusion

• Mongol Empire

  • Replaced powerful empires like the Song dynasty and Abbasid Empire

  • Facilitated networks of exchange and increased trade along the Silk Roads

  • Encouraged communication and cooperation, known as the Pax Mongolica

  • Facilitated technological and cultural transfers, adopting the Uyghur script for