Taken from and Strayer Ways of the World Chapter 8

 Silk Roads — a vast network of trading routes that spanned much of Eurasia beginning in the fourth to first centuries BCE.  At that time, several strong empires were on the rise: the Roman Empire in the Mediterranean basin, the Han Empire in China, and the Mauryan Empire in India.  These empires encouraged trading activities in Eurasia because they were strong enough to offer security for traveling merchants within their realms.  In addition, each empire generated and consumed a wealth of commodities, which meant that each developed trading networks that consistently expanded outward.

 Eventually, these networks overlapped and created routes that connected all three empires.  As a result, even though these empires had little direct contact with one another, they came to serve as anchors for a thriving trade in silk, horses, glassware, coral, pearls, and textiles.  In some cases, the possession of exotic goods — such as silk in the Roman Empire or horses in the Han Empire — came to serve as vital symbols of elite status.

 In addition to providing routes for the dispersal of commodities, the Silk Roads also became an avenue for the spread of diverse cultural traditions, including music, dance, and — especially — religion.  Islam, Buddhism, Nestorian Christianity, Manichaeanism, and Zoroastrianism all traveled along the Silk Roads with merchants, missionaries, and pilgrims.  This diversity helped make the trading centers of the Silk Roads richly cosmopolitan.  In some cases, the spread of religion along these routes also led to profound social change as societies adopted and adapted new religions as their own.

The Spread of Religions, Connections Across Land

Connections Across Land

 A set of trade routes that came to link western and northern Africa through a thriving trade in gold.  Eventually, these routes were connected through North Africa to the Silk Roads, uniting much of Afro-Eurasia in a vast system of trade.  Although archaeological evidence suggests that people had already begun to cross the harsh Saharan desert to reach West Africa centuries before the Common Era, by 500 CE this difficult journey was greatly eased when camels became the primary means of desert transport.  With the coming of Arab conquerors, merchants, and Islamic clerics to North Africa, the trans-Saharan trade increased dramatically.

 By the late eighth century CE, Islamic merchants had established highly structured trade relations with a variety of West African peoples.  In return for gold, ivory, and — later — slaves, West Africans traded for horses, cloth, and manufactured goods from the north.

 Increased trade also encouraged the growth of well-placed states in West Africa, such as the ancient kingdom of Ghana.  For several centuries, Ghana grew in wealth and military strength as a result of the trans-Saharan trade.  The lucrative nature of trade, however, also led to conflicts in the region, and after the late eleventh century Ghana was replaced by competing states such as Mali and Songhay.

 As was the case with the Silk Roads, the expansion of trade across the Gold Roads was accompanied by the spread of religion.  North African merchants brought Islam, as well as Islamic scholarship in the fields of mathematics, astronomy, and medicine.

 Sea-based trade connected distant people across the Eastern Hemisphere.  Connections to commerce = huge trading centers, wealth and power.  Venice gained its wealth through control of the Red Sea. Venetian merchants sold goods throughout the Mediterranean Basin.  All is connected to seaborne trade in the Indian Ocean basin.

 Largest sea-based system of communication and exchange.  Transportation costs lower than on land – bigger shipments and everyday goods, not luxury goods like the Silk Roads.  Monsoons make the trade easier.  Urban centers connect the trade, not countries.

 Major changes occurred 500 – 1500 in this region.  China encourages trade during Tang and Song Dynasties. Major technological and commercial growth.  Rise of Islam supports trade and connects Sea, Silk and Sand trade routes.  Rise of an international maritime culture shared both those living in the port cities surrounding the Indian Ocean.  The Network becomes increasingly Islamic because of widespread conversion to Islam due to the immense prestige, power, and prosperity of the Islamic World.