Medieval Trade Systems Learning Goal! Analyze how the Silk Route and the African gold-salt trade facilitated the spread of ideas and explain how the slave trade in East Africa developed.

Primary Trade Routes Silk Roads (Eurasia) “Sea Roads” (Indian Ocean) Sand Roads (Sahara)

Step 1: Label the following locations on your map Indian Ocean Russia Asia China East Africa

Sahara Desert Indian Ocean Black Sea Caspian Sea Constantinople Taklimakan Desert Chang’an Sahara Desert Himalayas Mecca Indian Ocean

Silk Roads Land-based “Relay Trade” Began as indirect trade routes Prospered when large and powerful civilizations began to provide security for their merchants and travelers Continued to flourish when the Byzantine Empire, the Muslim Abbasid dynasty and Tang dynasty created a continuous belt of states across Eurasia

Goods in Transit Typically large camel caravans Why camels? Traveled over harsh and dangerous steppes, deserts & oases Most of the goods were luxury products Silk came to symbolize the Eurasian exchange system Used as currency in Central Asia Symbol of high status Also associated with the sacred

Silk Road Trade China Gun powder Paper Silk Porcelain India Cotton fabric Spices, gems Middle East Nuts Dyes Perfumes Olive oil Buddhism Islam Diseases

Sea Roads - Indian Ocean Trade Taklimakan Desert Sahara Desert Himalayas Monsoon Nov - Feb Monsoon April - Sept Indian Ocean Slaves Ivory Gold Tortoise Shell Iron Islam spread to cities along the East African coast & to Southeast Asia

Sea Roads, cont. Islam spread to the east coast of Africa & southeast Asia via the Indian Ocean trade complex East coast of Africa: slaves were traded away to Middle East/Asia Mace, cloves, and sandalwood

Sea “Roads” Indian Ocean connected people through the Eastern Hemisphere Ocean transportation costs were cheaper than the Silk Road Ships could carry larger and heavier cargo Used the monsoon seasons to their advantage

Sand Roads, the Gold – Salt Trade Taklimakan Desert Timbuktu Gold from West Africa Salt across the Sahara Slaves Ivory Nuts Dates Cloth Islam Sub-Saharan West Africa is pulled into the Muslim trade network Benin Sahara Desert Himalayas Indian Ocean

Sand Roads Connected North Africa and the Mediterranean world with West Africa Made possible with the introduction of the camel Caravans would include as many as 5,000 camels and would take up to 70 days to reach their destination! Sub-Saharan West Africa = important part of the Muslim trade network Crash Course: Mansa Musa and Islam in Africa

Culture in Transit Islam and Arabic http://www.mapsofwar.com/images/Religion.swf

Open to your next notebook page (#19)

Mansa Musa holding a gold nugget

Wealthy West African kingdoms: Ghana & Mali 5th century: rise of powerful kingdoms based on control of trade routes Dominated for 1000 years- lead to exchange of ideas, goods, rise of cities, and wealth ($$$) Ghana Iron weapons = controlled region & trade routes ($) King taxed all trade, esp. gold & salt Large army Ghana = gold Mali Conquered Ghana (1240 controlled gold & salt mines Leaders converted to Islam (Mansa Musa) Built giant mosque in Timbuktu, a major trading city

Start of the African Slave Trade Sent to the Arabian Peninsula & Asia Why were slaves taken from East Africa? Muslims were not allowed to enslave fellow Muslims Many civilizations depended on a cheap source of labor

Mansa Musa Crash Course video with questions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvnU0v6hcUo