Chapter 8 Networks of Communication and Exchange 300 B.C.E - 1100 C.E.

Section 1 The Silk Road

Origins and Operations Silk Road- a trade route linking Europe to China Parthians- a nomadic group that conquered Iran and Mesopotamia, they helped encourage trade along the Silk Road Simple origins: China wanted western goods (especially horses) and the west wanted Chinese goods (especially silk). Route became fully functional around 100 B.C.E.

Hybrid camel breeding became popular as the hybrids worked well on the Silk Road. The road helped bring various plants, animals, and manufactured goods to both parts of the world.

The Impact of Silk Road Trade Religions such as Buddhism and Christianity spread along the Silk Road. Various military tactics, inventions, and ideas were also spread changing the way wars were fought during the time period.

Section 2 The Indian Ocean

The Indian Ocean Maritime System Monsoon winds helped drive ships across the ocean, the winds were seasonal and fairly consistent. The Mediterranean sea and Indian ocean varied greatly in terms of sailing techniques and tradeable goods. The Mediterranean was a common ground for conflict while the Indian ocean was relatively peaceful until the end of the 15th century.

Origins of Contact and Trade Trade has been recorded between Mesopotamia, the islands of the Persian Gulf, Oman, and the Indus Valley as early as 2000 B.C.E. Evidence of Southeast Asian migration to madagascar has also been found.

The Impact of Indian Ocean Trade There was high demand for products from the coast which boosted trade considerably. Women did not accompany men on sea voyages, sailors usually married local women in port cities. Families established were bicultural and Bilingual The cultures of India and Africa became widespread because of trade.

Routes across the Sahara After the initial dry-out of the Upper African area, only natives of the area knew what paths to follow to cross the vast expanse, but at around 800 BCE, trans-Saharan caravan routes began to pop up and allowed large groups to travel the area.

Saharan Trade While originally, travel across the Sahara was easy, over time as the area grew progressively drier it became very difficult to cross the massive area. The first known sub-Saharan trading government, Ghana’s origins are suspected to have roots as far back as the 6th century

Sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa is any part of the African continent below…you guessed it…the Sahara. The people of this area eventually are dominated by the Bantu language and tribal lifestyle. The Bantus migrate southward through Asia and establish tribes that we see today The Bantus learned to smelt steel

More on Trading Kingdoms Ghana remained dominant as a kingdom for several hundred years-- from 300 to 1200 CE. After Ghana’s fall, there were many successive empires to rise and fall a couple years later, such as Jenne and Bambuk

The Spread of Ideas An example of the spread of ideas was that of the usage of pigs. - Southwest Asia was the center for the domestication of pigs, and it became ceremonial. This was later translated across the Indian Ocean, where the Israelites and Muslims prohibited eating pork and hooved animals.

Ideas and Things Stamped coinage, its origins in Anatolia in the first millennium B.C.E, had spread through trade to Europe. China had taken this a step further, and used molten metal to create such coinage.

The Spread of Buddhism and Christianity Monks, missionaries, and pilgrims had crossed either the silk road or went by ship to Southeast Asia, China, Korea, and Japan, bringing along with them their religion and ideas. There was an early spread of Christianity in the Middle East and Africa, and it was unrivaled until it was met with Islam. Christianity become more widespread and popular with the Armenian Language. Christian emperors in Constantinople had sent out missionaries along the Red Sea trade out to seek out converts, going so far as Ethiopia.