Trade and Learning flourished in China and southern Europe in the 1300s and 1400s.

 Merchants:  People who make their living by buying and selling goods  Emperor:  The ruler of an empire  Astrolabe:  a device to measure the altitude of the sun and stars  Arabic numerals  A way of writing numerals still used today  Renaissance:  A great rebirth of learning and creativity

 In many ways, China was the most advanced society in the world.  Marco Polo learned about China by working for Kublai Khan and traveling throughout China.  Marco Polo wrote a book about China that made Europeans more interested in China.  Marco Polo Marco Polo

 Cordoba’s trade with the Islamic world made it Europe’s largest city and its greatest center of learning.  The use of an astrolabe helped make voyages to new places possible.  Europe’s rediscovery of Aristotle and other Greek and Roman writers produced a great rebirth of learning and creativity that came to be called the Renaissance.

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 What evidence supports the idea that China was the most advanced society in the world during the time of Kublai Khan?  The Chinese had inventions such as paper money and gunpowder. They had an empire with good roads, good communication, and fine palaces.  Which ancient cultures helped inspire the rebirth of culture called the Renaissance?  Greek and Roman cultures