World History – Trade Routes

Wound across arid interior of central Asia Profits from the trade made cities along the caravan route wealthiest and most sophisticated in the world

Luxury items - silk, cloth, gold, precious stones Paper money used to trade called "silk" road because of amount of silk that flowed westward across it from China

Volume of products began to be too large for caravans to handle Maritime travel increased in popularity

- Buddhism spread along the silk road from India to China - Invasion of Arabs of the West and collapse of Tang Dynasty led to rise of Islam - Islam spread along silk road

"Pax Mongolica" allowed peaceful trade along the trade route Traveled by cart (horses, oxen) camel-wagon ox-wagon horse-wagon donkeys horseback

can travel by land or water, but water is more dangerous for merchandise the existence of substantial oases across Central Asia allowed this to be possible The Silk Roads helped spread technology for producing raw silk from China across Eurasia.

- Across the Indian Ocean - India, Africa, Asia, China, Spice Islands - Natural division of maritime traffic into three zones: one on South Pacific, one in Western Indian Ocean, one in Eastern Indian Ocean

Luxuries and Bulk items because ships could carry more than carts China: silk, tea, porcelain East Africa: gold Arabia: perfume, myhrr India: precious stone, spices, cotton Southeast Asia: cloves, nutmeg, rice Crops: bananas, sugar cane, yams, coconuts, wheat

spread of Islam via Muslim Diaspora

junks dhows (triangular lateen sails) via monsoon winds

Monsoon winds Lateen sail Compass

Phoenician merchants Around the Mediterranean Sea

Specialization of products was the basis for trade. food, raw materials, and luxuries Greece: olive oil, wine Lebanon: cedar wood, timber Egypt: gold, silver, linens/textiles, leather, dried food, slaves Russia: slaves Other: grain, fish, honey, wax, amber Mediterranean played a huge part in the outbreak and spread of the plague across Europe. It was spread by Italian merchants who fled infested sea ports on the Black Sea.

- in 643 Muslim Arabs captured Alexandria, most important port in eastern Mediterranean - following this three things occur: 1. Mediterranean becomes war zone between Christians of Southern Europe and Muslims of Eastern Africa 2. trade continued, but more weakly, with fate of Europe's economy and warfare on the Mediterranean 3. European Merchants felt blocked from the Indian Ocean world, which was controlled by the Muslims who they were often unable to do trade with - Some merchants began seeking alternate routes to the Indian Ocean

- Southern and Southeastern Mediterranean a "Muslim Lake" - Northeast, however, was still Greek Orthodox - Northwest = Roman Catholic - in 643 Muslim Arabs captured Alexandria, most important port in eastern Mediterranean

Ships

ship-building technology Phoenician bireme - 80-foot long battleship with two levels of rowers

Travelled across the Sahara Desert (in West Africa) Three major empires arose near Timbuktu where sahel met sahara: Ghana, Mali, Songhay (kept trade routes open and secure - amassed profit from control)

North: gold, slaves, cloth, ivory, ebony, pepper, kola nuts South: salt, dates, horses, brass, copper, glassware, beads, leather, textiles, food Mostly luxuries since had to use caravans, and could not carry bulk goods GOLD - central attraction

Although the Ghanaian king and court did not convert to Islam, they made elaborate arrangements to accommodate Muslim traders and government servants in a separate settlement a few miles from Khumbi's royal preserve. Muslim traders were prominent at court, literate Muslims administered the government, and Muslim legists advised the ruler. After Ghana, in which Islam was just beginning to pop up, African rulers began to adopt Islam while ruling over populations with diverse faiths and cultures. Many of these rulers blended Islam with traditional and local practices. Over time, the population began to adopt Islam. Arabs became more involved in trade & supported people converting to the Islam faith Mansa Musa (r. 1312-1337): Islamic icon, Golden Age King

camel caravans - stopped at oases for nourishment

Domestication of camels allowed for long-distance trade Oases opened up trade across desert

- Dominated Indian Ocean Trade networks - carried religion along with goods - Islam encouraged trade (hajj created connections) - Lateen sails - Islam became primary religion in Indonesia, and attracted 10s of millions of Chinese followers

- religious diaspora that linked Europe and China - Cairo, Egypt was a large trade community that housed significant Jewish population - When Portugese explorer Vasco Da Gama reached Calicut in 1498, Jew able to serve as translator

Area around the silk road

- Mission was to unify Mongols once again - conquered surrounding tribes and united - infamous for brutality - "women are spoils of warfare" - established Mongol dynasty - after his death, Khan's 4 sons continued the expansion relentlessly

- Chinggis Khan united tribes / areas through brutality and warfare - "Pax Mongloica" allowed peace along silk road

- Mongols could not govern the entire empire by horseback - split into 4 sub-empires, and eventually 4 seperate empires - absorbed by the people they had conquered - Tartars emerged from intermarriage

- Sailors in South China Sea / Indian Ocean - junks - learned pattern of monsoon winds to sail with - made regular 3000-mile trips across Indian Ocean - established as primary Madagascar population - Established trade routes from East Africa to China

- with the Indian Ocean - by 1500 most economically advanced region in the world - Zheng He- Muslim explorer who led 7 expeditions of trade - terminated by Ming Dynasty for several reasons: wanted more defendable borders against Mongols and other groups, coastal trade enabled by Grand Canal,

- politically unified nation - technologically advanced nation - wealth based on agriculture technology and conditions - excellent textile making - trade monetized (copper, and eventually paper) - luxury goods (silk, tea, china) continued to attract foreign merchants - state practice for foreign merchants: quarters set aside, apply own laws to issues, shops/schools cater to foreign interests, farewell feasts

"Pax Mongolica" allowed disease to spread along Silk Road (bubonic plague) followed Mongols from central Asia to China (kills 1/2 population plague-infested rats traveled to Europe on ships, killing 1/3 of population