2.1. Before the Age of Discovery and Exploration

Question 1

When was the time of great discovery and exploration in Europe?

Answer 1

In Europe, the 1400s and 1500s CE are known as a time of great discovery and exploration.

Question 2

What did Europeans do during the time of great discovery and exploration?

Answer 2

European merchants found new trade routes. New ideas and inventions changed how Europeans thought about the world.

Question 3

Before the 1400s and 1500s, what was the centre of the trading world?

Answer 3

For many hundreds of years before the 1400s and 1500s, the centre of the trading world was the Middle East.

Question 4

What did merchants from India and the Far East sell to European traders?

Answer 4

Merchants from India and the Far East travelled to Middle Eastern cities to sell silk, spices, carpets and precious jewels to European traders.

Question 5

What did European merchants from Europe sell to traders from India and the Far East?

Answer 5

The European traders brought goods from Europe, such as woolen cloth, iron, timber, and salt, to sell in the Middle East, and to traders from India and the Far East.

Question 6

When was Baghdad considered the central ‘trading hub’ and one of the biggest cities in the world?

Answer 6

About 1000 years ago, Baghdad was a central ‘trading hub’ and one of the biggest cities in the world.

Question 7

What types of goods from China were traded in Baghdad in the 9th century CE?

Answer 7

From China: spices, silk, porcelain, paper, ink, horses, saddles, rhubarb

Question 8

What types of goods from the Byzantines were traded in Baghdad in the 9th century CE?

Answer 8

From the Byzantines: silver and gold vessels, coins, medicines, cloth, slaves, experts in water engineering and farming

Question 9

What types of goods from Arabia were traded in Baghdad in the 9th century CE?

Answer 9

From Arabia: horses, camels, animal skins

Question 10

What types of goods from North Africa were traded in Baghdad in the 9th century CE?

Answer 10

From North Africa: leopards and black falcons

Question 11

What types of goods from Yemen were traded in Baghdad in the 9th century CE?

Answer 11

From Yemen: cloaks, giraffes, armour, indigo

Question 12

What types of goods from Egypt were traded in Baghdad in the 9th century CE?

Answer 12

From Egypt: donkeys, fine cloth

Question 13

What types of goods from Central Asia were traded in Baghdad in the 9th century CE?

Answer 13

From Central Asia: slaves, armour, helmets, grapes, sugar

Question 14

What types of goods from Persia were traded in Baghdad in the 9th century CE?

Answer 14

From Persia: plums, soft woolen coats, honey, fruit drinks, glass

Question 15

In what fields was the Middle East far ahead of many European countries?

Answer 15

The Middle East was far ahead of many European countries in science, medicine, engineering, mathematics, and astronomy.

Question 16

In Baghdad, what attracted the best students from around the world?

Answer 16

There were vast libraries and colleges in Baghdad that attracted the best students (known as scholars) from around the world.

Question 17

What did the scholars do? What were the results?

Answer 17

The scholars translated the books of writers from Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome, as well as from India, China and Persia, As a result, ancient knowledge was preserved for future generations.

Question 18

What was the astrolabe used for? Who invented it?

Answer 18

The astronomer al-Fazari invented an instrument called the astrolabe. The astrolabe made it possible to work out direction and location when travelling. European travellers and sailors soon began to use this new technology.

Question 19

What was the “Canon”?

Answer 19

Ibn Sina wrote a medical textbook known as the ‘Canon’. The book was used for hundreds of years to train doctors in many different parts of the world.

Question 20

Who wrote rules for algebra that influenced mathematicians?

Answer 20

Omar Khayyam was an Arab mathematician, astronomer, geographer and poet. He wrote rules for algebra that influenced mathematicians for hundreds of years.

Question 21

What does the word “algebra” mean?

Answer 21

The word ‘algebra’ comes from the Arabic‘al-jabr, which means ‘reunion of broken parts’.