Unit 2 (1200 - 1450) Flashcards
Growth in Trade
- geographical expansion
- technological innovation
- rise and fall of empires
Silk Road
- Luxury goods
- increased demand led to increased production
Silk Road Innovation
- Caravanserai
- Paper money
- Credit
Caravanserai
Houses along the Silk Road that provided safety for traveling merchants
- led to cultural and technological synthesis
Flying Money System
Developed in China
- the use of paper money allowed travelers to travel more efficiently without carrying metal money
Kasangar
Powerful city that emerged over the Silk Road
- by a river
- appealing stop for many merchants
Indian Ocean Trade
Traded mostly spices and textiles
- could carry more cargo than Silk Roads
- Depended on reading the monsoon winds
Indian Ocean Trade Innovation
- Magnetic Compass
- Astrolabe
- New Ship designs
Magnetic Compass
Better navigation across the ocean
Astrolabe
Allowed the measurement of latitude and longitude
Junk Ships
developed in China to hold large amount of cargo
Effects of Indian Ocean Trade Expansion
- Growth of States
- Diasporic Communities
- New Languages
Diasporic community
ethnic population not in their homeland
Ex: Arabs and Persians in East Africa
Swahili
New language that emerged due to Indian Ocean trade
- Mix of Arabic and Bantu
Swahili States
Became very wealthy along Indian Ocean trade due to easy connection point between mainland Africa and merchants
- Became Islamic to connect to Dar-al-salam trading world
Zheng He
- Sent by the Ming Dynasty and led to cultural transfers
Ex: increased new ship designs were spread
Trans Saharan Trade Innovation
Camel Saddle
Camel Saddle
Allowed the movement of more cargo across the desert at a time
Empire of Mali
- Converted to Islam
- Rich with gold
Mansa Musa
- Led Empire of Mali
- Connected with the north and increased trade and spread Islam
Cultural impacts of trade expansion
- Religion transfer
- Literary and artistic transfers
- scientific innovation
- rise and fall of cities
- travelers writing about their journeys
Religion transfer
Buddhism –> entered China via the Silk Roads
Literary transfer
Translation and adaptation of greek texts into Arabic
- by Islamic scholars in Baghdad
Gunpowder
Spread to Europe and West Asia by the Mongols
Ibn Battuta
Muslim scholar from Morocco
- wrote about extensive travel which increased trade
Mongol Empire
- largest land based empire ever
- network of trade increased significantly due to overall safety
- facilitated scientific and cultural transfers
Uyghur Script
Mongols adopted from conquered Turkic empire
- Became language of policy and exchange
