Unit 4 -- Trade Flashcards
What is the one domesticable animal that was available to the people of the Americas (specifically South America)?
The only easily domesticable animal in the Americas was the llama, or the alpaca. These animals were inadequate as work animals, due to their lack of a large enough musculature to lift or pull loads more efficiently than humans. This led to less robust trade than in Eurasia, as a “caravan” carrying goods without such high load-bearing animals would have to put more strain on humans, which in turn would make the movement of goods less efficient.
What geographic factor would have a serious impact on the effectiveness and practicality of trade in the Americas?
The orientation of the land would have the largest impact on trade. The Afro-Eurasian continental trade routes are, for the most part, East/Wet oriented. There is some North/South movement of course, but little of it goes far below the equator. As areas at similar latitudes have relatively similar climates, East/West trade routes make trade easy on the merchants since they don’t have to shift climates as much on their travels. On the other hand, traveling parallel to longitude is harder on the traders due to the climate shift. Therefore, in the North/South oriented American trade routes, trade would be inhibited by the orientation of their landmass.
What items were commonly traded on the American trade routes?
Gold, silver, turquoise, corn, potatoes and wool were the main types of goods traded on the American trade routes.
What religion spread thickly on American trade routes?
Little religion spread on the American trade routes, in sharp contrast to Afro-Eurasian trade.
How has trade changed from the post-Classical period to the 21st century? How has it stayed the same?
Trade has changed primarily in the modes of transport and in the travel time. Airplanes have been added to transportation in the form of air travel, and the advent of mechanized overland travel has made great strides in transit time as better boating technology has added to sea travel time as well.
What regions have taken over global trade for the most part in the 21st century?
Imports: Mostly in North America, primarily in the US itself. Most exports (and a fair amount of imports as well) are shipped out from ports in China and other parts of SE Asia in the modern-day trade routes.
What spread in North Africa on the trade routes other than material goods?
Islamic and Christian influences spread on the Sand Roads like a two-way street. Christianity influenced people in Ethiopia
What religions spread on the Sea Roads?
Hinduism spread from southern India to east Africa, and Buddhism spread from China to that area as well. Few other religions spread on the Sea Roads.
Why was salt so expensive on the Sand Roads?
Your body needs a certain amount of salt to function, and little is able to be found in the middle of the desert. One had to stock up on salt to take with them before the trips, and as it was a necessity found in only a few places many could jack the prices of salt up to abnormal levels.
What work animals were used on the Silk Road?
Camels, horses, some bovine animals and oxen.
What are the Andes Mountains?
The Andes are a range of mountains in South America, home to llamas, alpacas, and very close to the Inca people. They were a major geographic inhibitor of trade for the South American people.
Who was Mansa Musa?
Mansa Musa was a king in Mali who led a Hajj to Arabia with many of his people. Along the way, they inflated gold’s price in many places due to their avid spending of it, and they spread Islam all across North Africa on the Sand Roads.
Who was Ibn Battuta?
Ibn Battuta was a traveler from Arabia, who traveled throughout most of the Afro-Eurasian continents in his life. He returned to Arabia before the age of sixty, and few people believed in his travels.
What was the Black Death?
The Black Death was a plague that swept across all three of the major Afro-Eurasian trade routes, killing many millions of people as it spread through the countryside.
What are the Sea Roads?
The Sea Roads are a network of trade routes traversed by boat which were first traveled in the post-Classical period and are still used today. They go along much of Afro-Eurasia and are the primary source of bulk goods for many people to this day.
