He made 18 expeditions across the dessert to the west; he 1st went to Ferghana river-valley. Helped introduce new plants and trees to China through the trade. * Long distance trade was made important by China’s demand for western products Nomadic steppe people didn’t trade very much but they controlled areas of the Silk Road and sold pack animals that were necessary for early traders * By 100 B. C. E. , China could trade with civilizations as far away as Greece * Everyone traded spices,fruits,seed crops, metals, medicines, animals, animal product, and art (pottery etc. ) B. The Impact of Silk Road Trade Helped spread ppl throughout the continent * Helped spread religions, cultures and languages * Helped spread technology and military technology like the stirrup—one of the most important inventions–1st a solid bar, then a loop of leather, and eventually a combination of leather and metal to create great stablility for riders on the saddle II.
The Indian Ocean * a multilingual, multi-ethnic society of seafarers established the Indian Ocean Maritime System –trade network that centered around the Indian Ocean. It connected E. Africa, S. Arabia, the Persian Gulf, India, SE Asia and China. Trade mainly took place 3 regions: 1. S. China Sea, Chinese and Malays dominated trade. 2. E. coast of India to island of SE Asia, Indians and Malays were the main traders. 3. W coast of India to the Persian Gulf and E coast of Africa. Merchants and sailors = predominately Persians and Arabs. A. The Indian Ocean Maritime System * The Indian Ocean trade system had bigger and more advanced ships and sails in order to take advantage of the monsoon winds. *
The Essay on Han China vs. Gupta India
The Chinese Han Empire, which date from 206 BC to 220 AD, and the Indian Gupta Empire, which date from 375 AD to 550 AD, were elaborate kingdoms that thrived during their time. Although Han China and Gupta India were politically stable, Han China’s developing bureaucracy was centralized, while Gupta India was much more regionalized. Han China and Gupta India both featured extensive internal trade; ...
The trade network had more advanced navigation system than the Mediterranean because the ocean was larger and sailors could no longer follow the coast. Merchants and sailors were traveling farther distance so they tended to sever their political ties to their hometown. B. Origins of Contact and Trade * In 2000 BC, the Sumerians traded with Mesopotamia, the Persian Gulf, Oman, and the Indus Valley. Eventually the trade broke off and the Sumerians traded mostly with East Africa. C. The Impact of India Ocean Trade * The high demand for luxuries made the need for long ocean voyages necessary, and goods were spread far and wide all over the continents of Asia, Europe, and Africa. The Indian Ocean trade system had a wide variety of items up for trade and had a much higher volume of trade. The cultures and society of some Indian Ocean trading ports tended to be more isolated from the mainland because of geographical challenges. Others were very open, hospitable and open, becoming major centers of trade. * Women were not part of sea voyages and men tended to marry women on the ports that they landed in, at the same time spreading their hometown language and culture. The offspring had mixed heritages and a lot of cultural diversity. III. Routes Across The Sahara * The Sahara is a desert the reaches from the Red Sea to the Atlantic Ocean, with the sub-Saharan area to the south separated from the Mediterranean.
Water is scare in the desert and travel and trade was limited to a few routes across the Saharan. A. Early Saharan Cultures * Early cave paintings by hunters suggest the Sahara wasn’t always a desert, but once fertile grassland. These paintings also show the hunting societies being joined by pastoral herders, herding mainly cattle. Horse herders probably succeeded the cattle herders and the artwork shows chariots which is a mystery because no evidence of chariots or Mediterranean chariot riders has been found. Arrival of camels and domestication of them happened around 46 BC and made it easier for desert travel. B. The Coming of The Camel * Camel is native to Arabia. They probably came into use in Egypt around the 1st millennium BCE. From there it diffused south along the Nile River. Camels allowed people to roam the deep desert. C. Trade Across the Sahara * Trade existed between north and South Africa, with the sub-Saharan trading with the desert nomads. * Traders from forested areas brought goods such as kola nuts and wood, while the salt mining areas traded salts. The trade system mainly handled necessities, not luxury goods. * Rome traded from the north, trading wheat and olives. D. Kingdom of Ghana * Ghana–”land of gold”–inaugurated documentable political history in W Africa * City of Ghana contains 2 towns * King required sons of Vassal kings to attend his court * after 1076—fell prey to the new state formed by desert nomads. IV. Sub-Saharan Africa A. A challenging geography * Obstacles surrounded the sub-Saharan: the Red Sea, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and the Sahara Desert. The river system was unusable for the most part because of fierce rapids.
The Term Paper on Fur Trade Economy Native Culture
One of the most amazing things one must acknowledge when studying human evolution is man's sense of priority regarding elements that make up the daily struggle for survival. This is most obvious when focusing on primitive man's instinctive reactions to environmental changes. Changes forced him to adapt and prioritize his life differently in order to continue his existence. A cyclical pattern ...
The sub-Saharan consists of tropical savanna, rain forests, and steppes. B. The development of Cultural Unity * The “great traditions” were the main and dominating cultures of the time period (Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, etc) * The “small” traditions or local traditions were the cultures of small villages and nomadic tribes * When an empire with one of the great traditions conquered a smaller area, they would force the culture upon the local people. * An exception would be isolated areas and empires that showed religious tolerance. There was extreme diversity in Africa (over 2000 languages) and many small hunting and gathering tribes. * There was less diversity in pastoral societies. C. African Cultural Characteristics * African tribes and civilizations all were different but had basic similarities. * Music was a big part of African culture. * King and kingship was the main political system. * Dryness resulted in difficulty in supporting life in the Saharan. Migration away from the Sahara and to Nile River contributed to the settling and foundation of the Old Kingdom of Egypt. D.
The Essay on Flourishing of Indian Culture in Gupta Empire
The era of Gupta Empire, which lasted for two centuries on the territories of modern northern India, can be named as a period of economic, cultural and social rise of Indian community. Leadership of the Emperors of Gupta Dynasty was very successful, and there were peace, order and social harmony set up at Gupta territories. Such circumstances favored the development and flourishing of culture and ...
The Advent of Iron and the Bantu Migrations * Agriculture spread through the equatorial area by the 2nd millennium BCE and spread southward * Copper mining started as early as the 1st millennium in the Niger Valley, at the same time, iron smelting was developed in the sub-Saharan and spread from there. * Historians don’t know how iron smelting developed in Africa * The migration of the Bantu-speaking people helped to spread culture and language, and helped to spread technologies such as I iron smelting. * 500-600 BCE is when the Bantu people migrated outward.
V. The Spread of Ideas A. Ideas and Things * All historical evidence is from written materials and you can’t be exactly sure of the rituals because they vary from area to area. Also the spreading of languages, cultures, technologies, and goods is not always a good indicator of what spread where and when, because there is just no way of knowing. B. The Spread of Buddhism * Then in the third century BC and second century CE, King Ashoka of the Maurya Empire in India and King Kanishka of the Kushans in northern Afghanistan started to promote Buddhism in their empires.
This caused a large majority of people to all convert to Buddhism, but the spread of Buddhism * The period of trade over the Silk Road and trade in the Indian Ocean system, Buddhism was spread though monks and missionaries traveling these paths. * Pilgrims and monks played a huge role in spreading this religion when they boarded ships and sailed across the Ocean, spreading Buddhism to China, Korea, and Japan. * Thanks to the Buddhist merchants and missionaries traveling the Silk Road, Buddhism was spread to Southeast China, the Middle East, Europe, and Africa. C.
The Spread of Christianity * · The Silk Road traders helped to spread Christianity after the fall of the Roman Empire and the crucifixion of Jesus * · The invention of the Armenian alphabet in the 5th century also helped spread Christianity because Armenia it was in the center of trade and the Silk Road. * Constantinople sent out missionaries to convert the Yemens and Ethiopiaians. * Aksum kings Frumentius and Ezana helped to established Christian communities and spread it outward. * Christianity spread into Nubia and down to Egypt and the Nile River Valley.
The Essay on Buddhism and Christianity
Thesis: While both Christianity and Buddhism were religions that encourages kindness and renunciation of wealth, Christianity caused a stir with Jesus’ hatred against the greedy rich and powerful and his alliance with the lower class, which eventually lead to his execution, whereas Buddhism’s leader, Buddha, spread a message that was not threatening to the high class, letting him live his life ...
