Trade Routes 200 BCE to 1500 CE The

Trade Routes 200 BCE to 1500 CE

The Silk Road

Origins • Beginning around 2 nd century BCE, between Parthian empire and Han China • Connects northern China with Mesopotamia and cities on the Mediterranean coast, Rome, and India • Relay trade, no direct connections between Rome and China • Interaction between pastoral and agricultural peoples - Chinese, Persian, Arab traders use Central Asians nomads and their animals (horses, camels) to carry their goods in caravans - Goods traded sold in markets in the cities of the large empires • Trading Cities founded along the route between China and Black Sea (Samarkand, Buchara)

Spread of Technology • Technology involving horse riding and pack animals: - stirrup invented by Kushan 1 st cent. CE, travels to Europe (knights) and China - Yokes and saddles to use on Bactrian camels (adapted to dry climate and cold winters) • Paper making: Abbasids win battle of Talas against Tang dynasty, capture Chinese paper makers

Spread of Technology • Silk production: first in China, technology adopted by Byzantine empire in 6 th century CE, later also Persians, Koreans, Japanese • Gunpowder: first developed in China in 8 th centurt CE, adopted by Mongols, brought to Middle East and Europe in 13 th and 14 th century CE

• Westerner on a Bactrian camel, Tang dynasty

Exchange of Goods • Exchange of luxury items between large empires • First Flourishing of trade between Roman and Han Empires (2 nd century BCE to 2 nd century CE) • Then again between Tang empire, Abbasids, and Byzantine Empire (7 th century CE to 9 th century CE) • Last flourishing un 13 th and 14 th centuries with Mongols controlling all the trade routes between China and Europe

Exchange of Goods • China: Silk, lacquerware • Siberia and Central Asia: furs, walrus tusks, live stock, hides, slaves • India: cotton cloth, precious stones, spices • Middle East: dyes, lapis lazuli, swords, carpets • Mediterranean: Gold coins, glassware, jewelry, olive oil

Exchange of Agricultural Knowledge • China: ginger, rhubarb • India: cotton, sugar cane • Middle East: dates, almonds • Mediterranean: grapes, apricots • Agricultural technology: qanats - First developed in Persia, knowledge of it passed along trade routes, spreads to many parts of the Middle East and Central Asia

Exchange of Agricultural Technology

Exchange of People and Culture • Nestorian Christianity, Nestorian churches in Chinese capital Chang‘ An • Buddhism adopted by Central Asians, spread to China by 2 nd and 3 rd century CE • Iranian peoples replaced by Turkic speaking peoples by 6 th century • Muslims Arabs arrive in 8 th century, bring Islam • Islam dominant religion along Silk Road by 10 th century

Spread of Buddhism • Buddhism spread to Central Asia through trade contacts • Trading cities in Central Asia – Samarkand, Merv, Dunhuang – convert voluntarily to Buddhism, provided link to wealthy and prestigious Indian culture and society • Foreign merchant communities introduce Buddhism to Northern China • Buddhist monasteries provide culturally familiar places on a long journey • Nomadic rulers of northern China convert to Buddhism in 3 rd century CE • Mahayana Buddhism: Buddha as deity, bodhisattvas, emphasis on compassion, less on austerity

• Mixing of ethnicities and religions: • Blue-eyed Central Asian Buddhist monk, with an East-Asian colleague, Tarim Basin, China, 9 th 10 th century.

Spread of Diseases • Smallpox and measles in the Roman and Han Empires (2 nd and 3 rd centuries CE) - devastating population, leading to collapse of empires - Both help the spread of Christianity or Buddhism as they offered compassion in times of extreme suffering

Spread of Diseases • Out breaks of Bubonic Plague - Between 534 and 750 CE weakening Constantinople and Byzantine Empire, helping Arab conquest - In 14 th century from China to Europe - Killing about 1/3 of China’s and Europe’s population - Undermined Mongol rule in China

Indian Ocean Trade routes connect the Hellenistic, Mauryan, and African cities

Origins • Trade in Indian Ocean since Sumerian times (with Harappa culture) • First reports about trade in Indian Ocean in Europe in Greek times (Herodot, 4 th century BCE) • People from Indonesia travel along Indian Ocean coast to settle Madagascar (bring bananas and yams to Africa)

Maritime Technology Large distances covered, made possible by monsoon - dhows with lateen sails, grow from 100 tons in 1200 to 400 tons in 1500 - In eastern part junks up to 1500 tons and 12 masts in 1400 - Larger cargo allows trade of bulk goods (timber, grains) - Large ships, compass, and a growing Chinese economy during the Song dynasty lead to a great increase in trade volume since the 10 th century CE Navigation: • Knowledge of the ocean currents • Knowledge of the wend patterns • Use of lateen sails and stern post rudders

Following the Monsoon IMPORTANCE: Facilitated sailing across the Indian Ocean!

• A dhow with a lateen sail

Zheng He’s treasure ship

Goods traded • Transportation costs lower than overland trade, more bulk goods than on Silk Road - From Arabia: incense, myrrh, carpet, horses, goods from Mediterranean - From India: precious stones, spices (pepper), cotton textiles - From Africa: gold, ivory, slaves - From Indonesia: spices - From China: silk, porcelain

Exchange of People and Culture • Many different cultures involved (African –Swahili, Arab, Indian, Malay, Chinese traders) • Network of IMPORTANT trading cities along coast (Sofala, Kilwa, Aden, Calicut, Basra, Malacca, Guangzhou) with merchants from many different nationalities • Mariners in the Indian Ocean were a multilingual and multiethnic group of people due to the vast numbers of countries they encountered! • Asian, Middle Eastern, Easter African

Exchange of Peoples and Culture • Malay Sailors: - Use outrigger canoes to travel to and settle in Madagascar (originally came from the islands of SE Asia) - Bring Austronesian language to Africa - New food crops: bananas, coconuts • Greek and Jewish traders establish communities in Kerala, India -> Christianity, Judaism in India • Christianity spread to Ethiopia • Buddhism, Hinduism spread to South East Asia

Exchange of Peoples and Culture • Islam: - Friendly attitude towards merchants, common set of laws for everyone who is Muslim - Creation of Arab empire creates immense market and new opportunities for trade - Muslim traders come to India, East Africa, South East Asia, China - Slave trade from Africa stimulated (sugar cane plantations in Mesopotamia) - By 1000 CE majority of merchants Islamic, Islam replaces Hinduism and Buddhism in Indonesia

Exchange of Peoples and Culture • East Africa: - Bantu speaking peoples living along coast traded with Egyptians, Greeks, Romans - Arab traders bring Islam - Leads to syncretic culture: Most trading cities become Muslim, new language Swahili (Bantu-language with many Arabic words, written in Arabic script)

East Africa • - Swahili culture: Dominates East African coast between 1000 and 1500 About 30 city states (Sofala, Kilwa, Mombasa) Export of gold, ivory, slaves Import of luxury items from China, India, Middle East Islamic, ruling families claim descent from Persia or Arabia Islam and urban culture separated Swahili city states from African interior Ibn Batuta praised Muslim learning and mosques Society: Mercantile elite and commoners Communities of Arab, Persian, Indian traders

Kingdoms in SE Asia • - Srivijaya on Sumatra Controls choke points of trade between 670 -1000 Access to the sources of spices (cloves, nutmeg, mace) Taxes passing ships Beginnings of a bureaucracy Adopts Buddhism, rulers claim to have special magic associated with higher prestige of Indian culture - Introduction of literacy - Thousands of Buddhist monks from all over Asia in Srivijaya

Kingdoms in SE Asia • Sailendra: Buddhist kingdom in Java, agricultural base, builds largest Buddhist temple worldwide (Borobudur) • Khmer Kingdom: in Cambodia and Thailand, large capital city with large Buddhist/Hindu temple (Angkor Wat) shows influence of Indian architecture

• Angkor Watt in Cambodia, built in the 11 th century as a Hindu Temple • Evidence of the impact for the spread of religion (Hinduism) to SE Asia!

Borobudur, Java

• Borobudur, Java • Evidence of the impact for the spread of religion (Buddhism) to SE Asia! • Later Islam will also reach SE Asia

Trans-Saharan Trade

Origins • Camel allows trade across Sahara • Two types of saddles – one for military purposes one for transporting goods (cargo) • Caravans with sometimes thousands of animals, follow oases, lead by Berbers and Tuareg • Starting in Roman times, declines with decline of Roman empire • Regular trade in 8 th century with rise of Arab Empire • Berbers, Arabs in the North, mostly Bantu speaking peoples in the South

Exchange of Goods • Middle East and North Africa: manufactured items, carpets • Sahara: salt • West African kingdoms: Gold, slaves, forest products (palm oil, nuts) • First empire in West Africa Ghana (3 rd century CE- 11 th century, replaced by Mali (11 th century -15 th century), then Songhay (15 th-17 th century) • Others: Kanem Bornu, Hausa states • Islam became dominant religion, African traditional religions still strong • Increase in interregional trade caused significant growth of cities in Afro-Euraisa from 1000 – 1450 CE

Exchange of Culture • Spread of Islam in Sub-Saharan Africa (Timbuktu becomes famous for its mosques and Muslim scholars) • Spread of literacy • Mixing of population (Arab and Berber merchants settle in some African cities) • Camels come into wide spread use in West Africa

EXPORTS: • Gold (export to ME & Europe) • Gold Primarily in Ghana & Mali • Salt: Saharan • Forest Products in W. Africa (rainforests) • Slaves in the Sudan • Ivory – Sub Sahran • Swahili: result of the trade patterns • African Kingdoms ann

Mansa Musa, King of Mali and Hajji

Ibn Battuta: Arabian Peninsula, Mali, North Africa, Egypt, Swahili Coast (East Africa), Persia, India, SE Asia, China,

Ritual • Ibn Battuta on Mali: These people are Muslims, punctilious in observing the hours of prayer, studying books of law, and memorizing the Koran.

Women in Non-Arab Muslim Counries Ibn Battuta on Turkish women • A remarkable thing which I saw in this country was the respect shown to women by the Turks, for they hold a more dignified position than the men. … When she (a turkish princess) reached the amir he rose before her and greeted her and sat her beside him, with the maidens standing round her.

• Women in Mali: • Their men show no signs of jealousy whatever; no one claims descent from his father, but on the contrary from his mother's brother. … their women show no bashfulness before men and do not veil themselves, though they are assiduous in attending the prayers…. One day at Iwalatan I went into the qadi's house, after asking his permission to enter, and found with him a young woman of remarkable beauty. When I saw her I was shocked and turned to go out, but she laughed at me, instead of being overcome by shame, and the qadi said to me "Why are you going out? She is my companion. "

Economic Innovations • - Checking, credit, banks: introduced by Muslim merchants Provided capital needed for long distance trade Large empire and common system of laws (shari’a) make it easier to trust far away business partners • Paper money in China: - Introduced by Song dynasty (10 th century CE) • Common currencies: Arabic dinar, coins of Technolocial and scientific concepts between Afro-Eurasia and South Asia (Tang and Song China), make trade easier • Decimal system & zero adapted by Arab, then Italian merchants