Communication Networks of the Silk Road and Indian Ocean Trade (300 BCE - 600 CE)

1. Chapter 7 Networks of Communication and Exchange (300 BCE-600 CE)

2. The Silk Road • Origins and Operations • The Sasanid Empire • The Impact of the Silk Road

3. Origins and Operations • Europeans liked the idea of a trade route that connected the Mediterranean with China • The first appearance of the Silk Road happened in 100 BCE

4. The Sasanid Empire • The rise of the Sasanid Empire brought rivalry, but also intensified the trade throughout Central Asia, specifically the Silk Road • Sasanid silver work and silk fabrics portrayed the warrior Elite

5. The Impact of the Silk Road • Trade become important in Central Asian life • Settlement of trading cities surrounded farm villages • Other cultures showed interest in Chinese culture and religion

6. The Indian Ocean Maritime System • The Maritime System • Impact of Indian Ocean Trade

7. The Maritime System • Multiethnic seafarers established this trade network across the Indian Ocean and South China Sea • Had strong economic and social ties b/t coastal lands • Trade took place in three distinct regions: • South China Sea, (Chinese and Malays) • East coast of India to islands of Southeast Asia (Indians and Malays) • West coast of India to Persian Gulf and East coast of Africa (Persians and Arabs)

8. Impact of Indian Ocean Trade • The appeal for coastal land products provoked ocean voyages • Differentiated variety of valuable products across the region • Wasn’t as prosperous as Mediterranean

9. Social Impact WOMEN • Small groups of traders had big social impacts even without political power • Women weren’t allowed to go on voyages • Bilingual and bicultural families were established as a result

10. Routes Across the Sahara • Early Saharan Cultures • Trade Across the Sahara

11. Early Saharan Cultures • Some historians think that the Romans commenced an important trans-Saharan trade • Saharan trade relates to the increase of camel domestication

12. Trade Across the Sahara • Association between the north and south developed very slowly • Southern traders concentrated on supplying salt • Traders from the forest zone brought kola nuts, palm oil, and other products

13. Sub- Saharan Africa • A Challenging Geography • The Development of Cultural Unity • African Cultural Characteristics • The Advent of Iron and the Bantu Migrations

14. Sub- Saharan Africa • Sub- Saharan Africa was the southern part of Africa, where network of cultural exchange was most important • The migrations taking place helped to set up enduring characteristics of Africa

15. A Challenging Geography • The boundaries of Sub- Saharan Africa: The Sahara, Atlantic and Indian Oceans, and the Red Sea

16. The Development of Cultural Unity • Cultural heritages included: written language, belief/ legal systems, codes, and other intellectual views • Its cultural unity is less immediately apparent than its diversity • Oral history contributed to the basis of cultural formation

17. African Cultural Characteristics • In Africa, the common technique in agriculture was cultivation by hoes and sticks • Music: Played different instruments, social rituals, dancing, and masks • Social: Kingship, age groupings, division, distinct gender roles, and occupational groupings

18. The Advent of Iron and the Bantu Migrations • The Bantu were a likely mechanism for the southward spread of iron • Their use of tools during migration established economic basis for new societies • The Bantu were the basis of Pan-African traditions and practices

19. The Spread of Ideas • The Spread of Religions • The Spread of Buddhism • The Spread of Christianity

20. The Spread of Religions • Buddhism and Christianity grew to become one of the most popular and widespread religions • The religious ideas spread without dependency on a single ethnic of kinship group

21. The Spread of Buddhism • Spread by missionaries • Different lands adapted the teachings in different ways • Monks, missionaries, and pilgrims who crossed the Indian Ocean, who followed the Silk Road, brought Buddha’s (their god) teachings along • The goal of Buddhism was to obtain “nirvana,” the absence of suffering and rebirth

22. The Spread of Christianity • Christianity was widely spread by the use of the Athenian alphabet • Christianity spread due to the new trade routes and connecting routes where missionaries established their teachings

23. Quiz • The first appearance of the silk road was: A 349 BCE B 104 BCE C 100 BCE 2. True or False: The Indian Ocean Trade was more prosperous than the Mediterranean: A True B False 3. Southern Saharan traders concentrated on supplying: A Camel Meat B Grain C Salt 4. The goal of Buddhism was to obtain: A Nirvana B Monkey worship C Money