Period 3: 600-1450 CE: Islam bursts on the scene, End of the Post Classical Era, Trade dramatically
increases
Big Picture snapshots of this time period
Trade increases on the Silk Road, Indian Ocean and Trans Saharan
Trade impacts new cities (Swahili City States, Timbuktu)
Islam dramatically effects history
Mongols
Western Europe turns feudal and is compared to feudal Japan
Byzantine Empire
China and its second golden age (Sui, Tang, Song dynasties)
Aztec and Inca comparison in the Americas
Mali in Africa
Catalysts of Change during this time period
o Islam
o Schism in Christianity
o Manufacturing in Song China
o Chinese and Middle Eastern technology
o Mongols
o Camels
o Black Death
Period 3
Islam
Monotheistic religion like Judaism and Christianity
Accepts Abraham, Moses and Jesus as prophets
Joins Buddhism and Christianity as a universalizing religion (easily adapted to other cultures)
By 711, Islam reaches both India and Spain
Spread by merchants, missionaries and conquering due to weaker surrounding areas
Dar Al Islam
House of Islam
Territory of Islam includes the Middle East, North Africa and Spain
Indonesia is the most populated Muslim country in the world today
Umayyad Dynasty (661-750 CE)
Jizya is a tax on non-Muslims used in Islamic empires
Al-Andalus
Abbasid Caliphate (750-1258 CE)
Accomplishments include: Arabic numerals, advancements in algebra, geometry and
trigonometry, perfection of the astrolabe, astronomical observatories, optic surgery,
medical encyclopedias, and literature like the Arabian Nights.
Arabesques
Mosques use of geometric patterns
Women in Islam
Better treatment under the Quran
Harem, 4 wives, testimony and veiling show patriarchal society
Byzantine Empire What are they known for (4-5 things)?
Western Europe: Feudalism, Franks, Charlemagne
Women in Europe mainly midwives and healers
Gothic Architecture
o Tall spires, flying buttresses, stained glass
Vikings
Crusades
Black Death
Nation states develop
o England: William the Conqueror -1066 , Magna Carta -1215 and Parliament
o France: 100 Year War
o Spain: Ferdinand and Isabella, Reconquista and their use of Catholicism
o Russia: Mongol Horde eventually lose power, Moscow emerges
Reasons why Europe is lifted from the Middle Ages into the Renaissance
o Gunpowder, longbow, Crusades, Marco Polo’s Travels, Black Death and the Printing
press.
Spread of Buddhism from India to China, Korea and then to Japan
China
Sui Dynasty (Grand Canal)
Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE)
 Expands Chinese territory
 Kowtow shows Chinese dominance over places like Korea
 Second Golden Age of the Silk Road
 Letters of Credit (Flying money)
 Gunpowder developed
 Champa rice from Vietnam fuels population surge
Song Dynasty
 Iron manufacturing makes China manufacturing giant of the world at this time
 Largest cities in the world
 Golden Age of innovation with the compass and printing
 Neo-Confucianism combines both Buddhism and Confucianism
 Foot binding shows patriarchal society
Yuan Dynasty
 Mongol rule in China (prejudice towards the Chinese )
Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 CE)
 Kicked out the Mongols and Chinese culture reemerges
Japan: Shinto, Fuedalism, Shoguns
India
Delhi Sultanate
Islamic rule in Northern India
Hinduism remains a constant especially in Southern India
Mongol Must Know Information:
o Largest continuous land empire in world history
o Facilitated the 3rd Golden Age of the Silk Road (Pax Mongolica)
o Religiously tolerant
o Never took Japan, Egypt and India
 Mongol Khanates
o Golden Horde- Russia
o Chagatai- Central Asia
o Persian Ilkhanate
o China- Yuan dynasty
 Forbade the Chinese from marrying Mongols and learning the Mongol
language
Two areas where Christianity remained in Africa was Egypt and Ethiopia
Remember gold and salt as the major products of Africa
Africa
East Africa Swahili, The Salt Gold Trade
Trans Saharan trade
o Camel saddle in the 300’s CE and the motivation of gold accelerated trade
Sub Saharan Africa
o Bantu migrations
 Iron technology, farming techniques, influence of language
o Stateless societies (kinship groups)
o Diffusion of bananas from Malaysia increases population
o Ghana: Islam and Gold
o Mali: Sundiata, Mansa Musa, Mosque at Jenne
o Songhai: Sonni Ali
 Sonni Ali
Americas
Llama: only large domesticated beast of burden
Maya
Aztec
Incas
Oceania
o Polynesian migrations (600 CE)
 Fiji, Tahiti, Hawaii and New Zealand
 Regional kingdoms established
Trade explodes in this time period
o Trans Saharan, Silk Road and Indian Ocean
Reasons for trade expansion:
o Technological advancements (astrolabe, compass, lateen sail, camel saddle)
o Monetary systems (credit)
Results of trade:
o Diffusion of goods (salt, spices, precious metals, silk), religions, language,
technologies and disease
o Growth of cities like Swahili city states (Kilwa), Constantinople, Venice, Cairo,
Chang’an
How do the civilizations of this time compare to one another? What patterns can use see
across this period? What traditions and changes occur?
Include maps and visuals of:
o Byzantine empire, feudal Europe, Mongol empire, Dar Al Islam, spread of the Black
Death