Unit 3 Post-Classical Unit Exam Study Guide/Review
Key starting points:
1. Review the history within civilizations 600 c.e. – 1450
a. Rise of Islam
b. Developments in Europe and the Byzantine Empire
c. Developments in Asia
d. The Rise and Fall of the Mongols
e. Developments in the Americas
2. Interactions Among Cultures from 600 c.e. –1450
a. Trade Networks and Cultural Diffusion
b. Expansion of Religion and Empire: Culture Clash
c. Other Reasons People were on the move
3. Technology and Innovations 600 c.e. –1450
a. Major advances in navigation, warfare, and ship-building as
trade expands and interaction increases
4. Changes and Continuities in the Role of Women
a. The wealthier a society is, the less public presence and freedom
women have (Islam vs. Mongol)
5. This period is one of tremendous growth in long-distance trade: the
caravans of the various Silk Routes, the multi-ethnic Indian Ocean
sailors, the trips across the Sahara to West Africa, and continued trade
in the Mediterranean all occur from 600 to 1450.
6. These 850 years were also defined by a long period of decentralization
in Western Europe, and expansion on the trading Empires of the Middle
East and China. It’s all about interaction.
The textbook calls Unit Three “An Age of Accelerating Connections”. It begins by
saying that there are 3 mechanisms of interaction:
1. Trade
a. Virtually every human society has engaged in at some level
b. Long distance trade grew during the postclassical era along the
Silk Roads of Eurasia, within the Indian Ocean basin, and across
the Sahara (also along the Mississippi)
c. Religion, technology, germs made their way along the paths
2. Empires
a. Encompassed large areas under one political system
b. Their size and security encouraged travelers and traders to
journey long distances from their homelands.
c. Largest of these empires was that of the nomadic or pastoral
peoples—Mongols
3. Migration of peoples (merchants, travelers, missionaries, migrants,
soldiers, administrators)
a. People who traveled abroad rather than those who stayed at home
b. Frequently, they stimulated cultural change in the lands they
visited, they were often changed, too.
1. How did outer and inner Eurasia and classical empires influence the
development of the Silk Road?
Outer Eurasia: relatively warm, well-watered areas, suitable for agriculture,
which provided the setting for great civilizations of China, India, Middle East,
and Mediterranean.
Inner Eurasia: lands of eastern Russia and Central Asia, farther north and
has harsher and drier climates. Long inhabited by pastoral peoples on
horseback, the people of these regions had traded with and raided their
agricultural neighbors.
Classical era civilizations extended their authority into pastoral peoples’ territories.
Persian Empire invaded the territory of pastoral people, the Han Dynasty expanded
into the Xiongnu territory to gain access to their horses (important for Han
military), Alexander stretched into central Asia. These expanding empires saw the
interaction with pastoral peoples. Silk Road trading networks prospered most when
large and powerful states provided security for merchants and travelers. Empires
often linked territories together. The spread of beliefs and religions created a
common bond for people who interacted along these trade routes.
2. What were the major economic, social, and cultural consequences of Silk
Road commerce?
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Peasants in the Yangzi River delta of southern China sometimes gave up the
cultivation of food crops, choosing to focus instead on producing silk, paper,
porcelain, ..which was destined for the markets of the Silk Roads
Thus, there was a trickle down effect in terms of the impact of the Silk Road
on ordinary farmers’ lives.
Certain individuals were able to make a great fortune through grade—could
elevate ones social status.
Silk—a commodity for the elite
The spread of religion (Christianity and Buddhism)
Other societies started to develop silk (Korea, Japan, India, Persia)
The spread of goods—i.e. silk became a valued commodity not only in China
but in Europe as well. Silk became a symbol of high status.
The Spread of Disease! The Mongols spread the Black Death.
3. How did the Silk Road alter Buddhism?
As Buddhism spread across the Silk Roads from India to Central Asia, China, and
beyond, it also changed.
Before
Rejected all things secular
Buddha as human
Individuals needed to take care of own
spiritual development
After
Buddhist monasteries in rich oasis
towns of Silk Roads found themselves
involved in secular affairs…some became
wealthy, receiving gifts from merchants,
artisans etc.
Buddha was seen as a deity
Growth of bodhisattvas (spiritually
developed people who postponed their
own entry into nirvana in order to assist
those who were still suffering)
4. How did the operation of the Indian Ocean trading network differ from that
of the Silk Roads?
o Indian Ocean did what the Silk Road did, but by sea. Like the Silk
Roads, oceanic trade also grew out of the vast environmental and
cultural diversities of the region.
o The desire for various goods not available at home (porcelain, cotton,
gold etc) provided an incentive for Indian Ocean commerce.
o Transportation costs were lower on Sea Roads than on the Silk Roads
because ships could accommodate larger and heavier cargoes than
camels.
o Sea roads—BULK GOODS vs. Silk Roads—LUXURY GOODS
o Made possible by the Monsoons
o Sea Routes connected urban centers not entire countries.
5. What lay behind the flourishing of Indian Ocean commerce in the
postclassical millennium?
a. The revival of China after a period of instability. It was revitalized by
the Tang and Song Dynasties. The Chinese had great innovation and
ships that could enable this form of trade to prosper.
b. Another factor was the rise of Islam on the backs of merchants.
c. The rise of Islam gave rise to an international maritime culture by
1000, shared by individuals living in the widely separated port cities
around the Indian Ocean. Conversion to Islam led to commercial
transactions.
6. Case Studies: Srivijaya and Swahili City-States
7. What changes did trans-Saharan trade bring to West Africa.
i. The camel—could make the long trek across the Sahara. Could
make the long journey across the Sahara. The Sahara was no
longer a barrier to commerce and cross-cultural interaction. It
became an international trade route that fostered new
relationships among distant peoples. New trade brought the
growth of new cities in Sahara/Sudan. Became commercial
centers. They were cosmopolitan places. The growth of long
distance trade had stimulated the development of an African
civilization, which was linked to the wider networks of
exchange in the Eastern Hemisphere. Slavery was used by
these people—women and men for work.
1. What cultural, political, and economic achievements were made by the
Tang/Song dynasties?
a. Tang and Sui dynasties built on the previous Sui foundations. The Sui
was an overthrown dynasty, nevertheless the central structure didn’t
disintegrate. It was a “golden age” of arts and literature. They created
poetry, landscape paining, and ceramics of high order (China!).
b. There was a birth of Neo-Confucianism (it had Buddhist and Daoism
elements)
c. Revived the exam system to staff the bureaucracy
d. Schools and colleges developed throughout China.
e. Many offices went to elite because they had access to education for
the exam
f. Large landowners continued to be powerful despite state efforts to
redistribute land to the peasants.
g. Song Dynasty: great economic revolution. Great prosperity and rapid
population growth form 50 million people during the Tang Dynasty to
120 million by 1200. China became an urbanized region of the world.
Great cities with great populations
i. Great internal waterways including canals, rivers, and lakes
ii. Waterways provided cheap transport system that connected
China
iii. Song Dynasty industrial production: the iron industrygreatly
increased its output. Invented movable type pring.
iv. Best navigational and shipbuilding technology in the world
v. Invented gunpowder.
vi. Production for the market rather than for local consumption
was widespread. Cheap transportation allowed for the
transport of crops.
vii. Government demanded taxes. Leads to the use of paper money
$$$$!!!!
2. Explain the subjugation of women during the Song Dynasty:
a. Rapid economic growth tightened patriarchal restrictions on women
and to restore some Han concepts of female submission. Confucian
writers highlighted the subordination of women to men. They were
supposed to inhabit different domains in life.
b. Women were seen as a distraction to men. Remarriage of widows was
frowned upon and thought as shameful.
c. Physical manifestation of female subjugation—foot binding.
i. Associated with new images of female beauty and eroticism
that emphasized small size, delicacy, and reticence,
ii. Restricted women to the home –Confucian traditions asserted
that they belonged.
d. Women operated restaurants, sold fish and vegetables, and worked as
maids, cooks, and dressmakers. Elite families had concubines,
entertainers, courtesans, and prostitutes.
3. Describe two ways Chinese culture influenced Korea and Vietnam:
a. Korea: Generally maintained political independence under their own
dynasties. Chine provided legitimacy for Korean rulers. The Koreans
made efforts to replication Chinese court life and administration and
the capital city of Kumsung was modeled on the Chinese capital
Chang’an. Tribute missions also enabled both official and private
trade, mostly in luxury goods such as ceremonial clothing, silks, fancy
teas, Confucian and Buddhist texts, and artwork.
i. Korean students sent to China to study Confucianism
ii. Women: Confucianism had a negative impact on women in
Korea.
1. Funeral rites where a man was buried with his wife’s
family, the remarriage of widowed or divorced women,
and female inheritance of property eroded under the
pressure of Confucian orthodoxy.
2. Confucianism also ended the practice of polygamy
b. Vietnam:
i. The elite culture of Vietnam borrowed heavily form China –
adopting Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, administrative
techniques, the exam system, & artistic literary styles.
Vietnam achieved political independence while participating
fully in the tribute system as a vassal state.
ii. Vietnam was regarded as Southern barbarians.
iii. Expected to fully assimilate
iv. Vietnam was a rich rice growing region and a further extension
of the Chinese civilization (thought the Chinese)
v. Vietnamese elites were brought into the local bureaucracy and
educated in Confucian based school
vi. Chinese language became mandatory
vii. The exam system helped undermine established aristocrats
and the elite remained deeply committed to Chinese culture.
4. Describe 2 differences between Japanese and Chinese culture:
a. Japan was never invaded or conquered by the Chinese
b. Borrowing Chinese culture was voluntary
c. Japan never created an effective centralized and bureaucratic
state
d. Political power was decentralized
i. Although there was an emperor, the real power was in the
hands of aristocratic land owners
e. Military forces—the Samuri
i. Developed a distinctive set of values featuring great skill in
martial arts, bravery, loyalty, endurance, honor and
preference for death over surrender (this is called
Bushido).
f. Japan’s celebration of the samurai and of military virtues
contrasted with China’s emphasis on intellectual achievements
and political office holding, which ere the higher areas of
prestige (not bearing arms)
g. ALSO: Buddhism never replaced the native belief system
h. Shinto religion was the dominant religion in Japan
5. What impact did international trade have on south China?
a. China’s Indian Ocean trade.
b. Merchants achieved a degree of social acceptance not known
before, including their frequent appointment to high-ranking
bureaucratic positions.
c. China transformed to production for export instead of subsistence.
6. How can you explain the changing fortunes of Buddhism in China?
a. Buddhism—India’s most important gift to China
b. It was China’s only large scale cultural borrowing until Marxism int eh
20th century.
c. Entered via the Silk Roads
d. At first, Indian culture had little appeal in China
e. Buddhist monasticism seemed to dishonor Chinese familial values
f. Its concern for individual salvation seemed selfish.
g. Buddhism took root after the Han Dynasty collapsed in 200 c.e.
h. The downfall of the Han Dynasty brought chaos and discrediting to
Confucianism, opened the odor to alternative understandings of the
world.
i. Rulers and elite families provided money and land that enabled the
building of many Buddhist monasteries.
j. Buddhism provided comfort in the collapse of the Han Dynasty
k. Continued resistance from Daoist and Confucian thinkers
l. Xenophobia from certain groups
7. How did China influence the world beyond East Asia? How was China
transformed by its encounters with the wider world?
a. What China Gave: China gave to the world: printing, gunpowder ,
paper, magnetic compass, cotton and sugar cultivation,
b. How was China transformed: rise of the merchant class in Indian
Ocean trade; China transformed form a subsistence economy to one
more heavily based on producing for export.
1. What are the military and political reasons why the Byzantine Empire
endured and the western Roman Empire collapsed?
a. A formal division of the Roman Empire into eastern and western
halves occurred in the late 4th century c.e.
b. The western empire collapsed in the fifth century
c. The eastern half survived another 1000 years.
d. The eastern empire contained the ancient civilizations of Egypt,
Greece, Syria, and Anatolia
e. Byzantine empire had several advantages over the western empire:
i. Western Europe was a hybrid civilization with Germanic,
classical, Celtic cultures.
ii. Byzantine: wealthier and more urbanized
iii. Defendable capital
iv. Shorter frontier
v. Access to the Black Sea
vi. Command of the eater Mediterranean
vii. Stronger army, Stronger navy
viii. Much smaller than the Roman Empire
ix. The emperor ruled as God’s representative on earth
x. Conquered by Ottoman Turks in 1453
2. What are the basic differences between Eastern Orthodox Christianity
and western Roman Christianity?
Western Europe
Combative groups
Less commercial—no trade outside of
Western Europe
Series of regional kingdoms (Visigoths in
Spain, Franks in France, Lombards in Italy, Angles
and Saxons in England) arose in place of Roman
authority
 Fragmentation and decentralized society
with great local variation emerged.
Byzantine Empire
More cosmopolitan
Feudalism
The Roman Catholic Church took on
political, administrative, educational, and
welfare functions.
Collapsed in the fifth century
rural
Latin Christianity was centered on the Pope
in Rome
Latin
Catholic Church was a major element of
stability
Never regained centralization of rule like
the Byzantine or previous Roman empire
The eastern half survived another 1000
years.
Contained the civilizations of Egypt, Greece,
Syria, and Anatolia.
Wealthier, more urbanized, it had a more
defendable capital (Constantinople), a
shorter frontier, access to the Black Sea and
command of the eastern Mediterranean, a
stronger army, navy and merchant marine, a
continuation of late Roman infrastructure.
Smaller than Western Rome
Political authority was tightly centralized in
Constantinople. The emperor ruled as God’s
representative on Earth.
court based on ancient Persia.
Shrank in 1085 when Westren Europeans
attacked
Conquered by ottoman Turks in 1453
Development of Orthodox Christianity
The emperor appointed the patriarch,
sometimes made doctrinal decisions, and
called church councils.
Caesarapapism— the Church was closely
tied to the state
Greek
Orthodox Church
3. How did the geography of Western Europe effect its development after
the fall of the Roman Empire?
Physically detached from other trade because of geographic location. It wouldn’t be
in the center of trade until Columbus’s voyages.
Internally, Europe’s geography made political unity difficult. It was a region in which
population centers were divided by mountain ranges and dense forests as well as by
five major peninsulas and two large islands (Britain and Ireland).
Extensive coastlines and interior river systems facilitated exchange within Europe,
while a moderate climate plentiful rainfall, and fertile soils enabled a productive
agriculture that would support a growing population. pp. 278-279
4. Explain why western Europe was a decentralized society
Geographic isolation—different cultural groups.
 Geographic barriers, ethnic and linguistic diversity and shifting balances of
power among its many states prevented the emergence of a single European
empire.
5. How did the Church fill the void created by the collapse of the Roman
government?
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A link to the now defunct Roman world.
Its hierarchical organization of popes, bishops, priests, and monasteries has
modeled on that of the Roman Empire and look over some of the political,
administration.
Church became extremely wealthy.
Church provided a springboard for the conversion of Europes’s many
“pagan” people.
Converted rulers readily had followers
Church offered wealth and protection
Bore the promise of superior powers, and its spread was frequently
associated with reported miracles of healing, rainfall, fertility, and victory in
battle.
Sometimes conversion was under a threat.
The church absorbed local culture.
Church authorities offered political influence.
Political life gradually crystallized into a system of competing stats
Multicentered political system
Frequent wars
The relative weakness of Europe’s rulers allowed urban merchants more
leeway and paved the way to a more thorough development of capitalism in
later centuries.
6. What replaced the Roman order in Western Europe?
 The Feudal System
 Regional kingdoms—Visigoths, Franks, Lombards, Angles a nd Saxons, arose
to replace Roman authority
 Many of these Germanic peoples, originally organized in small kinship based
tribes with strong warrior values, had already been Romanized.
7. What impact did the Crusades have on Europe?
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Exposed Europeans to foreign land, cultures, peoples.
Became a unifying mission for a divided people
Empowered the Church who created this “holy” mission.
8. How did the history of the Christian world in the postclassical era
compare with that of Tang and Song dynasty China?
P 290
Europe
China
 Hybrid civilization
 Far more developed
 Cities were smaller
 Greater scientific ingenuity and
advancements
 Political authorities weaker
 “when the road to China opened
 Economy less commercialized
in the thirteenth and fourteenth
 Technology inferior
centuries, many Europeans
 Willingness to borrow
including Marco Polo, were more
 Made advances in science but
than willing to make the long and
depended more on borrowing.
difficult journey returning with
 Used Chinese ideas—i.e.
amazing tales of splendor and
gunpowder
abundance far beyond what was
 European society and values
available in Europe.
were militarized far more than in
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China, which gave greater
prominence to scholars and
bureaucrats. Intense interstate
rivalry, combined with a
willingness to borrow, also
greatly stimulated European
technological development.
1. What distinguished the first centuries of Islamic history from the early
history of Christianity and Buddhism? What similarities and differences
characterized their religious outlooks?
Similarity: Monotheism
Most other world religions established from great civilizations – Christianity and
Islam, by contrast emerged from the margins of the Mediterranean and Middle East
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Christianity
Giving to Caesar
with is Caesar’s
and to God what is
God’s”
Two different
authorities—
religious and
political
Jesus is God/the
Trinity
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Similarities
Monotheistic
Decedents of
Abraham
Heaven and Hell
Equality of all
people
Conversion of
people
Recognizes the
existence of Moses
as prophet
Both believe that
following God is
the path towards
salvation
Both emphasize
prayer and alms
giving
Core message:
Follow the law of
God
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Islam
Inherently
theocratic
Muhammad was
not only a
religious figure
but also, unlike
Jesus or the
Buddha, a
political and
military leader
able to
implement his
vision of an ideal
Islamic society.
No professional
clergy mediating
between God and
humankind
emerged within
Islam
Jihad
Denies the
divinity of Jesus
2. Why were the Arabs able to construct such a huge Empire so quickly?
Islam was the only unifying force in the area
Favorable to trade—Muhammad was a merchant.
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Appealed to feuding, divided people. Gave a sense of unity
Wasn’t challenged by another dominant unifying force
Had a popular message and was inclusive
Had a strong leader
Arabian Peninsula—great wealth
Byzantine Empire and Persian empire were weak
Western Europe was weak
“In creating that empire, Arabs were continuing long pattern of tribal raids
into surrounding civilizations, but now the Arabs were newly organized in a
state of their own with a central command able to mobilize the military
potential of the entire Arab population?
Military success of Muhammad bred more military conquest
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In Islam, merchants found a religion friendly to commerce, and in the Arab
Empire they enjoyed a huge and secure arena for trade.
p. 308—Brought peace to warring tribes of Arabia. Communities took shape.
Allowed for Arab commerce to span because all were unified under Islam
3. Explain how the status of women changed in the Islamic society.
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Subjugated
Physical manifestation of their subjugation is reflected by the veil.
Had to be with husband if in public
4. What accounts for the widespread conversion to Islam?
See #2
o “The religious appeal of the new faith, its promise of material gain, the
end of incessant warfare among feuding tribes, periodic military
actions skillfully led by Muhammad, and the Prophet’s willingness to
enter into marriage alliances with leading tribes—all contributed to
the consolidation of Islamic’ control throughout Arabia.
 Arab armies engaged the Byzantine and Persian Sassanid empires
o This greatly increased the spread of Islam
o Islam united the tribes of Arabia
o Attacked and defeated Persia and Byzantine
o Made way through Spain—stopped by Franks before reaching France
o Battle of Tales River—defeated the Chinese
 Motivations for expansion
o Merchants: to capture profit
o Through military expansion a route to wealth and social promotion
“external expansion provided a common task for the community”—threatened to
come apart after Muhammad’s death.
5. What is the main difference between Sunni and Shia Islam?
Shia and Sunni:
 Sunni—held that the Name were rightful political and military leaders,
selected by the Islamic community
o Religious authority in general emerged from the larger community,
particularly from the religious scholars known as ulama
 Shia—felt that leadership in the Islamic world should derive from the line of
Ali and his son husayn, blood relatives of Muhammad
o Invested their leaders with a religious authority that the caliphs
lacked
o Known as imams
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The first dynasty, following the era of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, came form
the Umayyad family
o Capital moved from Medina to Damascus
o Spread the empire
o The Shia—viewed the Umayyad caliphs as illegitimate usurpers, and
non Arab Muslims resented their second class citizenship in the
empire
o Many Arabs protested the luxurious living and impiety of their rulers.
 Overthrow of the Umayyad family:
o New Arab dynasty—the Abbasids.
o New capital in Bagdhad
o Non Arabs played a role – especially Persians
o Political unity did not last long
o Islamic world was fractured into a series of “sultanates” many ruled
by Persian or Turkish military dynasties.
What does it mean to be a Muslim and to submit wholly to Allah:
 Development of an extensive body of Islamic law called sharia
6. Compare the spread of Islam to Anatolia, West Africa, Spain, and India.
India
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Only a very modest
penetration of Indian
society
 Turkish speaking
peoples converted to
Islam.
 The Turks became the
third major carrier of
Islam after Arabs and
Persians
 Turks would enter
into conflicts with
Hindu-based Indian
civilization.
 Many major
differences:
o Hindu was prolifically
polytheistic—
generated endless
statues and images of
the divine in many
forms vs. the
monotheism of Islam
o Muslim equality vs.
Hindu social
stratification/hierarc
hy
West Africa
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How—Muslim
merchants across the
Sahara
Not invading Arab or
Turkic armies
Peaceful and voluntary
Already Islamisized
North Africa
Accepted in primarily in
urban centers of West
African empires—
Ghana, Mali,Songhay,
KanemBornu
For African merchant
communities, Islam
provided an
important link to
Muslim trading
partners, much as
Buddhism had done in
Southeast Asia.
It had a religious appeal
for societies that were
now participating in a
wider world.
Timbuktu –more than
Anatolia
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Turkic invaders
Largely Christian and
Greek speaking
population was governed
by the Byzantine Empire.
The invaders initially
wreaked havoc as
Byzantine authority
melted away in the 11th
century
Sufi missionaries likewise
played a major role in the
process of conversion.
A PROFOUND cultural
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transformation unlike
India
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By 1500 the population
was 90 percent Muslim
o Fewer cultural barriers—
common monotheism
of Islam and
Christianity
 Sufis established 
schools, mills,
orchards, hospices,
and rest places for
Spain
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Cite of the Islamic
encounter with
Catholicism
Conquered by
Arab and Berber
forces
Early 8th century
Muslims,
Christians, Jews
contributed to the
high culture
More than a few
Christians
converted to
Islam
Initially religious
harmony
981-1002 an
official policy of
tolerance turned
to one of overt
persecution
against
Christians –
plundered
churches
“The era of
harmonious
interaction
between Muslim
o
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o
o
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The sexual modesty of
Muslims was deep
offended by the open
eroticism of Hindu
religious art
Sikhism: blended
elements of Islam—
devotion to one
universal God
Hindu influence—
karma and rebirth
There is no Hindu and
no Muslim. All are
children of God
“Muslims, usually living
quite separately,
remained a distinctive
minority within an
Indian civilization,
which they now largely
governed but which
they proved unable to
completely transform”
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150 lower level Quranic
schools
In contrast to India and
Anatolia, Sufi holy men
played little role until at
least the 18th century
Scholars, merchants,
rulers, rather than
mystic preachers,
initially established
Islam in West Africa
Islam remained the
culture of an urban elite
Spread little into the
rural areas of West
Africa until the 19th
century
No thorough religious
transformation
occurred in West Africa
as it had in Anatolia
Rulers made few efforts
to impose Islam
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travelers and thus
replaced the
destroyed or
decaying
institutions of
Christian Anatolia.
Contributed to the
religious
transformation of
Anatolia and laid a
foundation for the
Ottoman Empire,
which by 1500
became the most
impressive and
powerful state
within the Islamic
and Christian in
Spain came to an
end, replaced by
intolerance,
prejudice, and
mutual
suspicion”
Christian
reconquest of
Spain
Reconquista
1. In what ways did pastoral societies differ from their agricultural
counterparts? What were their interactions like?
Peaceful interaction and mutual dependence as well as conflict and
hostility characterized the relationship of nomadic herders and settled
farmers in East Africa and Eurasia
 Pastoral societies: less productive economies
 Needed larger grazing areas for animals so smaller populations
 People lived in small encampments, not villages, towns, cities
 People lived in clans (common ancestry)
 Clans that joined together were known as tribes.
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Extremely mobile/nomadic
On the move
Shifted their herds in regular patterns
“They know where they are going and why”
Life dictated by local environmental conditions
Followed seasonal changes in vegetation and water supply
 Pastoral groups couldn’t be sustained on simply animals
 Sought foodstuffs, manufactured goods, luxury items from farming
communities /adjacent civilizations
 Often created confederations or nomadic states
 As a confederation they could deal with stronger neighboring civilizations
2. In what ways did the Mongol Empire differ from Arab and Turkic empires?
Mongol Empire differed from Arab and Turkic
3. List the reasons why the Mongols were successful conquerors.
4. In what different ways did Mongol rule affect the Islamic world, Russia,
China, and Europe?
5. Genghis Kahn: Hero or Villain?
6. How did the Plague impact trans regional interactions?
1. For each of the peoples listed below describe where they were located and
how they were able to maintain their lifestyle in the 15th century:
Hunter/Gatherers:
Agricultural Villages:
Pastoral people:
2. Compare and contrast the Ming Dynasty and post Medieval Europe (consider
accomplishments, government, culture)
3. In what ways did European maritime voyaging in the 15th century differ from
that of China? What accounts for these difference?
a. Why did Chinese exploration abruptly end in the 15th century?
4. What impact did individualism, secularism, and classicism have on the
Renaissance?
5. What differences can you identify among the four major empires in the
Islamic world of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries?
6. What distinguished the Aztec and Inca empires form each other .