8.1 Intro
325-331
0 What is Unit 3?
• Begins at the end of the classical era
• Ends around 1450 when European exploration begins
• Can be called
– Post-classical
– Medieval
– Middle (Eurocentric)
• We call it “third-wave” civilizations
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Islam is biggest
Byzantium takes Eastern Roman Empire
Huge dynasties in China
Aztecs and Incas in Americas
Catholic Church grows power in Western Europe
1. While culturally unique, features among each
of the new “third-wave civilizations” point to
what distinct patterns of development?
• States, cities, class and gender inequalities
• Borrowed from established civilizations
• Started after 500 CE
• pp. 326-327
1.A What is the most important
common thread among third wave
civilizations?
• Tons of interaction with others
– By trade
– By military conflict
– By cosmopolitan regions (miniglobalizations)
• Large empires ruled by pastoral people who
ruled agricultural people
– Arabs, Mongols, Aztecs
2. Why is Islam seen as the most
influential of the new “third-wave
civilizations?”
• Included Egypt, Mesopotamia, India, most of
Northern Africa, Spain.
• Came closer than any had ever come to
uniting all mankind under its ideals.
• p. 326
1B. Europe (Byzantine Empire/Holy
Roman Empire)
• The Roman Empire splits
• Byzantine Empire - Eastern half of the Roman Empire
that lived on
– Stays really centralized, unified
– Stays strong for 1000 years until Muslims take
Constantinople in 1453
• Renamed it Istanbul
• Holy Roman Empire
– Not holy, not Roman, not an empire
– Decentralized
– Becomes the feudal system (small kingdoms) (dippin’ dots)
1C. China/India/West Africa
• China - Sui, Tang, Song
– Middle ages dynasties
– Go back to Confucian traditions
• India – stays decentralized
– Keeps caste
– Some Muslims take parts of India
• West Africa – becomes Muslim
– Islam really spread by trade
1D. Western Hemisphere?
• Aztecs in Mexico
• Inca in Peru (Andes, South America)
• Both are very bureaucratic/elaborate
3. Why were political systems
important for trade?
• State’s size and stability encouraged travelers and
traders.
• Wealth from taxes led to more power for the
state.
• First Rome and China made trade safe. (classical)
• 600s 700s - Byzantine, Tang and Abbasid made
trade safe.
• 1200s – Mongols controlled almost all of the Silk
Roads.
• p. 328; 334
3.A. What was trade like in third wave
civilizations?
• Indirect
• Network across vast land
• Changed things like
– Consumption
– Religious ideas
– Crops and livestock availability
– Made cultures less self-sufficient
– Made traders a social group
3B. What’s the deal with inner and
outer Eurasia?
• Outer – warm, good water and soil
– China, India, Mediterranean
• Inner – harsh, dry, pastoral
– Eastern Russia, Central Asia
4. What did large-scale empires and
long-distance trade facilitate?
• The spread of ideas, technologies, food crops,
and germs far beyond their points of origin.
• Pp. 334-335
8.1 Quiz A
1. The civilizations that come during this unit
have been referred to as _______-wave
civilizations.
2. Name one of the two major civilizations that
existed in the Western hemisphere during
this time period.
3. On which continent was most of the
Byzantine Empire?
8.1 Quiz B
1. Which of the third-wave civilizations came
the closest to unifying most of the world
under one umbrella?
2. On which continent was most of the
Byzantine Empire?
3. Name one of the two major civilizations that
existed in the Western hemisphere during
this time period.
8.2 Silk Road/Disease
5. What specifically did the following
regions or peoples diffuse through
trade?
• China: the technology of manufacturing raw
silk
• India: crystallized sugar, the concept of zero,
cotton textiles
• Arabs: Islam
• The Americas/Mesoamerica: corn
• Eurasia and North Africa: disease—the plague
• p. 329
6. How were goods transported along the
Silk Roads to sustain the networks of
exchange among its diverse people?
• Camel caravans
• Through deserts and oases
• Silk was used as currency in Asia
– Symbol of high status
• Not made in W. Europe until 1100s
• p. 336
7. Why did Han China extend its
authority westward?
• Wanted to control the Xiongnu (nomads) and
get “heavenly horses” for their military.
• Heavenly horses – well trained, easy to ride,
some said they sweat blood
• p. 336
8. What made silk such a highly
desired commodity across Eurasia?
• Silk symbolized luxury.
• China held a monopoly on silk-producing
technology.
• Cotton textiles from India was great in the
Roman Empire as well
• p. 337
9. How did the impact of the long-distance trade
of silk economically and socially affect the
Chinese peasants?
• Some stopped growing food crops and made
silk, paper, porcelain and iron tools.
• This is an example of long-distance trade
trickling down to common farmers.
• p. 338
10. Why did Buddhism appeal to the
merchants along the Silk Roads?
• It was for all people, not just Brahmin and
higher castes.
• Merchants were lower to middle class at best.
• In China, it was the religion of foreign traders
and rulers.
• p. 338
11. In what way did Buddhism pick up
elements of other cultures along the
Silk
Roads?
• Monasteries became more secular.
– Some monasteries became rich from wealthy merchants’ gifts.
– Murals of parties and musicians
• Shifted to Mahayana, which reflected influence from
monotheistic religions.
– Buddha became a god.
– Idea of heaven.
• Some statues of Buddha show Greek influences from
Alexander’s conquests
• Gods from other faiths were incorporated into Mahayana
Buddhism.
• pp. 339-340
12. After the spread of the Black Death to Europe,
what were two economic consequences of the
disease?
• Less tenant farmers and urban workers could
demand higher wages b/c there are less of
them.
• Landowners lost money because demand for
grain dropped.
• 340-341
12A Before the Black Plague, what
other diseases were spread?
• Unknown epidemic in 500BCE Athens from
sea exploration
• Han and Roman smallpox and measles
– Increased importance of Christianity and
Buddhism as compassion during times of suffering
12B Teach me more about the Black
Plague!
• Thanks to the Mongols control of Eurasia, it
spread.
• May have been anthrax, the plague or a mix of
goodness
• 1/3 of Europe killed (How’s that for
westerncentrism?)
– Similar toll in Muslim world and China
• Gave Europeans a secret weapons when
exploring in 1500s
13. Why did the exchange of diseases
give Europeans a certain advantage?
• Exposure over time had provided them with
some immunity to Eurasian diseases.
• p. 341
8.1 Quiz A
1. Which major city in the Byzantine Empire lost
more than 10,000 people per day for forty
days from the bubonic plague?
2. People outside of China wanted silk because
it was ______________.
3. The spread of certain diseases throughout
Europe gave them an advantage later on
because they built built up a(n)
____________.
8.1 Quiz B
1. Which Greek city-state was afflicted by a new
disease that probably come by sea from
Egypt?
2. The Silk Roads prospered most when large
__________ provided protection for traders.
3. A lot of the trade in Eurasia was called
“_________ trade” because goods were
passed down the line, changing hands many
times before reaching its final destination.
8.3 Sea Roads
341-348
14A How did sea trade begin?
• Lots of trade on Mediterranean by 1000CE
centered in Venice
• Mediterranean linked Europe to Indian Ocean
through rivers in Egypt
• Ancient Indus writing may have influenced
cuneiform from Mesopotamia
• Egyptians and Phonecians traded on Red Sea
14. How did the transportation operation of the
Indian Ocean trading network differ from that of
the Silk Roads?
• Costs were lower than on land
– Ships held more and heavier cargo
• textiles, pepper, timber, rice, sugar, wheat
– Led to shipment of bulk goods
• Silk Roads were only for luxury goods
• Sea Roads relied on monsoon wind currents.
• India was center of the Sea Roads, but not the
Silk Roads.
• 341-342
15. Why did the tempo of Indian Ocean
commerce pick up in the era of classical
civilizations?
• Sailors learned how to ride the monsoons.
• p. 343
16. What region became the center
(fulcrum) of the Indian Ocean commercial
network?
• India.
– Had goods from east and west.
– Lots of port cities.
• Trading with Southeast Asia by 100CE and all
around the Indian Ocean as far as Egypt.
• pp. 343-344
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17. In what ways did China contribute to the
growth of trade in the Indian Ocean between
500 and 1500 C.E.?
Tang and Song dynasties encouraged sea
trade.
Big economy led China to send tons of
products out for trade.
Larger ships and magnetic compass added to
growth.
p. 344
18. What other changes occurred during the
flourishing of Indian Ocean commerce after the rise of
Islam in the 7th century?
• Arab Empire—Brought together many different cultures and
economies into one political system. This made trade very easy for
Arabs.
• Middle East—Middle Eastern gold and silver went to southern India
to purchase pepper, pearls, textiles, and gemstones.
• Muslim merchants—Islam loved merchants. (Muhammad was a
merchant) Muslim culture spread far and everyone was part of the
same culture even if they were far apart.
• Mesopotamia/East Africa—Using wasteland in Mesopotamia to
cultivate sugar and dates brought thousands of slaves there from
East Africa for plantations and salt mines in terrible conditions.
• p. 344
19. What was the importance of
Srivijaya?
• Malay Peninsula was choke-point
between China and India trade.
• One kingdom, Srivijaya charged
taxes for ships to use the Straits of
Malacca
– Had spices, gold and resources to sell
sailors
• Gained much money, power and
new military brought security to the
area.
• p. 345
19A What other Southeast Asian
places were influenced by trade?
• Burma
– Ankor Wat – huge Buddhist temple
– First Hindu
– Then Buddhist
21. What were the economic and cultural roles
of the Swahili civilization in the world of Indian
Ocean trade?
• Economically, cities took goods from African
interior and exchanged them on the coast for
foreign products like porcelain, silk and rugs
– Major port cities on the coast
• Culturally, many ruling families of Swahili cities
claimed Arab or Persian descent to show prestige
– Coast became Muslim, interior stayed African
• Politically, they were competing city-states like
Greece
– Focused on trade and profit
• p. 347
8.3 Quiz A
1. This civilization was on the east coast of
Africa and became increasingly Muslim. It
was where much of the Indian Ocean trade
took place.
2. What religion spread mainly to the eastern
part of the Indian Ocean by traders?
3. How did Srivijaya become so rich?
8.3 Quiz B
1. What religion was represented by the huge
monument of Borobudur in Indonesia?
2. Whereas the Silk Roads mainly traded
precious items, the Sea Roads mainly traded
_______ items.
3. The Sea Roads took place mainly on which
body of water?
8.4 Sand Roads and American
Roads
22. Trans-African trade was rooted in
environmental variation. For instance,
• TRADE HAPPENED IN AFR B/C AFR’S
ENVIORNMENT WAS SO DIFFERENT
• Sahara – copper, gold and salt
• The savanna grasslands immediately south of
the Sahara produced—grain crops like millet
and sorghum.
• The forest areas farther south had yams/
• pp. 348-349
23. What changes did trans-Saharan
trade bring to West Africa?
• The camel brought the biggest change
– 10 days w/o water
• Led to the exchange of mined gold from Sahara
out into the rest of the world
• Muslims traded slaves along the Sahara
– Most from non-Muslim areas (West Africa) Some
white women from Eastern Mediterranean
• Sudanic states develop big urban trading centers.
– Jenne-jeno, Timbuktu, Gao all in modern-day Mali
• Beads, iron tools, cotton textiles
• pp. 350-351)
More on West African Trade
• Camel caravans – 5000 camels and hundreds
of ppl
• Gold trading leads to strong empires in West
Africa that grew by taxing merchants
– Ghana first and then Mali
24. Compare some factors that inhibited the development of
long-distance exchange networks in the
Americas, as opposed to Eurasia.
• Aztecs and Incas probably didn’t know the other
existed
• Less interactions because no horses, donkeys or
camels.
• No wheeled vehicles or ocean-going ships
• Geography
– Bottleneck of Panama covered in rainforest
– North/south orientation – made new agriculture adapt to
new climates when migrating
– Eurasia’s east/west orientation made agricultural diffusion
easier
• pp. 351-352
24A What was trade like in the
Americas?
• Loose interactive web in North America
– Cahokia, Chaco, others traded indirectly with
Caribbean and others
– It was a very WEAK connection
• Major trade network in Mesoamerica
– Maya and Teotihuacan traded by land
– Maya had dugout canoes to trade by sea
– Aztecs had professional merchants
24B Cahokia
• Near St. Louis on the Mississippi River
– Part of the “Mound Builders”
• Right in the middle of the loose network of American
trade
• Archaeologists found
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Shells from Atlantic coast
Buffalo hides from Great Plains
Obsidian from Rocky Mountains
Mica (shiny rock) from Appalachians
• This proves that there was some long distance trade
26. What were Inca roads used for?
• Transporting state controlled goods by pack
animals or messages by foot
• 2,000 inns where travelers could get food and
shelter
• Relay system for messages could cover 150
miles in one day.
• p. 353
27. Why did the Andean Inca Empire largely
control trade, not allowing a professional
merchant class to emerge?
• Incan trade was state-run.
• No free market (capitalism) like Aztecs.
• p. 354
27A How is modern trade different
from premodern trade?
• Premodern was mainly for self consumption
– Very little was actually traded
– Modern trade was often relay-based
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Premodern had fewer wageworkers
Premodern was mainly luxury goods
Premodern was much more local
Premodern was much more equal among
trading societies
8.4 Quiz A
1. Which American empire kept government
control of most of the trading there?
2. List two specific items that were traded on
the Sand Roads.
3. A lot of the trading on the Sand Roads was
done using __________ caravans.
8.4 Quiz B
1. The introduction of which animal changed
the Trans-Sahara trade networks the most?
2. The “blue men” that were in Ireland were
living there because they were __________.
3. Name one of the two major empires in
Western Africa during this time period. Both
of them were major trading empires.
8.5 Docs Chinese Buddhist, Ibn
Batutta and Marco Polo
A Chinese Buddhist in India
• Traveled there for clarification of Buddhism
– Muslims go to Mecca, Christians to Jerusalem
• Visits the Bodhi Tree, cries
• Visits a monastery/university
– Monks studied math and science just like they
mediated
– Major places of learning
A Chinese Buddhist in India
Towns and Villages
• Walls around the cities and each individual
house
• Untouchables live outside the city
– Butchers, fishers, executioners
Buddhist Studies
• Different sects in India vary in their worship
• Great (Mahayana) and Little (Theravada)
vehicles live in different parts of town
• The more you know about Buddhism, the
more stuff you get (paid for by tithe to the
monastery)
• If you make a mistake, you’re thrown in a
ditch. Yay.
Caste and Marriage
• Marry outside your Jati?
– You become your husband’s Jati
• Women can’t remarry (men can)
• What about untouchables?
Manners and Justice
• Infidelity (cheating on your husband/wife) or
failing at filieal piety?
– Cut of your nose, or ears, or hands or feet
• Major crimes = imprisonment
• Minor crimes = fines
Marco Polo a European Christian in
China
• Wealthy merchant’s son
• Traveld on the Silk Roads to Yuan (Mongol) China
in 1200s
• Was an official to Kublai Khan during Pax
Mongolica
• Columbus took the book with him to “China”
• Lived in Hangzhou, one of the largest cities in the
world
• Maybe he exaggerated his role in China or what
he saw
Macro Polo
• Hangzhou 100 miles wide, 1220 bridges
• Houses with up to 40 men living in them
– Filial piety?
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Rich lived like kings
Must follow father’s business
Buddhist “churches” were fancy
All the rich wear silk (because its not foreign)
Eat all kinds on ‘unclean’ beasts
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They are very clean, they take several baths a month
Export and import lots of goods?
Spices are cheap. Why?
Hookers?
Really impressed with the size and population of the
city
• Women are treated as property of the man that should
be respected
• People behave ‘from the example of their kings”
– Confucianism
An Arab Muslim in West Africa
• Ibn Battuta – 1300s – traveled 75,000 miles
throughout the Arab world
– China in the east, Spain in the west
• Traveled on pilgrimage and with merchants
• Not a stranger in a strange land like Polo
– Always was under the Muslim world
– Not as impressed as Polo was
Ibn Battuta
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Calls Africans ‘blacks’, calls himself ‘white’
No veils for women
Non-Muslims are ‘heathens’
Trace lineage through mother’s brother, not
father
• Open relationships in marriage
• Used salt and glass for money
• Gold hats, birds, instruments
• Treat the sultan with great respect
– Get naked and puts on dirty clothes
– To show how crappy they are compared to the
sultan
• Islam means ‘submission’
• Sultan rules with an iron fist, no insecurity
there
• Friday is the holy day
• Women servants are naked all the time
• Eating rotten meat, dogs and donkeys