Transcript Hh ppt ldt routes

Networks of Communication
and Exchange
c. 500 B.C.E.-500 C.E.
Before classical times, long-distance trade
was risky and costly
Two developments reduced the risks
of long-distance trade and stimulated
trade during classical times
• Empires invested heavily in the construction of
roads and bridges—Why?
• Classical societies built large imperial states
that sometimes expanded to the point that they
bordered on one another
 campaigns of Alexander
Alexander’s conquests brought Greek
civilization into contact with societies and
cultures stretching to northwestern India
Break-up of Alexander’s Empire
Indian
Ocean
Monsoon
 Seasonal monsoon winds, which affected historic sailing routes in the Indian
Ocean, were discovered by mariners from Ptolemaic Egypt about 40 C.E.
 The prevailing winds blow from the southwest in the summer and from the
northeast in the winter
Major trade routes of the
Classical Period
Two major types of trade contacts
during the Classical Era
• Land Routes:
– Trans Saharan
Trade Routes
– The Silk Road
• Sea Routes:
– The Indian
Ocean System
– The
Mediterranean
System
Trans Saharan Trade
• Prior to the Classical Age the Sahara Desert served
as a natural geographical barrier between SubSaharan Africa and those living in north and east
• Introduction of camel (probably around 1st century
B.C.E.) from Arabia, made trade caravans possible
Saharan Trade
• technological advancement:
camel saddle allowing trade
goods to be transported
• items from Sub-Saharan Africa
would make their way to eastern
Africa and then into Indian
Ocean and Mediterranean Sea
trade networks
• “silent trade” was often used
Saharan Trade: What was traded?
• desert salt was an important
trading commodity
– for export traders from SubSaharan Africa brought forest
products, kola nuts, palm oil,
rhinoceros horns, tortoise shells,
ivory, emeralds and gold
– imported cloth, glass, olive oil,
wine, brass, iron and copper
The Silk Road
• the Silk Road was a linking of trade routes that took silk
from China to the Middle East and Mediterranean
• depended on effective Chinese control of a territory that
reached in Central Asia, the organization of the Parthian
(Persian) Empire and other Hellenistic successor states
• no evidence exists to prove that any one person traveled
from one end of the route to the other
Silk Road
• Silk Road extended overland from Chang’an
(Xi’an), China to eastern Mediterranean
• Began in 2nd century B.C.E. when a Chinese
general made it to the Tarim Basin in central
Asia and discovered “strong horses”
Silk Road
• Chinese had many goods to trade, especially
highly prized silk
– now willing to trade silk for horses and highquality jade
– Tarim Basin connected to the western trade
routes
• By 100 B.C.E. Greeks could buy silk from
Mesopotamian traders who had traded with
the nomads of Tarim Basin
• Goods made it all the way to Rome
Silk Road: What was Traded?
• Traders going west from China carried peaches,
apricots, cinnamon, ginger, spices and silk
• Traders going east carried alfalfa (for horses),
grapes, pistachios, sesame, and spinach
• Technologies: stirrup (major innovation) came
from Afghanistan and made its way both to China
and Europe
• Ideas: Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity
• Much of Silk Road held together and managed by
nomads of central Asia (provided protection)
Indian Ocean Trade
Indian Ocean Trade
• Indian Ocean traders traveled back and forth
from one of its three legs
1. Southeastern China to Southeast Asia
2. Southeast Asia to the eastern coast of India
3. The western coast of India to the Red Sea
and eastern coast of Africa
Indian Ocean Trade:
What was Traded?
• Exotic animals and wood: from Africa
• Ivory: from Africa, India, and Mesopotamia
• Frankincense and myrrh (fragrances): from
northern Somalia and southern Arabia
• Copper: from Oman and southern Arabia
• Pearls: from Persian Gulf
• Spices: from India and Southeast Asia
• Manufactured goods—pottery: from China
Differences in Sailing Vessels
Mediterranean and Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
• Strong seasonal winds making navigation
difficult, so lateen sail (triangular) was
used –more maneuverable
• Boats smaller than used in Mediterranean
Mediterranean Sea very calm water
• Sails large and flat to pick up wind
• Galleys had rowers & stayed close to shore
Lateen sail for rough monsoon
waters
Mediterranean ships
Mediterranean Sea Trade
• Specialized production of agricultural commodes
and manufactured goods set the stage for
vigorous trade
– Rome exported pottery, glassware, bronze goods,
jewelry, works of art, decorative items, perfumes, wool
and linen textiles, iron tools, olive oil, and wine
• Sea lanes linked the port of Rome (Ostia) to Syria
and Palestine to Spain and north Africa
• Roman military and naval power kept the Sea
lanes largely free of pirates
Mediterranean Sea Trade:
What was Traded?
• Rome imported
– exotic animals and wood: from Africa
– grain: from Sicily and Egypt
– silk, cinnamon and ginger: from China
– spices from Arabia
– pepper, sesame oil, cotton textiles, pearls, coral
and ivory: from India
– cloves, nutmeg, mace, cinnamon and
cardamon: from southeast Asia
Mediterranean Sea Trade
Movement of ideas, people and
disease during the Classical
Period
The Spread of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Christianity 200 B.C.E.- 400 C.E.
The Spread of Ideas along Trade Routes
•Buddhism spreads to China along the Silk Road and Southeast Asia by land and sea
•Hinduism spreads to Southeast Asia via sea trade routes
•Christianity becomes the dominant religion in Roman empire—spreads via trade
•Christian communities flourished in Mesopotamia, Iran and as far away as India
Spread of Buddhism
• By the 3rd century BCE Ashoka spread Buddhism to Bactria
and Ceylon (Sri Lanka)
• Particularly successful in attracting merchants as converts
– When they traveled they observed their faith and explained it to others
– Gradually, Buddhism made its way along the silk roads to Iran, central
Asia, China, and southeast Asia
– Buddhist first established presence in towns along the silk road—these
towns allowed Buddhist to build monasteries
• By the first century B.C.E. Buddhists established some
Buddhist communities in China—mostly foreign merchants
• Beginning in the 5th century C.E. many Chinese people
began to convert to Buddhism
Spread of Buddhism
• By the post classical
era Buddhism
became the most
popular religion in
east Asia, including
Japan, Korea, and
China
• Imported Buddhism
brought its artistic
styles and literature
to these countries
including China
Borobudur—Buddhist temple built in the 8th-9th c. C.E.
by the rulers of Shrivijaya on the island of Java
Angkor Wat: Hindu Temple in Cambodia
built in the early 12th century
• merchant mariners regularly traveled between India and southeast
Asia during the late centuries B.C.E.
• clear signs of cultural influence of India by the first century C.E.
 rulers of some southeast Asian states called themselves “rajas”
 they adopted Sanskrit as a written language
 promoted Hindu cults of Shiva and Vishnu; some converted to Buddhism
 built temples in the Indian style
Spread of Christianity
• Christian missionaries took full advantage of Rome’s
network of roads and sea lanes—Christianity soon
spread throughout the Mediterranean Basin
• By the late 3rd century Christian missionaries brought
the religion to Anatolia, Syria, Palestine, Mesopotamia,
Egypt, north Africa and Iran—even as far as India
• Don’t forget Aksum (Ethiopia)
• many Christian communities in Mesopotamia and Iran
practiced strict asceticism (inspired by Indian religious
traditions)—helped to inspire the formation of Christian
monastic communities in the Mediterranean Basin
A Number of significant migrations
took place in late classical era
Huns: 4th century C.E. nomadic Huns
from central Asia began a westward
migration
 Attila the Hun created a great attacking army and
invaded a lot of the Roman Empire territories in
Balkans, Gaul, and northern Italy
 Huns invaded the Indian continent in late 5th century
exhausting Gupta treasury
Migrations in late classical era
C.E. 200-600
Germanic People: Germanic people had
been contesting the Roman Empire, but
with its collapse they began to settle their
own regions
 Many of these groups formed their own states
in what is now Europe:
• Franks: what is now France
• Angles and Saxons: invaded and conquered England
Germanic Migrations C.E. 400-526
Migrations in late classical era
C.E. 200-600
Bantu: Originated around the Niger
River in modern Nigeria
 Migration was over a long period of
time
• Went into Sub-Saharan Africa first south and then
southeast
• By end of classical era Bantu had spread not only
their language, but had introduced iron
metallurgy and agriculture to many areas
Bantu Migrations 1000 B.C.E.-500 C.E.
Migrations in late classical era
C.E. 200-600
Polynesians: their migration was like the
Bantu—very gradual over long time
period
 Most islands west of New Guinea had been visited and settled
 These were people who originally came from Asia and
expanded eastward to Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa
 Ships were double canoes that carried a platform between them
 Had large triangular sails and traveled long distances
 By 18th century Polynesians had explored and colonized almost
every habitable island in Pacific
Polynesian Migrations (up to C.E. 300)
Fall of Great Empires
• Between C.E. 200-600 all three great
classical civilizations had collapsed
– Western part of Roman Empire fell
– Han Dynasty ended in disarray
– Gupta had fragmented into regions
• There were some common reasons
– What were they?
Fall of Great Empires
Common Reasons
• Attacks by nomadic groups
– Migration of Huns impacted all three
– Hun migration caused other groups to leave their
area and created stress in Rome, India and China
• Serious internal problems
– All had trouble maintaining control over their
vast lands; governments incapable of ruling this
size
– Rome and Han China had landowner and peasant
disputes (conflict between rich and poor)
Fall of Great Empires
Common Reasons
• Problem of interdependence:
– When one empire weakened it impacted all
– As a trade route would be disrupted it
stopped the flow of trade goods into another
region
– Disease spread along trade routes devastating
populations
• Some estimates state that as many as half of its
citizens were lost in the late classical era
Spread of Epidemic Disease
During the 2nd and 3rd centuries C.E. the
Han and Roman empires suffered largescale outbreaks of epidemic disease
Smallpox, measles and possibly bubonic
plague
– Roman population went from about 60
million, during the reign of Augustus, to 45
million by the 2nd century
– 165-180 an outbreak of smallpox furthur
reduced population to 40 million and killed
Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius (180)
Spread of Epidemic Disease
Epidemics appeared slightly later in
China
– Han population fell from about 60 million in
C.E. 200 to 50 million by 400 and to 45 million
by 600
– Persia, India and other lands most likely
experienced demographic, economic and
social problems similar to China and Rome
• Evidence is not as clear as for Rome and China
Spread of Epidemic Disease
Demographic decline brought economic
and social change
 trade within the empires declined
 economies move to regional self-sufficiency
Helped to bring about serious instability
in China after the fall of the Han
In weakening the Mediterranean society it
helped bring about the fall of the western
Roman empire
Results of Fall of Great
Empires
Rome: never regained its identity
India: rebounded with the glue of
Hinduism
China: rebounded into another
dynasty with Confucianism the glue
The End