Transcript chapter-8-networks-of-communication-and

Cover Slide
The Earth and
Its Peoples
3rd edition
Chapter 8
Networks of
Communication and
Exchange,
300 B.C.E.-1100 C.E.
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Bodhisattva at Bamian, lst B.C.
Bodhisattva at Bamian, lst B.C.
Carved into the side of a cliff at
Bamiam, this was one of two
monumental Buddhist sculptures near
the top of a high mountain pass
connecting Kabul, Afghanistan, with the
northern parts of the country. Carved in
the sixth or seventh century, the
sculptures were surrounded by cave
dwellings of monks and rock
sanctuaries, some dating to the first
century B.C.E. (Ian Griffiths/Robert
Harding Picture Library)
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Caravan crossing Pamir Mountains
Caravan crossing Pamir Mountains
The Silk Road was a trade route linking the lands of the Mediterranean with China by way of Mesopotamia, Iran, and Central
Asia. Silk Road caravans often traveled during the winter to avoid torrid temperatures that added to the hardship of humans and
animals. These two-humped camels, in a caravan crossing the Pamir Mountains, have heavy coats of wool that they shed in the
spring. The ratio of one camel-puller for every two or three camels indicates how much human labor, exclusive of merchants,
pilgrims, and other passengers, was involved in Silk Road trading. (R. Michaud/Woodfin Camp & Associates)
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Interior Dunhuang Cave
Interior Dunhuang Cave
The cave temples of Dunhuang, a
county located at the west end of Hexi
Corridor in Gansu Province, are among
the richest depositories of Buddhist art.
These three clay statues, which attend
the main Buddha in Cave 45, represent
the Buddha's disciple Ananda, a
bodhisattva, and a heavenly king. ((c)
Cultural Relics Data Center of China)
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Musicians playing Iranian instruments
Musicians playing Iranian
instruments
As trade became a more important part
of Central Asian life, the Iranianspeaking peoples settled increasingly in
trading cities and surrounding farm
villages. This three-color glazed pottery
figurine is one of hundreds of artifacts of
Silk Road camels and horses found in
northern Chinese tombs from the sixth to
ninth centuries. The musicians playing
Iranian instruments testify to the
migration of Iranian culture across the
Silk Road. At the same time, dishes
decorated by the Chinese three-color
glaze technique were in vogue in
northern Iran. (The National Museum of
Chinese History)
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Relief, Sailing Vessel, Indian Ocean, from Borobudur
Relief, Sailing Vessel, Indian Ocean, from Borobudur
Ships like this Indian Ocean sailing vessel, in a rock carving in the Buddhist temple
of Borobodur in Java (built between 770 and 825), probably carried colonists from
Indonesia to Madagascar. (Ancient Art & Architecture Collection)
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Saharan rock art: Cattle herders
Saharan rock art: Cattle herders
This rock painting was found in Tassili, a mountainous region in the Sahara. This scene of
cattle grazing near the group of huts (represented on the left by stylized white ovals) reflects
the domestication of animals and the development of settled pastoral agriculture. Women and
children seem to perform most of the domestic chores. (Henri Lhote)
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Map: Asian Trade and Communication Routes
Asian Trade and Communication Routes
The overland Silk Road was vulnerable to political disruption, but was much shorter than the maritime route from the South
China Sea to the Red Sea, and ships were more expensive than pack animals. Moreover, China's political centers were in the
north. Historians remain puzzled by the lack of Buddhist expansion westward from Afghanistan. (Copyright (c) Houghton
Mifflin Company. All Rights Reserved.)
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.