Unit 2 - Illustrative Examples

Margery Kempe

English Christian mystic who wrote The Book of Margery Kempe, a work considered by some to be the first autobiography in the English language.

Emergence of credit & money economies- Banking Houses

European banks created during the Middle Ages to help with trade. Along with creations such as bills of exchange, or bank drafts, and credits, the rise of banking houses supported the development of interregional trade in luxury goods.

Adoption of Uygher script

Genghis Khan's effort to unify his empire included directing a scribe captured in 1204 to adapt the Uyghur alphabet to represent Mongol. Although the effort to establish one system throughout the empire failed, the alphabet is still used in Mongolia today.

Transfer of numbering systems to Europe

Hindu-Arabic numerals that originated in India in the 6th or 7th century and were introduced to Europe through the writings of Middle Eastern mathematicians, especially al-Khwarizmi and al-Kindi, around the 12th century.

Transfers of Greco-Islamic medical knowledge to western Europe

Islamic advancements and innovations within the medical field caused many Europeans to incorporate their knowledge in their practices.

Trading City- Samarkand

Known for its decorated mosques and tombs, Kashgar was a wealthy and influential trading city under the rule of Timur Lane.

Ibn Battuta

Moroccan Muslim scholar, the most widely traveled individual of his time. He wrote a detailed account of his visits to Islamic lands from China to Spain and the western Sudan.

Growth of the Sultanate of Malacca

One Muslim city-state, Malacca, became wealthy by building a navy and by imposing fees on ships that passed through the strait of Malacca, a narrow inlet that many ship captains used to travel between ports in India and China. Malacca's prosperity was based on trade rather than agriculture or mining or manufacturing.

The diffusion of new rice varieties in East Asia

One of the many new introduced rice varieties was Champa rice (introduced to China by Vietnam). It caused spikes in populations due its ability to survive droughts and tough weather conditions. The rice had the ability to grow in areas originally thought to be unsuitable for growing crops.

Emergence of credit & money economies- Use of paper money

Paper money or 'flying money' was first used in China in the 9th century. It was used mostly by merchants as a note of exchange. However, once the government caught one, it was used for forwarding tax payments. Many surrounding regions also incorporated this idea into their lives.

Camel saddles & its effect on trade networks

People began developing multiple different kinds of saddles with the rise of animals helping with trade. One saddle in which had the biggest impact on trade was developed by Somalis. It helped camels carry loads up to 600 pounds.

Diffusion of paper from China

Scholars brought back mathematic texts from India and techniques for papermaking from China.

Diffusion of gunpowder from China

The Silk Road helped gunpowder, a Chinese invention, spread to the west. Many regions including Europe quickly adopted the invention into the military for better warfare.

Diaspora of Chinese merchant communities in Southeast Asia

The expedition of Zhenghe won prestige for the Chinese government and opened up new markets for Chinese goods. He and his crew brought back many exotic foreign treasures.

Diffusion of bananas in Africa

The introduction of bananas in Africa from Indonesian seafarers traveling across the Indian Ocean caused a spike in their population due it being nutrient rich. It also allowed Bantu-speaking people to have the ability to migrate to places where yams (traditional food source) did not easily grow.

Cultural influence of Buddhism in East Asia

The spread of Buddhism in East Asia was highly accepted. When Buddhism entered China, a new religion was formed. That religion was called Chan Buddhism/Zen Buddhism/Neo-Confucianism. Because of China's influence at the time, Buddhism and Chan Buddhism were brought into other cultures such Korea and Japan.

The spread of Islam into sub-Saharan Africa and Asia

Through missionaries, merchants, and conquests, Islam was spread over a wide swath of Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.

Spread of Hinduism and Buddhism into Southeast Asia

Through trade like the Indian Ocean Trade and the Silk Roads, Hinduism and Buddhism made their way to Southeast Asia.

Marco Polo

Venetian merchant and traveler. His accounts of his travels to China offered Europeans a firsthand view of Asian lands and stimulated interest in Asian trade.

Trading City- Kashgar

Where the Eastern and Western Silk Roads connected (trading point).

Emergence of credit & money economies- Bills of exchange

a written order to a person requiring the person to give a specified payment to the signatory or to a named payee; a promissory note.

Impact of caravans on the growth of trans-Saharan trade

A group of people traveling together for mutual protection, often with pack animals such as camels. These caravans provided protection from bandits trying to steal the goods they are trading.

Gujarat

A western India state/region in which became famous for its trade and manufacturing.

Diaspora of Arab & Persian communities in East Africa

Arab and Persian merchants settled in East Africa. The merchants from Dar al-Islam, were the first to bring Islam to Souther Asia, not through missionary work or conquest, but through intermarriage. Their children were generally raised within Muslim traditions.

The spread of citrus in the Medititerranean region

As caliphs conquered lands beyond the Arabian Peninsula, they spread Islam, the Arabic language, and cultivation of cotton, sugar, and citrus crops. The market of Samarkand, for example, introduced new fruits and vegetables, as well as rice and citrus products from Southwest Asia to Europe.

Growth of city-states of the Swahili coast

Becoming thriving because of the Indian Ocean trade. The traders her would sell gold, ivory, and slaves to their Arab trading partners, as well as more exotic goods such as tortoise shells, peacock feathers, and rhinoceros. In exchange, they obtained Chinese porcelain, Indian cotton, and manufactured iron. Trade was so vigorous with East Asia that Chinese porcelain remains a common find among the ruins of Swahili cities.