Unit 2: Networks of Exchange (1200-1450 CE)

Diaspora

A dispersion of people from their homeland

Caravan

A group of traders traveling together

Camel

A humped mammal used in the desert as a pack animal and provider of meat, milk, and wool. Known as the "ship of the desert" for carrying traders across long distances without stopping for resupply or water.

Silk Road

An ancient trade route between China and the Mediterranean Sea extending some 6,440 km (4,000 mi) and linking China with the Roman Empire. Marco Polo followed the route on his journey to Cathay.

Camel Saddle

An invention which gives camel riders more stability on the animal and its invention and basic idea traveled along the Trans-Saharan Caravan Trade Route. Invented somewhere between 500 and 100 BCE by Bedouin tribes.

Magnetic Compass

Chinese invention that aided navigation by showing which direction was north

Swahili Coast

East African shores of the Indian Ocean between the Horn of Africa and the Zambezi River; from the Arabic sawahil, meaning 'shores.'

Mansa Musa

Emperor of the kingdom of Mali in Africa. He made a famous pilgrimage to Mecca and established trade routes to the Middle East.

Mali Empire

From 1235-1400, this was a strong empire of Western African. With its trading cities of Timbuktu and Gao, it had many mosques and universities. The Empire was ruled by two great rulers, Sundiata and Mansa Musa. Thy upheld a strong gold-salt trade. The fall of the empire was caused by the lack of strong rulers who could govern well.

Gold Trade

Gold and salt made up trade and wealth in the African kingdoms because the Europeans wanted gold, and the Africans needed salt

Songhai Kingdom

Largest African trading kingdom during its time; Helped rebel against Mali; only lasted for about 100 years

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.

Navigational Charts

Series of astronomical and geographic maps and diagrams perfected and published by the Muslim Caliphates and Indian dynasties. Standardized navigation across unpredictable Indian Ocean currents and increased access to economic marketplaces.

Spice Trade

The trade of spices from Asia and India to Italian and Muslim merchants who would then trade it to Europeans; one of the most highly prized luxury goods in the ancient and early modern world for their deliciousness and curative properties (cured inflammation, increased maternal health during pregnancy, improved immune health, etc.)

Indian Ocean Trading Network

The world's largest sea-based system of communication and exchange before 1500 C.E., Indian Ocean commerce stretched from southern China to eastern Africa and included not only the exchange of luxury and bulk goods but also the exchange of ideas and crops.

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.

Porcelain

a thin, beautiful pottery invented in China, prized for its ability to withstand many weather conditions and store food across long journeys

Silk

a valuable cloth, originally made only in China from threads spun by caterpillars called silkworms, prized by European, Asian and African royals for its lightness, softness, and shimmer

Trans-Saharan Trade

route across the sahara desert. Major trade route that traded for gold and salt, created caravan routes, economic benefit for controlling dessert, camels played a huge role in the trading

Lateen Sail

triangular sail that made it possible to sail against the wind; used in the Indian Ocean trade