Trade Routes

Post-collapse of Roman Empire

- not successfully reestablished - most of Western Europe dissolved into highly decentralized political systems

long distance trade

- passed through much of Eurasia and North Africa, from China to the Mediterranean basin, and to East Africa - influenced the experiences of people, and the development of societies throughout the eastern hemisphere - brought wealth and access to foreign products and facilitated spread of religious traditions - exchanged people, technologies, religious & cultural beliefs, food, domesticated animals, and disease - transmission of disease over silk roads helped bring an end to the classical societies, since infectious and contagious led to to political, social, and economic havoc - establishment of routes called for substantial investments in military forces, construction, and bureaucracies - stimulated economic development within Hellenistic realms, bringing benefits to local economies (Hellenistic rulers closely supervised foreign trade and levied taxes)

Post-collapse of Han dynasty

- Chinese imperial state similar to Han, reassembled under Sui, Tang, and Song - single emperor ruled, bureaucracy selected by examination governed, and ideas of Confucius informed political system - established one of the most continuous political traditions

Barbarian tribes (Rome)

- Germanic (speaking peoples living on Roman Empire's northern frontier) began to enter empire - once inside, began establishing their own kingdoms - developed their own ethnic identities: Visigoths, Franks, Anglo-Saxons, and others - fall of Roman Empire produced new culture, blending Latin and Germanic elements, which provided foundation for hybrid civilization that would arise in Western Europe - Germanic hunters and herders from northern and central Europe began to raid and take over Roman lands in Greece and Gaul - Germanic general Odovacar overthrew the last of the Roman emperors and made himself ruler of all Italy; from then on, the western part of the Empire was ruled by Germanic tribal chiefs

Economic problems

- Inflation - once the Romans stopped conquering new lands, the flow of gold into the Roman economy decreased - merchants raised the prices on the goods they sold - salaries had to be paid in food and clothing, and taxes were collected in fruits and vegetables - unemployment - the emperors were forced to raise taxes frequently (due to military spending) -the majority of which were paid by businessmen and farmers, which hurt the economy

Cross-Cultural Exchanges

- Zhang Qian also brought back information of immense commercial value and deduced possibility of establishing trade relations between China and Bactria through India - China and other classical societies imposed political and military control over vast territories; promoted trade and communication; fostered spread of cultural, religious, and political traditions to distant regions

Environmental damage

- deforestation, desertification, soil erosion Rome: - noise and smoke in cities - urban sprawl extended to fertile land - mining operations and smelting of metals led to extensive deforestation and unprecedented levels of lead China: - iron working contributed to substantial urban air pollution - growth of intensive agriculture and logging stripped land of its grass and forest cover, causing sufficient soil erosion

Excessive mobilization of resources

- empire got too big, too over-extended, and too expensive to be sustained by available resources - no fundamental technological breakthrough available to enlarge these resources - growth of landowning families with huge estates and political clout enabled them to avoid paying taxes (diminished authority of central government)

exchange & change of how did spread of disease pathogens contribute to the decline of urban population (Rome & China)

- epidemic disease that was spread over the silk roads caused dramatic demographic decline (especially in China and Mediterranean basin) - devastating when breaks out in populations without resistance, immunities, or medicine to combat them - Han and Roman empires suffered large-scale outbreaks - smallpox, measles, and bubonic plague - populations declined sharply - by 600 CE, both Roman and Chinese populations had fallen by a quarter to a third - disease brought economic and social change; trade within empires declined and both Chinese and Roman economies contracted - regional self-sufficiency, empires increasingly embraced several smaller regional economies that concentrated on their own needs - serious instability in China after collapse of Han dynasty - weakening Mediterranean society = decline and fall of Western Roman empire

Overextension of border - external threats

- growing threat from nomadic or semi-agricultural peoples occupying the frontier regions of both empires - Chinese had long developed ways of handling them: 1) building the Great Wall, 2) offering trade opportunities at border markets, 3) buying them off with lavish gifts, 4) contracting marriage alliances with nomadic leaders, 5) conducting periodic military campaigns against them - as Chinese empire weakened, more people breached frontier and set up succession of "barbarian states"

Monsoon winds & effect on trade routes

- knowledge of winds enabled mariners to sail safely and reliably to all parts of the Indian Ocean basin - summer winds blow from southwest, winter winds blew from northeast

Role of Huns

- large nomadic group from northern Asia who invaded territories extending from China to Eastern Europe - invaded Gupta Empire and destroyed many towns and villages and reduced size of capital's population

silk road

- network of trade routes that linked lands as distant as China and the Roman empire - merchant and travelers created an extensive network of trade routes that linked much of Eurasia and North Africa - high quality silk was one of the principal commodities

Xiongnu (China)

- nomadic group who menaced the northern and western borders of the Han empire - kidnapped Zhang Qian and kept him in comfortable captivity

exchange & change of change in religion & culture for Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism

- religious and cultural traditions were transformed as they spread Christianity: - Roman network of roads and sea lanes enabled missionaries to carry message through Roman Empire and Mediterranean basin - missionaries worked to attract converts - Gregory the Wonderworker and his fellow missionaries helped to make Christianity popular in Roman Empire - devout Christian communities flourished throughout the MB, Mesopotamia, Iran, and some in India - practices in lands east of Rome helped to inspire formation of Christian monastic communities in MB Buddhism: - successful in attracting merchants as coverts - made its way to Iran, central Asia, China, and Southeast Asia - established presence in oasis towns along the silk roads - oases allowed merchants to build monasteries and invited monks and scribes to their communities - oasis towns became cosmopolitan centers - most prominent faith of silk road merchants - able to spread to central Asia and to China via the nomadic peoples who visited the oases Hinduism: - along with Buddhism, attracted a following in Southeast Asia - merchants traveling in sea lanes through Indian Ocean played prominent role - clear signs of Indian cultural influence in Southeast Asia - rulers converted to Buddhism, others promoted the Hindu cults of Shiva and Vishnu - walled cities built around lavish temples - Sanskrit adopted as means of written communication - Buddhist or Hindu advisors appointed

Effect of external barbarians

- roads and bridges were left in disrepair - many fields were left untilled - pirates and bandits made travel unsafe - cities declined and trade and business began to disappear.

trade goods and travel

- spices were extremely important because it was used as drug, anesthetics, aphrodisiacs, perfumes, aromatics, and magical potions - spices came from southeast Asia, China, and India to consumers in central Asia, Iran, Arabia, and the Roman Empire - central Asia traded horses and jade while glasses, jewelry, textiles, and pottery came from Roman empire - merchants and diplomats traveled long distances in pursuit of trade and diplomacy - pepper, cinnamon, and other spices graced wealthy classes in Roman Empire and silk garments were of high fashion

exchange & change of spread of crops (sugar, rice, and cotton) & changes in farming & irrigation techniques

- spread of crops, rice and cotton from S. Asia to Middle East encouraged changes in farming and irrigation techniques qanat system - used from Morocco across North Africa and Asia to China - tunnels for getting water out of the ground in the desert - tunnels sloped downhill to an outlet in a village - canals then took water to fields for irrgiation

Syncretism

- the unification or blending of opposing people, ideas, or practices, frequently in the realm of religion. - ex: when Christianity was adopted by people in a new land, they often incorporate it into their existing culture and traditions.

Social tensions

China: - tension b/w castrated court officials (eunuchs) loyal to emperor and Confucian educated scholar-bureaucrats weakened the state Rome: - Roman emperors assassinated Both: - epidemics

Trans-Sahara caravan routes Trade Network

Climate: Hot, dry Location: Across the Sahara Typical trade goods: gold, ivory, slaves and spices from Sub-Sahara; salt, cloth, metalware from Sahara Ethnicity:

Indian Ocean Trade Network

Climate: Monsoon Location: Major route between east Africa and Asia Typical trade goods: slaves, ivory, gold, iron from Africa; porcelain from China; pottery from Burma; cloth from India Ethnicity:

Silk Road Trade Network

Climate: Outer Eurasia (warm and well-watered), Inner (harsher, drier climate) Location: China to Roman empire Typical trade goods: First silk, later porcelain Ethnicity:

Mediterranean Trade Network

Climate: very calm waters Location: Waterways of Kievan Russia, sea lanes linked the port of Rome (Ostia) to Syria, Palestine, Spain, and north Africa Typical trade goods: Furs, wood, amber, grain from Kievan Russia; wine, perfume, glass, silk from Byzantine Empire Ethnicity: dominated by Roman mariners

New technologies that facilitated long distance trade

Land: - new technologies permitted use of domesticated pack animals to transport goods across longer routes - saddles & stirrups on horses & camels Sea: - innovations in maritime technologies, knowledge of monsoon winds, stimulated maritime exchange from East Africa to East Asia lateen sail: - triangular sails - affixed to crossbar and mast - could take wind on either side - could tack into the wind dhow ships: - name of sailing vessels used in Indian Ocean - had long thing hulls - used to carry heavy items of trade

risks of long-distance trade and how they were solved

Risks: - liable to bandits or pirates - increased costs of long distance transactions Solutions: - rulers invested heavily in construction of roads and bridges; roads encouraged trade - classical societies pacified large stretches of Eurasia and North Africa -> merchants did not face such great risk, cost of long-distance trade dropped and volume rose

Dates of collapse for Rome and Han

Rome: 476 CE Han: 220 CE

Comparing Roman and Chinese Empires

Similarities: - invested heavily in public works - roads, bridges, aqueducts, canals, protective walls -- all designed to integrate their respective domains militarily and commercially - invoked supernatural sanctions to support their rule (Rome: deceased emperor considered gods and established religious cult to bolster the authority of living rulers, China: emperors were the Son of Heaven and said to govern by the Mandate of Heaven - absorbed foreign religious tradition (Rome: Christianity, China: Buddhism) - established effective centralized control over vast regions and huge populations (Rome: developed an elaborate body of law, dealing with matters of justice, property, commerce, and family life/ China: developed an elaborate bureaucracy to hold empire together, imperial academy for bureaucracy, civil service system integrated empire) - effects on environment (Rome: noise and smoke in cities, urban sprawl extended to fertile land, mining operations and smelting of metals led to extensive deforestation and unprecedented levels of lead/China: iron working contributed to substantial urban air pollution, growth of intensive agriculture and logging stripped land of its grass and forest cover, causing sufficient soil erosion) Differences: - different relationship to societies they governed (Rome: began as small city-state, was always a distinct minority, granted citizenship to various individuals, families, or whole communities for their service to the empire or in recognition of their adoption <-- conveyed legal status, did not erase other identities/China: grew out of much larger cultural heartland, the "non-Chinese" became Chinese) - establishment of rituals (Rome: mixed Greco-Roman tradition which was served to disseminate throughout region/ China: widely recognized model to which others should conform, experienced little competition from older or foreign traditions) - Use of Language (Rome; Latin gave rise to distinct languages, various people able to maintain separate cultural identities, China: Chinese characters not easily transferable, language used as instrument of elite assimilation)

Chinese Trade Route

Trade Goods: First silk, later porcelain Trade Routes: Silk Road from Han Dynasty onwards: northern route across central Asia, westward toward Mediterranean, southward toward India Significance: Spread Buddhism and Christianity to China; spurred European interest in water route to China

Trans-Saharan Trade Route

Trade Goods: gold, ivory, slaves and spices from Sub-Sahara; salt, cloth, metalware from Sahara Trade Routes: Across the Sahara Significance: Aided the rise of African empires in West Africa, spread Islam through West Africa

Indian Ocean Trade Route

Trade Goods: slaves, ivory, gold, iron from Africa; porcelain from China; pottery from Burma; cloth from India Trade Routes: Major route between east Africa and Asia; made possible by action of monsoons (north-northeast from December to February and south-southwest from April to September) Significance: Brought prosperity to east Africa; created Swahili, mix of Arabic and Bantu languages; brought Islam to coastal cities of east Africa; created east African trading cities of Mombasa, Malindi, Sofala, Kilwa, and Zanzibar

Eastern European Trade Route

Traded Goods: Furs, wood, amber, grain from Kievan Russia; wine, perfume, glass, silk from Byzantine Empire Trade Routes: Waterways of Kievan Russia Significance: Safe route away from Muslim raiders in Mediterranean and Black Seas; heavy Byzantine influence on development of Russian religion, art, architecture; Eastern Orthodox Christianity became official religion

long-distance trade in stages

caravan routes between China and Bactria: chinese and central Asian nomadic peoples dominated trade Southeast Asian and Chinese water: Malay and Indian mariners dominated trade Arabian Sea: Persian and subjects of Roman Empire Persian Gulf: Parthians Red Sea: Roman Empire

Decline and Collapse of Classical Civilizations—Han and Rome

led to decline of urban life, a contracting population, less area under cultivation, diminishing international trade, and vast insecurity for ordinary people