Trade Routes

1
Trade Routes

• Foundations 600 CE

2
Silk Road

• Originally as interregional trade, trade route
  grew during Han dynasty 1st-2nd Century CE to
  forge alliances with non-Chinese nomads.

3
Silk Road

• Trade with China, Roman Empire, India, Middle
  East, Egypt
• Increased spread of Buddhism, visitors to other
  regions

4
Silk Road As Trade Route Case Study

• Trade routes
• Overland trade routes linked China to Roman
  empire
• Sea lanes joined Asia, Africa, and Mediterranean
  basin into one network
• Trade goods
• Silk and spices traveled west
• Central Asia produced large horses and jade, sold
  in China
• Roman empire provided glassware, jewelry,
  artworks, perfumes, textiles

5
Silk Road As Trade Route Case Study

• Cultural Exchanges Along Silk Road
• The spread of Buddhism and Hinduism
• Buddhism in central Asia and China
• First present in oasis towns of central Asia
  along silk roads
• Further spread to steppe lands
• Foreign merchants as Buddhists in China, first
  century B.C.E.
• Popularity of monasteries and missionaries, fifth
  century C.E.
• Buddhism and Hinduism in Southeast Asia

6
Silk Road As Trade Route Case Study

• Cultural Exchanges Along Silk Road
• The spread of Christianity
• Christianity in the Mediterranean basin
• Missionaries attracted converts
• Christian communities flourished in Mediterranean
  basin by late third century C.E.
• Christianity in Southwest Asia follows the trade
  routes
• Sizable communities in Mesopotamia and Iran, 2nd
  century C.E.
• Sizable number of converts in southwest Asia
  until the 7th century C.E.
• Nestorians emphasized human nature of Jesus, 5th
  C.E.
• Nestorian communities in central Asia, India, and
  China by 7th century C.E.

7
Silk Road As Trade Route Case Study

• Cultural Exchanges Along the Silk Roads
• The spread of Manichaeism
• Mani and Manichaeism
• Prophet Mani, a Zoroastrian from Christianity
  and Buddhism
• Dualism perceived a cosmic struggle between
  light and darkness, good and evil
• Offered means to achieve personal salvation
• Ascetic lifestyle and high ethical standards
• Spread of Manichaeism appealed to merchants
• Attracted converts first in Mesopotamia and east
  Mediterranean region
• Appeared in all large cities of Roman empire,
  third century C.E.
• Persecuted by Sasanids and Romans but survived in
  central Asia

8
Silk Road As Trade Route Case Study

• The spread of epidemic disease
• Epidemic diseases
• Common epidemics in Rome and China
• smallpox, measles, bubonic plague
• Roman empire population dropped by a quarter
  from the first to tenth century C.E.
• China population dropped by a quarter from the
  first to seventh century C.E.
• Effects of epidemic diseases
• Both Chinese and Roman economies contracted
• Small regional economies emerged
• Epidemics weakened Han and Roman empires

9
Mediterranean Trade Routes

• Spanned the Mediterranean Persia, Egypt, Rome,
  India
• On land AND sea
• Ideas and goods spread Hellenism, numbers,
  writing systems, etc.?explosion of intellectual
  activity
• Idea of Monotheism

10
Mediterranean Trade Routes

• Traded
• Slaves
• Amber
• Iron
• Animals/agricultural products
• Wine
• Gemstones
• pottery

11
Indian Ocean Trade

• The route of the spice trade (origins Spice
  Islands cloves and cinnamon)
• He who controls the Spice controls the empire,
  (Frank Herbert, Dune).

12
Indian Ocean Trade

• Improved nautical knowledge compass, rudder,
  etc.
• Used monsoons to sail
• Arab (Islam) settlements in Africa
• No single dominating power
• About 500-1000CE

13
MesoAmerican Trade

• Allowed Mayan communities to acquire goods
  otherwise unavailable (such as turquoise)
• Primarily through the Yucatan Peninsula
• Caused widespread hegemony