Trade Routes in Post Classical Times

Silk Road

• Beginning around 2nd century BCE, between Parthian empire and Han China

• Connects northern China with Mesopotamia and cities on the Mediterranean coast

• Trade conducted by Central Asian peoples, mostly nomads (camels, horses)

• Caravan cities along the route between China and Black Sea (Samarkand, Buchara)

http://www.orexca.com/silk_road.html

Silk Road

• Goods exported from China: silk, pottery, paper

• Goods imported: horses, precious stones, jade, gold and silver

• Exchange of plants to China: grapes, walnuts, spinach

• Plants from China: Peaches, apricot

Silk Road

• Technology: stirrup invented by Kushan 1st cent. CE, travels to Europe (knights) and China

• Religion: Nestorian Christianity, Buddhism, first adopted by Central Asians, spread to China

• Iranian peoples replaced by Turkic speaking peoples by 6th century

• Blue-eyed Central Asian Buddhist monk, with an East-Asian colleague, Tarim Basin, China, 9th-10th century.

• Westerner on a camel, Tang dynasty

• Silk Road comes under Muslim influence with spread of Islam (Battle of Talas 751- Abbasid army defeats Tang army)

• By 10th century majority Muslim• European travelers in 13th, 14th century (Marco

Polo) bring knowledge about China and Chinese knowledge to Europe

• Intensified exchange under Mongol empire (printing, gun powder, astrolabe, compass spread from China)

• Silk Road loses importance after disintegration of Mongol empire and the European explorations in the 16th century

Indian Ocean

• Trade in Indian Ocean since Sumerian times (with Harappa culture)

• First reports about trade in Indian Ocean in Europe in Greek times (Herodot, 4th century)

• People from Indonesia travel along Indian Ocean coast to settle Madagascar (bring bananas and yams to Africa)

- Large distances covered, made possible by monsoon

- dhows with lateen sails, grow from 100 tons in 1200 to 400 tons in 1500

- In Eastern part junks up to 1500 tons and 12 masts in 1400

- Larger cargo allows trade of bulk goods (timber, grains)

- Trade volume increases at the end of postclassical times (collapse of Silk Road)

• A dhow with a lateen sail

Goods traded

- From Arabia: incense, myrrh, carpet, horses, goods from Mediterranean

- From India: precious stones, spices, cotton textiles

- From Africa: gold, ivory, slaves

- From Indonesia: spices

- From China: silk, porcelain

• Cultural diffusion: Arab communities in Canton, Jakarta, and along the Coast of East Africa, Indian and Javanese communities in Mesopotamia, Jewish communities in India

• Traders mostly single men, intermarry and found bicultural families

• Many religions, but Islam becomes more and more influential

• Indian numerals adopted by Arab merchants

Impact on Africa

- new states due to gold trade in inland Africa (Great Zimbabwe)

- Swahili culture along coast of East Africa (Bantu mixed with Arabic, Islam)

- New foods like rice, bananas, yams)- Spread of literacy due to Islam

Impact on India

- states on Western coast based on trade (Gujarat, Calicut)

- Islam gains influence

- Both Muslim and Hindu traders

- Manufacturing industry stimulated

- Spread of new technology (paper making)

Impact on South East Asia

• Malacca becomes an important port

• Islam is spread by Arab and Indian traders, replaces Buddhism and Hinduism in Malaysia and Indonesia

Trade across the Sahara

• Camel allows trade across Sahara• Caravans with sometimes thousands of

animals, follow oases, lead by Berbers and Tuareg

• Starting in Roman times, declines with decline of Roman empire

• Regular trade in 8th century• Berbers, Arabs in the North, mostly Bantu

speaking peoples in the South

Trade Routes

• African Kingdoms ann

• Goods traded North to South: salt

• South to North: Gold, slaves, forest products (palm oil, nuts)

• First empire in West Africa Ghana, replaced by Mali, then Songhay

• Others: Kanem Bornu, Hausa states

• Islam became dominant religion, African traditional religions still strong

Cultural Impact

• Spread of Islam in Sub-Saharan Africa (Timbuktu becomes famous for its mosques and Muslim scholars)

• Spread of literacy

• Mixing of population

• Use of camels

Ibn Battuta

Ritual

• Mali:

• These people are Muslims, punctilious in observing the hours of prayer, studying books of law, and memorizing the Koran.

Women in Non-Arab Muslim Counries• Turkish women

• A remarkable thing which I saw in this country was the respect shown to women by the Turks, for they hold a more dignified position than the men. … When she (a turkish princess) reached the amir he rose before her and greeted her and sat her beside him, with the maidens standing round her.

• Women in Mali:• Their men show no signs of jealousy whatever;

no one claims descent from his father, but on the contrary from his mother's brother. … their women show no bashfulness before men and do not veil themselves, though they are assiduous in attending the prayers…. One day at Iwalatan I went into the qadi's house, after asking his permission to enter, and found with him a young woman of remarkable beauty. When I saw her I was shocked and turned to go out, but she laughed at me, instead of being overcome by shame, and the qadi said to me "Why are you going out? She is my companion."