Unit 2
| Saturday, 8 May 2021 | |
| 2-minute read | |
| 219 words | |
- Silk Road connected China to Europe and passed through Southwest Asia
- Indian Ocean connected East Asia with East Africa and passed through Southeast and South Asia
- Trans-Saharan connected North Africa to sub-Saharan Africa
Similarities Between Trade Routes
- Depended on establishments of large states (e.g. Mongols and Silk Road)
New technologies
- Magnetic compass
- Lateen sail
- Stern-post rudder
- Missionaries
- Introduction of new crops to new places
- Growth of trading cities
- Spread of culture and cross-cultural exchanges
Differences Between Trade Routes
- Different technologies and methods of transportation
- Different religions were spread among different trade routes
Similarities and Differences Chart
| Goods | Technology | Religion | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silk Roads | Silk, Porcelain, Gunpowder, Horses, Textiles | Saddles, Caravanserai | Buddhism, Neoconfucianism, Islam |
| Indian Ocean | Gold, Ivory, Fruit, Textiles, Pepper, Rice | Astrolabe, Compass, Sternpost Rudder, Lateen Sail | Christianity, Buddhism, Neoconfucianism, Islam |
| Trans-Saharan | Horses, Salt, Gold, Slaves | Saddles | Islam |
Cultural Consequences
- Zen Buddhism originated from China but spread to Korea and Vietnam
African Bantu converted to Islam
- Birth of Swahili language
- Ibn Battuta and Marco Polo
Environmental Consequences
Disease traveled
- Black plague spread from China to Europe
- Surviving workers negotiated for better working conditions and wages
Mongols
- Began as scattered tribes
- United by Genghis Khan
- Able to establish Pax Mongolica
- Trade flourished around Afro-Eurasia
- Quickened spread of Black Death
- Most states that arose after the Mongols used similar methods to consolidate power