-
400
Caliphates
Umayyad (661 - 750 CE) and Abbasid (750 - 1258 CE) caliphates on the Arabian Peninsula provided a powerful western node for trade routes -
400
Dynasties
The Tang and Song dynasties emphasized trade and industry to develop strong trade ties along the silk road -
Jan 1, 600
Mayan Cities
The growth of cities such as Chichen Itza, Palenque, Tikal, Copan, and Uxmal occurred when the Mayan civilization flourished. -
Jan 1, 643
Xuan Zhang
The chinese buddhist monk Xuan Zhang traveled to India, where he spent years studying the original Buddhist scriptures. He then returned back to China and introduced new schools of Buddhism (629-643 CE) -
Jan 1, 800
Trade in West Africa
Trade in West Africa was developed and iron was started to be introduced in trading. Also, the trade routes ran through the Sahara desert. Included the countries Ghana, Mali, Songhay, Hausa States, and Kanem Borno. (800 - 1600) -
Jan 1, 1206
Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan united the Mongols and began rapid expansion of the Mongol empire -
Jan 1, 1297
Marco Polo
Marco Polo traveled to China and stayed for 17 years and he made Europeans interested in China and Chinese goods by the way he described them (1271-1297 CE) -
Jun 15, 1300
The Black Death
The Black Death Plague devastated Europe, many believed that the disease Europe and Central Asia by the Silk Road -
Jan 1, 1337
Berbers
After the death of Mansa Musa, Berbers started trading with West Africans trading salt for West African gold ("Without salt, we die"). -
Jan 1, 1337
Isam
First converts in Mali were traders who had a religious (Islam) and commercial connection to their trading partners in the North and the rest of the Mediterranean. Also kings followed because of the shared religion that they had in the established kingdoms in the North and East gave them access to scholars who could help them cement their power. (1337 - 1600) -
Jan 1, 1374
Mansa Musa Reign
Mansa Musa took over the Mali Empire after the death of his father and tried to engage in maritime trade across the Atlantic Ocean. (1374 - 1387) -
Jan 1, 1400
Timbuktu
Established in the 12th century and became an important commercial centre and an intellectual capital in the 15th century. It was a university town, trading center, and merchants earned more money trading books than other goods. -
Jan 1, 1400
Ming Dynasty Stops Trade
The Ming Dynasty stops trading silk outside its borders
Silk road no longer served as a shipping route for silk, and is now cultivated in Central Asia and Europe -
Jan 1, 1400
The Silk Road
One of the greatest trade routes that ran from Western China to the Mediterranean. Its name comes from the popular material, silk, that came from China and was a major trade product. (206-1400) -
Jan 1, 1498
Portuguese
Portuguese sailors settled into the southern part of Africa and were eager to join in the Indian Ocean trade because Europeans demanded high Asian luxury goods. -
Jan 1, 1500
Inca Road
The creation of the Inca Road made the Inca Empire the largest empire in the Western hemisphere. The road ran through different countries throughout South America (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru). -
Jan 1, 1532
Internal Fighting
The Inca Empire was weaken by internal fighting and smallpox when the Spanish reached the Pacific Ocean. -
Dutch
a ruthless European power arrived in the Indian Ocean which was the Dutch East India Company (VOC) -
British vs. VOC
British joined the British East India Company which challenged the VOC (Dutch East India Company) for control over trade routes
