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130 BCE
Silk Road
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Period: 130 BCE to 1453
Silk Road
Even though it started centuries before, the Silk Road began growing in the 7th century when the Tang in China begun exporting goods like gunpowder, porcelain, paper, tea, and silk. Arab merchants from the Abbasid Empire revived the land and sea routes in the Indian Ocean in the 8th-9th centuries. After taking over the Abbasid and Chinese, the Mongol made the Silk Road one united entity that respected merchants and put in laws to protect them, making the Road even more powerful. -
1200
Cultural Consequences of Connectivity
Because of merchants, missionaries,and conquests, Islam spread all over Afro-Eurasia. Buddhism became more popular in China, Japan and Korea and they also adopted some practices into their lives. Africa was greatly affected by Islam, and one of its cities, Timbuktu, became a center of Islamic learning. Technological advances also spread like mathematics from India, and paper making and the compass from China. -
1200
Indian Ocean trade
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1200
Trans-Saharan Trade
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1200
Travelers
Marco Polo wrote about his travels to China. He spoke mainly about their large amounts of urbanization and their wealth in trade.
Ibn Battuta traveled around Afro-Eurasia and told the tales of his travels to the Sultan of Morocco. He also wrote a book, but it was more focused in Islamic faith.
Margery Kempe created one of the first autobiographies by telling her travel experiences to scribes after she traveled to Spain, Rome, Germany, and Jerusalem. -
1200
Migrated Crops
Champa Rice was introduced in Vietnam, but it had the biggest effect in China. Because in was drought and flood-resistant and could yield 2 crops a year, it led to a large population growth in China.
Bananas introduced in Sub-Saharan Africa led to a spike in population and allowed them to migrate to places where yams didn't grow easily.
Sugar and Citrus was spread by caliphs conquering lands beyond the Arabian Peninsula. Sugar became a key use of slaves for the Europeans in the Americas. -
Period: 1200 to 1450
Trans-Saharan Trade
Muslim merchants began using camels and special saddles made for transporting goods to travel across Sahara. Empires like the Mali made money through gold trade and taxing imports coming into W.Africa. Slaves, cloth, salt, and ivory was also traded. Through rulers like Mansa Musa, Islam was strengthened in West Africa. He traveled to Mecca, Islam's holiest city, and when he returned he built religious schools, and mosques, and helped others who wanted travel elsewhere for their studies. -
Period: 1200 to 1450
Indian Ocean trade
Indian Ocean trade began spreading for many reasons. One way was the increased use of the environment like the Monsoon winds that changed based on the time of the year. Islam united more cities for trade. New technology like triangular lateen sails, stern rudders, and the Astrolabe improved ocean trade. India traded mostly cotton fabrics, steel and leather, The Spice Islands traded different spices, China traded silk and porcelain and Swahili coastal cities traded mostly slaves, ivory, and gold. -
Period: 1200 to 1450
Causes of Environmental Degradation
Increased population would put pressure on resources. Great Zimbabwe was abandoned in the 1400s after overgrazing outside of it got increasingly bad. Europe suffered from the overuse of farmland and deforestation. The Little Ice Age between the1300s-1800s led to a decrease in agricultural proucts. -
1206
Temujin (Genghis Khan) becomes Khan of the Mongol Empire
(Image for Mongol Empire) After creating alliances with the other tribes, Temugin gathered all of the Mongol chiefs to elect him as Khan of the whole kingdom. -
Period: 1206 to 1386
The Mongol Empire
After making him the Khan of the kingdom, Genghis Khan begun a campaign using the powerful calvary and archery based soldiers in the Empire destroying anything in his way. This led to many leaders surrendering before they attacked. They were extremely successful because of their fighting ability, messenger force, their genius strategies that led to easy victories, and their use of technology from the people they conquered. -
Period: 1347 to 1351
Black Plague
After the Crusades, Western Europe learned more about Islam and Byzantine culture. However, they also brought back many diseases like the Black Plague. though a major epidemic happened between 1347-1351, addition outbreaks also occurred over the next few decades. This plague might've killed up to 25 mil Europeans and drastically decreased economic activity. This plague also spread in North Africa, China, and Central Asia. However, it didn't affect South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa much.
