2A.+Interregional+Networks+&+Contacts

Megan, Emily, Naomi and Austin

__**GROUP 2 Table of Contents**__
 * Interregional networks and contacts**
 * A. Analyze the development and shifts in the interregional trade, technology, and cultural trade, including Trans-Sahara trade, Indian Ocean, Silk Roads.**
 * B. Identify economic innovations**
 * C. Examine the impact missionary outreach had on major religions**
 * D. Compare the interactions between major religions, such as Islam and Buddhism and Christianity and Islam**
 * E. Examine the impact the Mongol empires had on the interregional networks.**


 * A. Analyze the development and shifts in the interregional trade, technology, and cultural trade, including Trans-Sahara trade, Indian Ocean, Silk Roads.**


 * __Trans- Saharan road:__**


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 * The Trans- Saharan trade route ( also known as the sand road) allowed trade between Mediterranean countries and Sub- Sahara Africa to occur across the Sahara desert. This route was used for many years, spanning between the 8th and 16th centuries *


 * The Sand Road introduced the camel to the North Africa and Saharan areas. Without the domestication of this animal the long expeditions across the Sahara would never have been poissble during this time period. In a way it was sort of like a new form of **technology** considering camels had never been used here in that way before. Carvans also developed along the sand road to make the journies easier. These carvans were basically huge groups that would consist of hundreds of people and as many as 5,000 camels. These carvans were used for well over 1,000 years.


 * Before the Sand Road was used to make long distance trade possible, it helped **connect various African cultures together**. This trade route system was first used as a way for African tribes and groups to trade with each other. Eventually it became an important international trade route.

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 * The Sand Road helped to develop **interregional trade** by linking both North Africa and the Mediterranean with the people of West Africa. African ivory, gold, slaves and Kola nuts were some of the items that were traded across the Sahara and into the Mediterranean. In return, the people of Sudan would get horses, dates, cloth and salt, along with other goods, from the Sahara. As a result of the long distance trade that occured across the Sahara, the construction of new and bigger political structures were able to occur.
 * __Indian Ocean Trade Route__**


 * The Indian Ocean trade route ( also known as the Sea Road) linked together people all across the Eastern Hemisphere*
 * It was the world's largest sea-based trade route, stretching from eastern Africa to Southern China*
 * The Sea Road was able to be used in the most effective way thanks to the understanding of monsoons. The Chinese had a lot of **technological innovations**, such as larger ships and the magnetic compass. Other advancements included the use of shipbuilding and navigation.


 * Southeast Asia and Srivijaya experienced **cultural** change because of the Sea Roads. The people of these civilizations were attracted to foreign religious ideas from Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam. Another region that also experienced cultural change was the of both East African and Swahili civilizations. In these regions Arab merchants helped make Islam the main religion, which resulted in the divide of East and West Africa.


 * Sea based trade routes **connected distant people** throughout the Eastern Hemisphere. Items were able to be shipped in mass quantites due to the size and strength of the ships. A lot of the weath that existed on the sea road came from the expensive and profitable goods from Asia.
 * __Silk Road__**

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 * The Silk Road was a massive interconnected network of trade routes that extended from Asia to Europe. It got its namesake from the Chinese product silk, which was a major reason for the connecting of separate trade roads into one big network.*
 * The Silk Roads helped spread **technology** for producing raw silk from China across Eurasia.


 * The Silk Roads also spread many **cultures** throughout Eurasia. For example, the religion of Buddhism was spread from India to Central Asia then to China and beyond. Buddhism was also influenced by the places that it was spread to. An example of this would be when Alexander the Great invaded civilizations, statues of Buddha showed evidence of having Greek influence.


 * The Silk Roads helped to **provide both unity and coherence** to the history of Eurasia and other civlizations.


 * B. Identify economic innovations**

__**Silk Roads**__ __** Economic Exchange along the Silk Roads **__ __** China: **__ silk, bamboo, mirrors, gunpowder, paper, rhubarb, ginger lacquerware, chrysanthemums __**Forest lands of Siberia and grasslands of Central Asia:**__ furs, walrus tusks, amber, livestock, horses, falcons, hids, copper vessels, tents, saddles, slaves __**India:**__ cotton textiles, herbal medicine, precious stones, spices
 * The trade affected the lives of ordinary farmers
 * A few decided to give up growing food crops and they produced items that were destined for the silk road.
 * Merchants made a huge profit
 * Overall the Silk Roads focus on luxury goods made it hard for it to impact most people and the overall economy.
 * __Middle East__:** dates, nuts, almonds, dried fruit, dyes, lapis lazuli, swords
 * __Mediterranean basin__:** gold coins, glassware, glazes, grapevines, jewlery, artworks, perfume, wool and linen textiles, olive oil

__**Sea Road**__ __** Economic Exchange in the Indian Ocean Basin **__ **__Arabia__:** frankincense, myrrh, perfumes __**India:**__ grain, ivory, precious stones, cotton textiles, spices, timber, tortoiseshells **__Southeast Asia__:** tin, sandlewood, cloves, nutmeg, mace
 * __Mediterranean basin__: ** ceramics, glassware, wine, gold olive oil
 * __East Africa__: ** ivory, gold, iron goods, slaves ,tortoiseshells, quartz, leopard skins
 * __China__: ** silks, porcelain, tea

__** Sand Road **__ __** [] **__ __** ﻿Economic Exchange in the Sand Road **__ __** North African Coast: **__ cloth, glassware, weapons, books, other manufactured goods __** Sahara: **__ Copper, Salt, dates
 * __Sub- Saharan Africa:__** grain crops ( millet and sorghum), yams, kola nuts
 * __West Africa:__** metal goods, cotton textiles, gold, various food products


 * C. Examine the impact missionary outreach had on major religions**


 * **Spreading the word of Islam were Sufis** who presented themselves as teachers of the religion. They gained disciples who wished to learn about their teachings and followed the conquering Muslim armies into new land. They emphasized on personal experience instead of law and as a result Sufis were able to blend a bit of the local beliefs into their teachings (1). In India Islam and Hinduism clashed. The two sides had very different religious views but through the collision a new religion was formed called Sikhism. In addition, the spreading of Muslim ideas had led to Islam being a dominant religion in North Africa.


 * For **Buddhism the beliefs of the Buddha were spread by traveling monks**. The religion was originally from India and took hold of China around 300 through 800 C.E. after the collapse of the Han dynasty. Being a religion of foreign origins, “an effort was made by monks, scholars, and translators to present [it] in terms that Chinese could relate to” (1). The impact of this religion is seen in other nations in eastern Asia. With such a large and powerful [[image:uppermerionhslibrary:spread_of_buddhism_in_asia.jpg width="333" height="246" align="right"]] state accepting this way of life it managed to stretch from China to countries like Japan, Vietnam, and Korea. Initially, the faith provided the people of China a feeling of security to counteract the failing government of the time. It also provided social services for citizens such as charity, literacy for c hildren, and a place of refuge (1).


 * In **Europe Christianity had become a prevalent religion.** Around 500-1000 C.E. Christian rulers, monasteries, and the pope asked missionaries to convert the other people of Europe who practiced pagan religions. The common faith served to loosely unify the region. This spread to other European nations is what has made Christianity the most popular religion in the world because these newly converted countries like Britain, Portugal, and Spain traveled to the Americas, allowing the religion to reach a new, vast part of the world. Religion can strongly influence a culture such as the Confucian and Daoist ideals of China and in the case of Europe and the Americas is no different. The religion gave a new face to these regions and their values and practices would have been very different from what they are currently had this conversion not occurred.

Sources: Ways of the World by Robert W. Strayer

**D. Compare the interactions between major religions, such as Islam and Buddhism and Christianity and Islam**

When the Umayyad caliphate ruled southern Spain, there was a period of time in which the differing religions enjoyed a kind of peace and tolerance. However, that changed when the Muslim rulers decided to make the Muslim population seem superior. Tension between the two religions built up and there was even a law that the homes of Christians had to be built lower than the houses of Muslims. Under the Roman Catholic Church there was a crusade launched to retake Jerusalem from Muslim control and retake it for the Christian religion. Another interaction between these two faiths is that while Islam continued to expand its armies conquered Constantinople which had initially been a Christian area. Based on all of these instances it can be said that both Christianity and Islam have had tension between them mainly based upon territory.


 * E. Examine the impact the Mongol empires had on the interregional networks. **

***The Mongol’s impacts on interregional networks can be divided into 3 separate categories.***
 * ECONOMY **
 * The Mongols were a nomadic culture which didn’t produce much in terms of trade or were active traders. However during their conquests of Eurasia they promoted trade so they could tax it and gain more wealth from their conquests. Under Mongol rule the Silk Road flourished mainly because under their supervision the routes were once again safe to travel on, thus once again connecting East to West and creating a larger trade system. But the Mongols put a lot of work into making China a great center of trade so that they could constantly extract the wealth from their weak neighbor.


 * Mongols promoted trade across Eurasia and many nations benefited.
 * Silk Road becomes used increasingly aside from the sea and sand roads.
 * East and West trade increased.


 * DIPLOMATIC REALTIONS **
 * While trade was increased so was the art of diplomacy across Eurasia. The west now afraid of the Mongols Empire sent many Friars to learn more about them, intentions, and to seek them as allies in the war against Islam. While most of these Christian efforts fell on deaf ears. But China and Persia Had increased Relations and exchanged ambassadors regularly. In addition Persia once sought an alliance with the west against Islam but it fell out on account of the Persians converting. The increased relations saw to increased exchange of workers, artisans, and engineers.[[image:mongol%20empire%20china.gif align="right"]]
 * Diplomacy led to a new age of interaction
 * Many sought to convert other cultures
 * Diplomacy was very ineffectiveat the time


 * CULTURAL EXCHANGE **
 * In addition to the changes in Diplomacy and Trade the Mongol impacted Cultural exchange as well. The movement of people saw some Chinese engineers sent off to Persia and many skilled workers taken to build up the great Mongol cities. The movement of peoples and ideas was encouraged by their Mongol overlords and as such gunpowder made its way to Europe. All in all the Europeans gained the most from the interaction of culture being the least advanced at the time they were able to enjoy the benefits of leeching the knowledge off of outsiders. These events set the base for the European rise to power later on. Now able to exchange goods once again with the East many doctors, astronomers and different crops were brought to Europe and improved life there.[[image:HanTransArtisansWorking.jpg width="429" height="366" align="right"]]
 * Ideas and goods exchanged
 * Many people moved to new lands
 * Europe benefited the most