ANCIENT TRADE

Bobby Ray Atmosfera

THE SILK ROAD: MOVEMENT OF
GOODS AND IDEAS
THE “ANCIENT INTERNET”
WHAT DO WE GET FROM THE INTERNET?

INTERNET
WHAT DO WE GET FROM THE INTERNET?

Entertainment: video
Buy & sell goods on games, music,
EBAY, AMAZON, movies, Youtube, etc.
Lazada, Shopee etc.
E-mail anyone INTERNET Research to gain
in the world more knowledge &
information about a
Mobile topic
banking
Meet people /
Google online dating
Earth /
Mapquest
 #1 GLOBALIZATION-

described as a process by which the

people of the world are unified into a single
society and functioning together.

The internet promotes

globalization in the world today.
1. What do you see?
2. How can we compare this to the internet of today?
3. Why was this important to global history?
#2 SILK ROAD - a 5,000 mile trade route that stretched from
China to the Fertile Crescent in southwestern Asia (opened up by
the Han Dynasty)
THE HAN DYNASTY, LED BY A PEASANT NAMED GAO ZU,
OVERTHREW THE QIN DYNASTY IN 206 B.C.
WHY DID THE HAN FAMILY OPENED UP THIS TRADE ROUTE?

THE CHINESE WANTED TO MAKE A PROFIT FROM

SELLING SILK.
OUD ITEMS TRADED ALONG THE SILK ROAD
GLASS
BACTRIAN
CAMELS

CARPETS

METAL PORCELAIN
WORK

SILK
JADE
SPICES
CULTURAL DIFFUSION - the exchanging of
goods and ideas from one culture to another usually
done through trade and war.

THE SILK ROAD IS AN EXCELLENT EXAMPLE OF

CULTURAL DIFFUSION.
WHY?
#3 MERCHANT - a person whose job is to buy, sell &
trade goods. (salesman or businessman/ e.g. Muhammad)
 WHAT WAS LIFE LIKE
TRAVELING ON THE
SILK ROAD?

• It was more than one road - actually a

network of caravan routes that stretched
across the continent.
• Developed over time by many traders
and groups.
• Almost no one traveled the whole route.
Most people bought and sold goods on
either end of one segment of the route.
 The highest elevations are
Pamir Mountains: purple
Between Kashgar (#10) and and dark gray.
Tashkent (#13),
caravans climbed the
“Trail of Bones” through
the high, steep Pamirs.

Pamir Mountains:
Elevations are above 10,000 feet.
It is extremely cold, and there is no food.
 The highest elevations are
Why cross the
purple
Pamirs? and dark gray.
 Tyre (#27): Goods
are loaded onto ships
in this port city on the
Mediterranean Sea.
In Baghdad (#24),
ivory, gold, and spices
from Africa
and pearls from the
Persian Gulf
In Byzantium (#28), are exchanged for silk.
few people know where
China is,
but wealthy people want
the silk that has traveled
along the Silk Roads.
Gold Road
 GOLD ROAD
Sahara – the largest and most dry desert in the world
that stretches from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean
Sea
- Fertile Crescent
Connected the Silk
and Gold Roads
 SILK AND GOLD ROAD
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
1. Dissemination of ideas, inventions, and technologies
2. Trade of goods, rise of business(merchants)
3. Spread of religion – Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism
THE FERTILE CRESCENT
- ARABIA
The Story of Nanivandak
 THE STORY OF NANIVANDAK

What type of journey is Nanivandak on?

Who is he traveling with?
What type of transportation does he use?
What types of trade goods does he use and carry?
What are some of the dangers he encounters?
DIFFERENT LAND
ROUTES
 WHY IT EXISTED
ROMANS 1ST SAW SILK DURING A BATTLE
AND IMMEDIATELY WANTED IT
WHEN MERCHANTS REALIZED ROMANS
WANTED IT AND WOULD PAY GOLD FOR
SILK, TRADING ROAD BEGAN
CHINESE WERE ONLY ONES WHO KNEW
THE SECRET OF MAKING SILK AND
GUARDED IT FOR A 1,000 YEARS
 MAKING OF SILK
THIS WAS A IMPERIAL SECRET KEPT BY
CHINESE EMPERORS:
SILK PRODUCTION WAS A LIFE AND
DEATH MATTER FOR CHINA
HISTORY SAYS MONKS SENT BY
JUSTINIAN HID SILKWORMS IN CANES
AND BROUGHT THEM BACK
MAKING SILK
 CAMELS, HORSES,
YAKS
CAMELS PREFERRED IN DESERTS:
CARRIED 400 POUNDS, BIG FEET DIDN’T
SINK IN SAND, NEED LITTLE WATER, GO
LONG DISTANCES
 YAKS
GOOD IN MOUNTAINS, SLOPES, IN SNOW
AND ICE
 HORSES
GOOD ON VARIABLE TERRAIN, CARRY
DECENT LOADS, GOOD SPEED, EASIER TO
MANAGE
GOODS TRADED
PORCELAIN
PAPER AND GUNPOWDER
 COMPASS
GAVE CARDINAL COORDINATES (N,E,S,W):
INVALUABLE FOR SAILORS, MERCHANTS,
ARMIES
W/ SEXTANT (ASTOLABE –from ARABS)
COULD TELL HOW FAR NORTH/SOUTH OF
EQUATOR
SILK ROAD AND ANCIENT TRADE
 WHAT WAS THE SILK ROAD IF NOT
A ROAD MADE OF SILK?

It was a series of overland trade routes

from the Eastern Mediterranean to Central Asia and from
Central Asia to China as well as sea routes with many traders
acting as middlemen instead of one man or company
operating trade along all routes.
 WHY DID CHINA KEEP THE PROCESS OF SILK
MAKING SECRET AND FOR WHAT PURPOSES
DID THEY USE SILK?

Much of China’s wealth came from

the silk trade and therefore, silk production and manufacturing
were closely guarded secrets. The Chinese used silk for
fishing line, to trade (or bribe) nomadic raiders, and to write
on before they invented paper. Most of the silk exported
from China was in the form of textiles (fabric).
 WHAT WAS TRADED ALONG THESE
ROUTES?

Silk as well as olives, olive oil, wine,

jade, silver, iron, fine cotton textiles, ivory, spices, shells,
and much more.
 HOW DID THE SILK ROAD HELP THE
PEOPLE
OF CENTRAL ASIA?

This area wasn’t very good for farming

so most people were nomadic and if you are traveling around
anyway then why not make money carrying goods. All of this
travel and interaction amongst a wide variety of people also
made them more resistant to diseases.
 HOW DID TRADE ON THE SILK ROAD LEAD
TO THE FORMATION OF NEW CITIES?

The nomads who carried goods across

the Silk Road routes needed places to stop, eat, and rest, which
led to the formation of cities along the trade routes. Some of
these cities such as Palmyra became quite large and wealthy.
 WHY DID THE ROMAN GOVERNMENT TRY
TO BAN
THE IMPORTATION OF SILK?

Chinese silk was so popular amongst

the Roman aristocracy that the Roman Senate tried to ban
it because the demand resulted in trade imbalances. They
also put forth the opinion that wearing silk was immodest.
 HOW DID THE SILK ROAD CHANGE THE
SOCIAL
AND POLITICAL HIERARCHY OF SOME
AREAS (LIKE ROME)?

As trade became more lucrative,

the merchant class grew and this social grouping became
very wealthy. The merchants then used their wealth
to influence politics and government.
 HOW DID THE SILK ROAD CHANGE THE LIVES
OF ORDINARY PEOPLE?

Many Chinese became silk producers

because the demand for this fabric was so high. Goods
weren’t the only things that were shared along these routes,
so were ideas (Buddhism) and diseases, which led to people
building up immunities to these diseases.
 WHAT TYPES OF DISEASES SPREAD
ALONG
THE SILK ROAD?

Measles, smallpox, and most devastatingly,

the Black Death.
 ASSIGNMENT

1. How could you compare the wealth and influence

of the merchant class in Rome with how businesses
of today attempt to influence politics and government?

2. How did the Silk Road help Europeans conquer

the Americas so quickly?
 INDIA: SILK ROAD
DESTINATION

COTTON
SPICES—LOTS AND LOTS
PRECIOUS GEMS & PEARLS
IVORY & ELEPHANTS
EXOTIC WOODS (TEAK, SANDALWOOD)
SLAVES
 INDIA: SILK ROAD
DESTINATION
BUDDHISM & HINDUISM
“ZERO”, DECIMAL SYSTEM, MODERN
NUMBERS, PI
SURGERY AND PLANT MEDICINES
 INDIAN OCEAN TRADE/
MONSOON MARKETPLACE

An important trade route that has been a key factor in East–

West exchanges. Long distance trade in dhows and sailboats
made it a dynamic zone of interaction between peoples,
cultures, and civilizations stretching from Java in the East
to Zanzibar and Mombasa in the West.
INDIAN OCEAN TRADE
INT’L COMMERCE, SNORKELING CAMELS,
AND THE INDIAN OCEAN TRADE
 HOW DOES THE TRADE THROUGHOUT THE
INDIAN OCEAN
DIFFER FROM THAT ALONG THE SILK ROAD?

The Indian Ocean trade was bigger,

richer and featured a more diverse group of merchants
than the Silk Road.
 WHEN WAS THE HEIGHT OF THE INDIAN
OCEAN TRADE
AND WHO WAS INVOLVED IN THE TRADE?

The Indian Ocean trade reached its peak

between 1000-1200 CE and featured Swahili coast
cities,
Islamic Empires in the Middle East, India, China and
Southeast
Asia. Left out of the picture was Europe.
 WHAT ARE SOME OF THE REASONS THE INDIAN
OCEAN
TRADE TOOK OFF AND WAS SO POPULAR?

Trade throughout the Indian Ocean offered

a wide range of available resources and a wide range of
import needs - from ivory to timber to books to grain. The most
important aspect of trade in this region is the wind in the
form of monsoons, which were incredibly reliable to sailors
and merchants.
 IN WHAT WAYS DID MONSOONS ASSIST AND
DETERMINE TRADE?

Monsoon winds were incredibly reliable –

winds could bring boats from Africa to Asia from April through
September, and could make the return trip back to Africa
between November through February.
 WHO DOMINATED TRADE IN THIS REGION? HOW WAS
THIS POSSIBLE?

Muslim merchants dominated and

benefitted from trade in the region due to the fact they
were wealthy and were able to fund the building of
ships.
 HOW WERE TERMS OF TRADE DETERMINED
AND BY WHOM?

Terms of trade were determined by the

merchants themselves and by the demands of the market,
rather than political leaders. Trade was self-regulated, which
at the time was unprecedented.
 WHAT ARE SOME ADDITIONAL EXAMPLES OF
HOW THE
INDIAN OCEAN TRADE WAS DIFFERENT FROM
THE SILK ROAD?

Bulk goods were traded throughout the

Indian Ocean, which was difficult along the Silk Road as this
exchange relied on animals like camels and mules to haul
the goods. Therefore trade in the Indian Ocean routes were
ready for the mass market, not just luxury items like silk
for the elites.
 IN ADDITION TO GOODS, WHAT ELSE WAS SHARED
THROUGHOUT THE TRADE ROUTES OF THE INDIAN
OCEAN?
WHAT ARE SOME EXAMPLES?

Technology was exchanged, such as

the magnetic compass, astrolabe, Latin sail and stern-post
rudders were all improvements in sailing and navigating
waters. Ideas also spread like the Muslim faith, which meant
more converts to the religion. Rulers and elites adopted the
faith in order to have both religious and economic ties to the
people they were trading with.
 HOW DID TRADE IN THE INDIAN OCEAN
DETERMINE
THE GEOGRAPHY AND DEMOGRAPHICS OF
THE REGION?

Powerful merchant states could control

trade waters and tax ships that entered their reaches.
Without the wealth from trade, certain places would not
have flourished or existed as we see humans migrating
to areas with access to resources and jobs.
 HOW ARE MERCHANT CENTERS THROUGHOUT THE
REGION
FURTHER INFLUENCED BY TRADE?

High taxes on ships and goods could

mean merchants finding new routes to ports. Reliance
on trade makes communities vulnerable to the peaks and
troughs in the global market.
 SEATWORK

1. How would one compare how trade’s influence on

culture has changed in our new global economy
as compared with this era?

2. Consider an item you own (an article of clothing, cell

phone, shoes, etc.): Where do you think
it is manufactured and by what means has it arrived in
your possession?
 ABBASID EMP.:
A DESTINATION
ABBASID & LATER RULERS MADE TRADE
EASY FOR MUSLIMS/ARABS:
MOVED CAPITAL TO BAGHDAD: NEAR
TRADE ROUTES
“SAAKS”: LETTERS OF CREDIT
EXCHANGED AT BANKS ANYWHERE IN
EMPIRE FOR MONEY —SAFER!
ONE LANGUAGE, ONE CURRENCY
 ABBASID
EMPIRE:
TRADE GOODS:
ARABIAN HORSES
METALS/WEAPONS
FOODS
PRECIOUS GEMS
SLAVES
CLOTH
SPICES AND INCENSE
 ABBASID EMPIRE:
IDEAS
ISLAM SPREADS ALONG SILK ROAD!
ALGEBRA: HELPS MAKE MODERN WORLD
POSSIBLE
MUSLIM MEDICINE—VERY ADVANCED
CATARACT SURGERY, SMALLPOX VAC.,
MUSLIM SCHOLARS KEEP GREEK ROMAN
LEARNING ACTIVE
“IDEAL MAN”: SHOWS CULTRAL BLEND
 BYZANTINE
EMPIRE
CONSTANTINOPLE BECOMES AN
IMPORTANT “END OF SILK ROAD”
“GATEWAY INTO EUROPE”
GOOD HARBORS
SAFE: ENORMOUS & LONG WALLS
JUSTINIAN CODE: GOOD/FAIR LAWS
HOSPITALS & HIGHER LEARNING
ENTERTAINMENT: HIPPODROME!
 BYZANTINE
EMPIRE
TRADE GOODS:
WINE AND GRAPES
WOVEN GOODS
GLASSWARE
TIMBER
ART
FUR AND ANIMAL HIDES
CHRISTIANITY SPREAD FROM HERE
 OTHER SILK
ROAD STOPS
PERSIA:
RUGS
DATES, FIGS, PEACH TREES, JASMINE
CENTRAL ASIA:
HORSES, LAP/HUNTING DOGS, CAMELS
ALMONDS, MELONS, FURS, SLAVES
PRECIOUS STONES & GLASS ITEMS
 SEA ROUTES
WHILE ONLY THE NORTHERN AND
SOUTHERN LAND ROUTES =“TRUE SILK
ROAD”, TRADE BY SEA V. IMPORTANT
SHIPS CAN CARRY MORE GOODS
CAN VISIT MORE (& MORE DISTANT)
PLACES EASIER
ONLY GOOD FOR CHINA, INDIA, M.E.
UNTIL ~ 1400 A.D. WHEN SEA ROUTES
START TO REPLACE LAND ROUTES
 A FEW SEA
ROUTE STOPS
INDONESIA: SPICES, SPICES, TIMBER
BURMA: AMBER & PEACOCK FEATHERS
INDIA: TIMBER EASIER TO CARRY
AFRICA: EASIER TO VISIT BY SEA: GOLD,
IVORY, ANIMAL SKINS, SLAVES
 IMPACT OF
ANCIENT ROADS
THE ANCIENT ROADS CHANGED THE WORLD
IMMENSELY
LIVES WERE ENRICHED BY EXCHANGE OF :
MATERIAL GOODS AND ECONOMIC TRADE
RELIGIOUS BELIEFS
CULTURES: FOODS, CLOTHES, LANGUAGES
IDEAS AND WAYS TO DO & MAKE THINGS
(SCIENCE, ART, MEDICINE, ARCHITECTURE,
PHILOSOPHY, LITERATURE, LAWS, GOVT, ETC)