Networks of Communication and Exchange, 300 B.C.E. - 600 C.E. Ch. 7 (p. 173 - 190)

The Silk Road Linked lands of Mediterranean with China Passed through Mesopotamia, Iran & Central Asia

The Silk Road

The Silk Road Parthians Zhang Jian Sasanid Empire Early Iranian group that settled in Central Asia & came to power ~247 B.C. Shared customs w/ nomads & fostered Silk Road Zhang Jian Chinese General Led expeditions along Silk Road & introduced China to many new products Sasanid Empire Defeated Parthians ~224 A.D. Built military strongholds on Silk Road to protect trade

Parthia

Sasanid Empire

Indian Ocean Maritime System Trade network across the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea Tied together lands of East Africa, southern Arabia, the Persian Gulf, India, Southeast Asia & southern China Used monsoon winds to navigate Indian Ocean

Indian Ocean Maritime System Had a great variety of highly valued products Many Indian Ocean ports were isolated Ex. Arabian peninsula, African side of Red Sea, etc. Some ports were more hospitable & densely populated Ex. Malay Peninsula, Indonesia, eastern India, etc.

Routes Across the Sahara Desert stretching from Red Sea to Atlantic Ocean Interrupted only by the Nile Isolated sub-Saharan Africa from Mediterranean World Trans-Saharan caravan routes Difficult trade routes over Sahara

Trans-Saharan trade routes

Routes Across the Sahara Geography Sand dunes, sandy plains, exposed rock Rugged mountains Little water Camel Enabled traders to enter the Sahara Pack animals

Routes Across the Sahara Trade routes in North and South eventually became linked In the South, trade routes connected to the Sahel (southern borderlands of Sahara) In the North, Roman colonists supplied Italy with African products (wheat, olives, etc.)

Sahel

Sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Geography Portion of Africa south of the Sahara Few external contacts Cultural contact occurred through folk migrations (300 B.C.E. - 1100 C.E.) Geography Many geographical obstacles Sahara, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Red Sea, etc. Dramatically different climate zones

Sub-Saharan Africa Cultural Diversity African Cultural Characteristics Occurred because of internal isolation (sparse populations) African Cultural Characteristics Cultivation using a hoe & digging stick Music played a role in social rituals Ritual isolation of the king Social categories

Sub-Saharan Africa Agriculture became common in central Africa by the second millennium B.C. Then spread southward displacing hunting and gathering Iron smelting became common in central Africa by the first millennium B.C. Then spread southward

Sub-Saharan Africa Bantu = Collective name of a large group of sub-Saharan African languages and of the peoples speaking these languages Bantu homeland was near modern Nigeria & Cameroon Linguistic evidence suggests that the Bantu may have helped spread iron & farming Bantu probably used iron axes and hoes to clear forests and plant crops From 500 B.C.E. - 600 C.E., there was a massive transfer of Bantu traditions & practices to preexisting African societies

Bantu Migrations