SILK ROAD & INDIAN OCEAN THE SILK ROAD Origins and operations: Overland trade route that linked China to the Mediterranean, thru Mesopotamia, Iran, and Central Asia Two Periods of heavy use: 150 BCE – 907 CE 13th thru 17th centuries Origins located in the occasional trading of Central Asian nomads

SILK ROAD & INDIAN OCEAN THE SILK ROAD Regular, large scale trade was fostered by the Chinese demand for western products (horses): Imports – alfalfa, grapes, medicinal products, metals, precious stones Exports – peaches, apricots, spices, manufactured goods (silk, pottery, paper)

SILK ROAD & INDIAN OCEAN THE SILK ROAD Parthian state (NE Iran) controlled markets in Mesopotamia…also foster trade along the Silk Road

SILK ROAD & INDIAN OCEAN THE SILK ROAD Nomads in Central and Inner Asia Steppe nomads (Scythians) provide animals, handlers, and protection Transport lightweight dwellings on wagons across deserts and grasslands Moved too far and often to farm, self-sufficient Relied on animals for meat, milk and clothing Women oversaw livestock

SILK ROAD & INDIAN OCEAN THE SILK ROAD Impact of the Silk Road Turkic Nomads become dominant pastoralist group in Central Asia Elites construct houses, lived settled lives, and become interested in religion: Christianity Manichaeism Zoroastrianism Buddhism Islam Religions and goods move back and forth across large regions

SILK ROAD & INDIAN OCEAN INDIAN OCEAN MARITIME SYSTEM Linked the lands bordering the Indian Ocean and the South China sea: South China Sea – dominated by Chinese and Malays SE Asia to east coast of India – dominated by Malays and Indians West coast of India to the Persian Gulf and east Africa – dominated by Persians and Arabs

SILK ROAD & INDIAN OCEAN INDIAN OCEAN MARITIME SYSTEM Trade was made possible by sailing and seasonal changes in the monsoon winds Triangular Lateen Sail Shipbuilding techniques: Piercing planks, tying together, caulking the boards together >Distances traveled were further than in the Mediterranean, traders did not retain political ties to homeland

SILK ROAD & INDIAN OCEAN INDIAN OCEAN MARITIME SYSTEM Origins on contact and trade: Evidence of trade between ancient Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley…ends with Mesopotamian trade networks with East Africa Sailors from SE Asia migrate to Madagascar…do not retain communication with homeland

SILK ROAD & INDIAN OCEAN INDIAN OCEAN MARITIME SYSTEM Impacts: The Periplus of the Erythrean Sea Greco-Egyptian text that is source of pre-Islam history Describes trading system that was well established and flourishing Goods traded – spices, aromatic resins, pearls, Chinese pottery, luxury goods Volume was lower than in the Mediterranean networks

SILK ROAD & INDIAN OCEAN INDIAN OCEAN MARITIME SYSTEM Culture of Isolation: In the West – trading ports did not have access to inland populations of potential customers In the East – ports had access to inland populations BUT civilizations did not become oriented toward the sea Traders and sailors married local women in ports they frequented – women became mediators between cultures