Copyright © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Chapter 9 Cross-Cultural Exchanges on the Silk Roads 1

Copyright © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Classical Era witnessed the growth and consolidation of vast empires, such as Rome China and Parthia

Copyright © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Chinese Soldier Roman Soldiers Parthian Soldier

Copyright © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The relative political stability, economic prosperity, and close proximity of their borders encouraged an unprecedented growth in long-distance trade. Regular land and sea trading routes, collectively known as the Silk Roads, became established thoroughfares for the spread of goods from the coast of China to Western Europe. This extensive trading network had several consequences, both intended and unintended. **Regions began to specialize in certain products that were particularly valuable as trade goods. **Merchants, traders, mariners, and bankers became much more wealthy and influential than they had ever been before. **Merchants, travelers, and missionaries carried popular religious beliefs to distant lands via the silk roads. Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Mithraism in particular became much more widespread. **Disease pathogens were carried to populations that had no immunities to them, causing widespread epidemics throughout Eurasia. Inadvertently, these epidemics contributed to the downfall of the Han and Roman Empires.

Copyright © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Bezeklik Grottoes along the Silk Road

Copyright © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The western end of the Great Wall of China

Copyright © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Long-Distance Travel in the Ancient World Lack of police enforcement outside of established settlements Changed in classical period Improvement of infrastructure Development of empires 7

Copyright © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Along the ancient Silk Road

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Traders on the Silk Road

Copyright © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Trade Networks Develop Dramatic increase in trade due to Greek colonization Maintenance of roads and bridges Discovery of monsoon wind patterns Increased tariff revenues used to maintain open routes 11

Copyright © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Trade in the Hellenistic World Bactria/India Spices, pepper, cosmetics, gems, pearls Persia and Egypt Grain Mediterranean Wine, oil, jewelry, art Development of professional merchant class 12

Copyright © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Silk Roads Named for principal commodity from China Dependent on imperial stability Overland trade routes from China to Roman empire Sea lanes and maritime trade as well 13

Copyright © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Silk Roads, 200 BCE – 300 CE 14

Copyright © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Organization of Long-Distance Trade Divided into small segments Tariffs and tolls finance local supervision Tax income incentives to maintain safety, maintenance of passage 15

Copyright © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Cultural Trade: Buddhism and Hinduism Merchants carry religious ideas along silk routes India through central Asia to east Asia Cosmopolitan centers promote development of monasteries to shelter traveling merchants Buddhism becomes dominant faith of silk roads, 200 BCE – 700 CE 16

Copyright © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Spread of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Christianity, 200 BCE – 400 CE 17

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Buddhism in China Originally, Buddhism restricted to foreign merchant populations Gradual spread to larger population, beginning 5 th century CE 19

Copyright © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Buddhism and Hinduism in Southeast Asia Sea lanes in Indian Ocean 1 st century CE, clear Indian influence in southeast Asia Sanskrit used for written communication Buddhism and Hinduism increasingly popular faiths 20

Copyright © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Christianity in Mediterranean Basin Gregory the Wonderworker, central Anatolia, 3rd century CE Christianity spreads through Middle East, North Africa, Europe Sizeable communities as far east as India Judaism and Zoroastrianism also practiced 21

Copyright © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Ancient frescoe portraying Jesus as the good shepherd

Copyright © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Ancient frescoe of Christ and Apostles

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Copyright © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Christianity in Southwest Asia Influence of ascetic practices from India Desert-dwelling hermits, monastic societies After 5 th century CE, followed Nestorius Emphasized human nature of Jesus 25

Copyright © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Spread of Manichaeism Mani, Zoroastrian prophet (216–272 CE) Influenced by Christianity and Buddhism Dualist Good vs. evil Light vs. dark Spirit vs. matter 26

Copyright © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Mani

Copyright © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Manichaean Society Devout: “the elect” Ascetic lifestyle Celibacy, vegetarianism Life of prayer and fasting Laity: “the hearers” Material supporters of “the elect” 28

Copyright © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Decline of Manichaeism Spread through silk routes to major cities in Roman empire Zoroastrian opposition provokes Sassanid persecution Mani arrested, dies in captivity Romans, fearing Persian influence, also persecute 29

Copyright © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Spread of Epidemic Disease Role of trade routes in spread of pathogens Limited data, but trends in demographics reasonably clear Smallpox, measles, bubonic plague Effect: economic slowdown, move to regional self-sufficiency 30

Copyright © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Epidemics in the Han and Roman Empires 31

Copyright © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Internal Decay of the Han State Court intrigue Problem of land distribution Large landholders develop private armies Epidemics Peasant rebellions 184 CE Yellow Turban rebellion 32

Copyright © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Collapse of the Han Dynasty Generals assume authority, reduce emperor to puppet figure Alliance with landowners 200 CE, Han dynasty abolished, replaced by three kingdoms Immigration of northern nomads increases 33

Copyright © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. China After the Han Dynasty, 200 CE 34

Copyright © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Sinicization of Nomadic Peoples “China-fication” Adoption of sedentary lifestyle 35

Copyright © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Popularity of Buddhism and Daoism Disintegration of political order casts doubt on Confucian doctrines Buddhism and Daoism gain popularity Religions of salvation 36

Copyright © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Fall of the Roman Empire: Internal Factors The “barracks emperors” 235–284 CE, twenty-six claimants to the throne; all but one killed in power struggles Epidemics Disintegration of imperial economy in favor of local and regional self-sufficient economies 37

Copyright © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Diocletian (r. 284–305 CE) Divided empire into two administrative districts Co-emperors, dual lieutenants: “Tetrarchs” Currency, budget reform Relative stability disappears after Diocletian’s death; civil war follows Constantine emerges victorious 38

Copyright © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Fall of the Roman Empire: External Factors Germanic peoples, especially the Visigoths (originally from Scandinavia and Russia), influenced by Roman law and Christianity, settled in western half of Roman Empire – Italy, Gaul, Spain, Britain, and North Africa These formerly were buffer states for Roman empire Roman Empire attacked by Huns under Attila in 5th century CE Massive migration of Germanic peoples into Roman empire Under Alaric, the Visigoths sacked Rome in 410 CE, later established Germanic emperor Odovacer in 476 CE 39

Copyright © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Germanic Invasions and the Fall of the Western Roman Empire, 450–476 CE 40

Copyright © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Cultural Change in the Roman Empire Growth of Christianity Constantine’s vision, 312 CE Promulgates Edict of Milan, allowing Christian practice Converts to Christianity 380 CE, Emperor Theodosius proclaims Christianity official religion of Roman empire 41

Copyright © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. St. Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine

Copyright © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. St. Augustine (354–430 CE) City of Hippo, north Africa Experimented with Greek thought, Manichaeism 387 CE, St. Augustine converts to Christianity Major theologian 43

Copyright © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Augustine arrives in Rome 4 th Century A.D. Augustine teaching in Rome

Copyright © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Institutional Church Conflicts over doctrine and practice in early Church  The divinity of Jesus  Role of women Church hierarchy established 45