Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. Chapter 12 Cross-cultural Exchanges on the Silk Roads
Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 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
Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. Trade Networks Develop Dramatic increase in trade due to Greek colonization Maintenance of roads, bridges Discovery of Monsoon wind patterns Increased tariff revenues used to maintain open routes
Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. Trade in the Hellenistic World Bactria/India –Spices, pepper, cosmetics, gems, pearls Persia, Egypt –Grain Mediterranean –Wine, oil, jewelry, art Development of professional merchant class
Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 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
Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. The Silk Roads, 200 BCE-300 CE
Organization of Long-Distance Trade Divided into small segments Tariffs and tolls finance local supervision Tax income incentives to maintain safety, maintenance of passage
Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 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
Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. The Spread of Hinduism, Buddhism and Christianity, 200 BCE – 400 CE
Buddhism in China Originally, Buddhism restricted to foreign merchant populations Gradual spread to larger population beginning 5 th c. CE
Buddhism and Hinduism in SE Asia Sea lanes in Indian Ocean 1 st c. CE clear Indian influence in SE Asia –Rulers called “rajas” –Sanskrit used for written communication –Buddhism, Hinduism increasingly popular faiths
Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. Christianity in Mediterranean Basin Gregory the Wonderworker, central Anatolia 3 rd c. CE Christianity spreads through Middle East, North Africa, Europe Sizeable communities as far east as India Judaism, Zoroastrianism also practiced
Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. Christianity in SW Asia Influence of ascetic practices from India Desert-dwelling hermits, monastic societies After 5 th c. CE, followed Nestorius –Emphasized human nature of Jesus
Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. Spread of Manichaeism Mani Zoroastrian prophet ( CE) Influenced by Christianity and Buddhism Dualist –good vs. evil –light vs. dark –spirit vs. matter
Manichaean Society Devout: “the Elect” –Ascetic lifestyle –Celibacy, vegetarianism –Life of prayer and fasting Laity: “the Hearers” –Material supporters of “the Elect”
Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 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
Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 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
Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. Epidemics in the Han and Roman Empires
Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. Internal Decay of the Han State Court intrigue Formation of factions Problem of land distribution Large landholders develop private armies Peasant rebellions 184 CE Yellow Turban Rebellion Epidemics
Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. Collapse of the Han Dynasty Generals assume authority, reduce Emperor to puppet figure Alliance with landowners 200 CE Han Dynasty abolished, replaced by 3 kingdoms Immigration of northern nomads increases
Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. Sinicization of Nomadic Peoples “China-fication” Adoption of sedentary lifestyle –Agriculture Adoption of Chinese names, dress, intermarriage
Popularity of Buddhism and Daoism Disintegration of political order casts doubt on Confucian doctrines Buddhism, Daoism gain popularity Religions of salvation
Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. Fall of the Roman Empire: Internal Factors The Barracks Emperors 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
Diocletan (r CE) Divided empire into two administrative districts Co-Emperors, dual Lieutenants –“Tetrarchs” Currency, budget reform Relative stability disappears after Diocletians’ death, civil war follows Constantine emerges victorious
Fall of the Roman Empire: External Factors Visigoths, influenced by Roman law, Christianity –Formerly buffer states for Roman Empire Attacked by Huns under Attila in 5 th c. CE Massive migration of Germanic peoples into Roman Empire Sacked Rome in 410 CE, established Germanic emperor in 476 CE
Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. Germanic invasions and the fall of the western Roman empire, C.E.
Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. Cultural Change in the Roman Empire Growth of Christianity –Constantine’s Vision, 312 CE –Promulgates Edict of Milan, allows Christian practice –Converts to Christianity 380 CE Emperor Theodosius proclaims Christianity official religion of Roman Empire
Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. St. Augustine ( CE) Hippo, North Africa Experimented with Greek thought, Manichaeism 387 converts to Christianity Major theologian
Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. The Institutional Church Conflicts over doctrine and practice in early Church –Divinity of Jesus –Role of women Church hierarchy established –Patriarchs, Bishop of Rome primus inter pares