EARLY ARAB TRADE NETWORKS The Links that Lead to Empire

Last Class...What did we Learn?  The Middle East is home to many countries and people  Even though much of it is desert, the Middle East has a variety of different environments  The Middle East in 610 CE is in the middle of several empires

Crossroads and Commodities  The Middle East was a crossroads for the world  Connected the Western world of the Roman and Byzantine Empire with the Persian Empire and Indian states  Because they had access to these different Empires, they could sell these commodities to others for profit

Can you Name some Commodities?

Need a Modern Example of a Crossroad? Vancouver! Vancouver serves As a centre of Trade between The rest of Canada and Asia, and Vancouver benefits!

Video Time! The Silk Road Pay attention to: Who is trading what? How far are goods going? What methods of transportation are being used?

How Were They Able to Travel So Far?

The Majestic Camel! The Domestication of the Camel made long distance travelling possible Groups of Traders would use camels for travel in large groups called caravans

A Video on Camels? Yes Please!

How Awesome Are Camels? Camels can run up to 65 km/h in bursts Can travel over 100 km without water How would these different abilities make the camel useful for traders?

Also! They Had Connections  The Arab caravans had been trading over long distances for a very long time  Arabs were grouped by large families called clans  Clan members would help each other when in need, even if they had not met that person, based on their family name

The Life of a Trader Clans were led by Chiefs who took charge based on charity, bravery and fighting ability Nomads were a threat to caravans, and would either steal from them or ask for a bribe for safe passage

Both Groups were Known as the Bedouin  The people who could not farm because of scarcity of resources were forced to travel frequently  They moved from place to place and developed a way to deal with their needs: food, water, trade goods  When they had goods for trade, they would, when they were not well stocked, they could attack traders for money or goods

What About those Empire Guys?  The Byzantine Empire and the Persian Empire were fighting for a long time  Their empires had grown large, but were weakening from years of constant warfare

Check your Handout! We will start by reading some primary sources from this period of time Then you get to create your own journal entry Due Next Friday Ready to Become an Arab Trader?

What’s a crossroad? What are commodities? What makes camels so important to the trade routes of the Arabian Peninsula?

War What’s Happens Next? Peace Something Else?

How about Starting a New religion?