1. The Emergence of Trade Routes
Left: trade during the Hellenistic Era
Right: the Silk Roads, circa 200 B.C.E
Classical Era Theme # 3
The Emergence of Trade Routes
Left: the Taklamakan Desert, nicknamed the “Desert of Death”
Right: the spread of Christianity, Buddhism, and Hinduism during the Classical Era

2. Theme # 3 Timeline (CCOT)
Trans-continental trade routes were established and maintained. Trade routes helped spread ideas, technology, trade goods, luxuries, and unfortunately diseases.
Trade routes had only extended across regions and consisted of mostly trading port cities that connected regions.
Greek colonies facilitate communication, exchange, and interaction throughout the Mediterranean and the Black Seas (p. 195) – Chapter 10
Roman Empire engages in maritime trade throughout the Mediterranean region and its empire.
Chapter 11
600 B.C.E.
600 C.E.
Examples:
Phoenician trading cities (map p. 38) 1200 – 800 B.C.E. dominated the Mediterranean region
Trade between Egypt and Nubia along the Nile River; Egyptian trade with Punt (Ethopia & Somalia)
Harrapans trade with Persians & Mesopotamians
Persian Empires trade with Egypt, Phoenicia, Greece, India, Anatolia, & Arabia via the Persian Royal Road, other land routes, and waterways
Chapter 7
Mauryans begin trading via the Indian Ocean Basin; traded with Indonesia, Southeast Asia, the Mediterranean (including the Romans), & lands bordering the Persian Gulf & Arabian Sea. Indians also traded by land via the Hindu Kush Mountains & the Silk Roads.
Chapter 9
The Silk Roads, established between 200 B.C.E. And 300 C.E., connect Europe, the Middle East, central Asia, SW Asia, SE Asia, and east Asia via a series of land and water routes, enabling a trans-continental exchange of trade goods, culture, religious ideas, and unfortunately, disease.

3. Chapter 12: Cross-Cultural Exchanges on the Silk Roads
Trade Networks of the Hellenistic Era
The Silk Roads
Cultural Exchanges Along the Silk Roads
The Spread of Epidemic Diseases

4. Two Factors Made Long-Distance Trade Possible
Rulers spent resources building roads and bridges.
Large imperial states bordered one another, were close to one another, or managed to pacify surrounding lands that weren’t part of their states.
Question:
Speculate how these two factors would make long- distance, transcontinental trade possible.

5. Trade Networks of the Hellenistic Era
Dramatic increase in trade due to Greek
colonization (Hellenism)
Maintenance of roads, bridges
Discovery of Monsoon wind patterns
(Ptolemaic Egypt)
Increased tariff revenues used to
maintain open routes
Trade Networks of the Hellenistic Era
Flow of Goods – Fill in at least ONE from notes given to you!
Area Goods Destination
India ______________ Hellenistic Ports
Persia & Egypt ______________ Hellenistic Ports
Mediterranean ______________ Persia & Bactria
Mediterranean ______________ India
East Africa ______________ Arabia & Mediterranean
Arabia &
Mediterranean ______________ East Africa
Question: Using the larger map on the next slide,
identify at least ONE more commodity
that was traded.

7. 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

8. 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
The Silk Roads
Key Point: Classical Empires brought stability and safety to enable long-distance trade of this magnitude.

9. Map of the Silk Roads, 200 B.C.E. – 300 C.E.

10. Route of the Overland Silk Road
Linked China and the Holy Roman Empire
The two extreme ends of Eurasia
Started in the Han capital of Chang’an and went west to the Taklamakan Desert
There the road split into two main branches that skirted the desert to the north and south

11. Taklamakan Desert: “The Desert of Death”
The Silk Roads avoided the Taklamakan Desert and passed through the oasis towns on its outskirts

12. Route of the Overland Silk Road
The branches reunited at Kashgar (now Kashi in the western corner of China) and continued west to Bactria
There one branch forked off to Taxila and northern India while the main branch continued across northern Iran
There is still a bustling Sunday market at Kashgar

13. Route of the Overland Silk Road
In northern Iran, the route joined with roads to ports on the Caspian Sea and the Persian Gulf and proceeded to Palmyra (modern Syria)
There it met roads coming from Arabia and ports on the Red Sea

14. Silk Road
It continued west and terminated at the Mediterranean ports of Antioch (in modern Turkey) and Tyre (in modern Lebanon)

15. Sea Lanes
The Silk Roads also provided access at ports like Guangzhou in southern China that led to maritime routes to India and Ceylon (modern-day Sri Lanka)

16. Kushan Empire & regional states in northern India
Who were the major traders on the Silk Road during this time?
China
Han Empire
India
Kushan Empire & regional states in northern India
Mediterranean Region
Roman Empire
Persia
Parthian Empire

17. Which major commodities were traded and from where during this time?
China
silk
ginger
cinnamon
India
pepper
cotton textiles
pearls
coral
ivory
sesame oil
SE Asia
cinnamon
cloves
nutmeg
mace
cardamom
Mediterranean
glassware iron tools
Jewelry olive oil
art work wine
wool & linen gold
Pottery silver
SW Asia
sesame oil
Central Asia
horses
jade

18. Silk Road Trade to the East
Central Asia produced large, strong horses and jade that was highly prized by Chinese stone carvers
The Roman empire traded glassware, jewelry, works of art, decorative items, perfumes, bronze goods, wool and linen textiles, pottery, iron tools, olive oil, wine, and gold and silver bullion
Mediterranean merchants and manufacturers often imported raw materials such as uncut gemstones which they exported as finished products in the form of expensive jewelry and decorative items

19. Silk Road Trade to the West
Silk and spices traveled west from southeast Asia, China, and India
China was the only country in classical times where cultivators and weavers had developed techniques for producing high-quality silk fabrics
Spices served not just to season food but also as drugs, anesthetics, aphrodisiacs, perfumes, aromatics, and magical potions
Chinese silk making

20. Organization of Long-distance Trade
Key Point:
Individual merchants usually did not travel from
one end of Eurasia to the other
Question: Why not????

21. Instead they handled long-distance trade in stages.
Chinese, Parthians, Persians, Indians, Romans, and others would dominate the caravan or maritime trade routes within their empire or territory of influence
So, who dominated the segments of trade along the Silk Roads? Fill these in along the arrows as you are given notes!
Land Routes
Mediterranean
Palmyra
Bactria
China
Persian Gulf
Sea Routes
Arabian Sea
SE Asia
Ceylon
India
China
Red Sea

22. Organization of Long-Distance Trade
Divided into small segments
Tariffs and tolls finance local supervision
Tax income incentives to maintain safety, maintenance of passage

24. Cultural Exchanges Along the Silk Roads
Hinduism
Buddhism
Christianity
Key Points:
The spread of these religions were aided by the presence of trade routes
These religions were spread by the work of various missionaries
As these religions spread, they blended (sinicized/syncretized)
with local religions and customs
As non-favored groups were expelled, their religions and customs blended with others as well (see Theme 2
Unit 7 on diasporas)

25. The spread of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Christianity, 200 BCE – 400 CE

26. 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

27. Buddhism in China
Originally, Buddhism restricted to foreign merchant populations
Gradual spread to larger population beginning 5th c. CE

28. Spread of Buddhism
Merchants carried Buddhism along the Silk Roads where it first established a presence in the oasis towns where merchants and their caravans stopped for food, rest, lodging, and markets
Dunhuang was one such spot
In the same tradition, today there are a growing number of truck stop ministries

29. Spread of Buddhism
At Dunhuang, the Silk Road divides into two branches
By the 4th Century A.D., a sizeable Buddhist community had emerged there

30. Buddhism at Dunhuang
Between 600 and 1000 A.D., Buddhists built hundreds of cave temples around Dunhuang depicting scenes of Buddha
Assembled libraries of religious literature
Supported missionaries which spread Buddhism throughout China

31. Spread of Hinduism
Hinduism also spread along the Silk Roads, primarily along the sea lanes
This for example is how Hinduism spread from India to Malaya

32. Buddhism and Hinduism in SE Asia
Sea lanes in Indian Ocean
1st c. CE clear Indian influence in SE Asia
Rulers called “rajas”
Sanskrit used for written communication
Buddhism, Hinduism increasingly popular faiths

33. Spread of Christianity
Antioch, the western terminus of the overland Silk Roads, was an important center in early Christianity
“Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.” Acts 11: 25-26
St. Peter’s cave church in Antioch

34. Spread of Christianity
Paul began his missionary journeys at Antioch

35. Spread of Christianity
Like other religions, Christianity followed the trade routes and expanded east throughout Mesopotamia, Iran, and as far away as India
However, its greatest concentration was in the Mediterranean basin, where the Roman Roads, like the Silk Roads, provided ready transportation

36. Spread of Christianity
A good example is Paul’s visit to Thessalonica (Acts 17: 1)
Thessalonica was the principle city and primary port of Macedonia (part of present day Greece)
It was located at the intersection of two major Roman roads, one leading from Italy eastward (Via Egnatia) and the other from the Danube to the Aegean

37. Christianity in Mediterranean Basin
Gregory the Wonderworker, central Anatolia 3rd c. CE (St. Gregory)
Christianity spreads through Middle East, North Africa, Europe
Sizeable communities as far east as India
Judaism, Zoroastrianism also practiced
Saint Gregory of Neocaesarea

38. Christianity in SW Asia
Influence of ascetic practices from India
Desert-dwelling hermits, monastic societies
After 5th c. CE, followed Nestorius, a Greek theologian
Emphasized human nature of Jesus
Nestorian Schism

39. Spread of Manichaeism Mani, a devout Zoroastrian (216-272 CE)
Viewed himself a prophet for all humanity
Influenced by Christianity and Buddhism, was a Gnostic faith
Dualist
good vs. evil
light vs. dark
spirit vs. matter

40. Manichaean Society Devout: “the Elect” Laity: “the Hearers”
Ascetic lifestyle
Celibacy, vegetarianism
Life of prayer and fasting
Laity: “the Hearers”
Material supporters of “the Elect”
More conventional lives, but followed strict moral code and provided food and gifts to support the “Elect”

41. 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

42. The Spread of Epidemic Diseases
Smallpox
Key Points:
Role of trade routes in spread
of pathogens
Limited data, but trends in
demographics reasonably clear
Smallpox, measles, bubonic plague
Effects: Economic slowdown, move to regional self-sufficiency, instability and decline of Classical Empires
Measles
Bubonic Plague

43. Spread of Disease
The Antonine Plague ( A. D.) was a plague of either smallpox or measles brought back to the Roman Empire by troops returning from campaigns in the Near East
Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus was among the victims
The disease broke out again nine years later and the Roman historian Dio Cassius reported it caused up to 2,000 deaths a day at Rome
Total deaths have been estimated at five million

44. Epidemics in the Han and Roman Empires

45. Question:
Speculate the specific effects that a drastic drop in population, such as those seen in the Roman and Han Empires, would have.

46. Learning Check
Which of the following is NOT true with regard to the silk
roads?
The silk roads actually had nothing to do with silk.
Because of the silk roads, silk garments became popular among wealthy Romans.
The silk roads linked much of Eurasia and north Africa.
D) The silk roads also included sea lanes.
E) The silk roads also carried fine spices.

47. Learning Check Which of the following would NOT have been on
a ship carrying goods in the classical era?
pepper and cotton from India
B) silk from Bactria
C) olive oil and wine from Rome
D) spices from Southeast Asia
E) slaves from Africa

48. Learning Check The principal agent(s) for the spread of
Buddhism over the silk roads was/were
the Buddha himself.
merchants.
Indian monks.
missionaries of the emperor Ashoka.
mariners.

49. Learning Check
With regard to epidemic diseases on the silk roads, which of the following is NOT true? A) The most devastating diseases were smallpox, measles, and bubonic plague. B) The diseases seriously weakened the Han and Roman empires. C) The diseases caused the greatest population loss in India. D) The largest outbreaks occurred in the second and third centuries C.E. E) A Roman emperor died during one of the epidemics.

50. Trade Routes Interactive Map Activity
Directions: You will use this exercise as a review opportunity
Go to the following link and visit the interactive maps for each of the
following topics: ttp://
Topics:
Persian Empire 500 B.C.
India – Physical Geography and Resources
Han China
Greek Trade 500 B.C.
The Empire of Alexander 325 B.C.
The Roman Empire at its Height
Be prepared to discuss the following question in class:
What conclusions can you make about the development of trade routes during the Classical
Era (600 B.C.E – 600 C.E.)?