1. Cross-cultural Exchanges on the Silk Roads
Chapter 12
Cross-cultural Exchanges on the Silk Roads

2. Long-Distance Travel in the Ancient World
Lack of police enforcement outsied of established settlements
Changed in classical period
Improvement of infrastructure
Ex. Roads and bridges
Invested in it b/c of military and administrative reasons, but it encouraged trade as well
Development of empires
Large empires reduced risk of travel
Ex. Roman empire

3. Trade Networks Develop
Dramatic increase in trade due to Greek colonization
Archeologists unearthed coins, jewelry, Greek style sculptures in Persia, Bactria
Maintenance of roads, bridges
Routes in N. Africa to Nubia: Meroe
Sea lanes: Red Sea to Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean
Discovery of Monsoon wind patterns
Egyptians discovered the patterns that enabled mariners to safely to Indian Ocean basin
Winter-Blow from NE
Summer- Blow from SW
Increased tariff revenues used to maintain open routes

4. Trade in the Hellenistic World
Bactria/India
Spices, pepper, cosmetics, gems, pearls
Persia, Egypt
Grain
Fed urban populations in distance lands
Mediterranean
Wine, oil, jewelry, art
Make their way back to Persia and Bactria
Development of professional merchant class
With increasing trade
Began to use coins on east coast of Africa

5. The Silk Roads Named for the predominant commodity traded: Silk
Dependent on imperial stability
Overland trade routes from China to Roman Empire
Began in China at Han capital, Chang’an and goes to Rome
From Central Asia and Mediterranean
Horses and jade from C.Asia
Glassware, jewelry, art, perfumes, bronze goods, wool, linen, pottery, iron tools, olive oil, wine, gold, silver
Sea Lanes and Maritime trade as well
From southern China thru South China Sea linking east Asia to the SE Asian islands (Ceylon or Sri Lanka today and India very busy)
Continue on to Arabian and Persian Gulf to Red Sea
Spices from SE Asia
Cloves, nutmeg, ginger, pepper, sesame oil
Serve not just as condiments or flavors, but drugs, anesthetics, aphrodisiacs, perfumes, magical potions

6. The Silk Roads, 200 BCE-300 CE

7. Organization of Long-Distance Trade
Divided into small segments
Central Asia and China see nomads control trade
Once to the port of Palyrma on Med., merchandise passed into hands of Roman subjects
Tariffs and tolls finance local supervision
Tax income incentives to maintain safety, maintenance of passage
The commercial exchanges encouraged cultural and biological exchanges as well!

8. 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
Merv, Bukhara, Samarkand, Kashgar, etc. became oasis towns
Food, rest, lodging, markets
Buddhism becomes dominant faith of silk roads, 200 BCE-700 CE

9. The Spread of Hinduism, Buddhism and Christianity, 200 BCE – 400 CE

10. Buddhism in China
Originally, Buddhism restricted to foreign merchant populations
Monasteries and missionaries offered Buddhism the potential to attract Chinese converts
Gradual spread to larger population beginning 5th c. CE

11. Buddhism and Hinduism in SE Asia
Sea lanes in Indian Ocean helped spread the religions
1st c. CE clear Indian influence in SE Asia
Rulers called “rajas” or kings like in India
Sanskrit used for written communication
Buddhism, Hinduism increasingly popular faiths

12. Han vs. Roman Empires Han 202 BCE-220 CE
Empire replaces rival kingdoms
Built roads, walls
Conquered diverse peoples bordering China
Chinese became common language throughout empire
Ongoing conflict with nomads
Empire fell apart; restored by Tang in 618 CE
Rome 27 BCE-476 CE
Empire replaced Republic
Central, bureaucracy
Built roads,defensive walls
Conquered many diverse regions on 3 continents
Latin didn’t replace other written languages of empire
Ongoing conflict w/ nomads
Empire falls apart; never restored

13. Christianity in Mediterranean Basin
Paul of Tarsus the example for Christians
Gregory the Wonderworker, central Anatolia 3rd c. CE
Preached doctrine, performed miracles, expelled demons, diverted a river in flood, moved boulders, persuaded people that he had supernatural power
By 3rdc. CE, Christianity spreads through Middle East, North Africa, Europe
Sizeable communities as far east as India
Didn’t dominate but did attract large #’s
Continued to be one of the major religions in area even after birth of Islam
Judaism, Zoroastrianism also practiced

14. Christianity in SW Asia
Influence of ascetic practices from India
Abstained from sexual contact, refused fine food, sometimes w/drew from family life and society
These practices influenced some Mediterranean Christians
Desert-dwelling hermits, monastic societies
After 5th c. CE, most Christians of SW Asia became Nestorians
Emphasized human nature of Jesus
Spread these ideas east across Silk Roads

15. Spread of Manichaeism Mani Zoroastrian prophet (216-272 CE)
Influenced by Christianity and Buddhism
Recognize Zoroaster as the prophet of Persia, Buddha as the prophet of India, and Jesus as the prophet of the Mediterranean world
He blended elements from all 3 faiths to serve the needs of the world
Dualist
good vs. evil
light vs. dark
spirit vs. matter
Urged people to reject worldly pleasures that entangled the spiritual world and go toward the light

16. 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”
Merchants who adopted it and supported the church

17. Decline of Manichaeism
Spread through silk routes to major cities in Roman Empire
Zoroastrian opposition provokes Sassanid persecution
Mani arrested, dies in captivity
Sassanid emperor trying to use Zoroasterianism as a cultural foundation of his empire
Romans, fearing Persian influence, also persecute them in 5th c. and 6th c. CE

18. 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
Chinese and Roman populations decline ¼ to 1/3 from their highpoint
Reign of Augustus, pop. 60 million to 2nd c. CE only 45 million
Smallpox in Med CE most destructive
By 400 CE, Rome was 40 million
Effect: Economic slowdown, move to regional self-sufficiency

19. Epidemics in the Han and Roman Empires

20. Internal Decay of the Han State
Court intrigue
Marriage alliances b/n ruling family and aristocracy led to factions who sought to advance own status
Led to constant backstabbing, infighting, which resulted in inefficient central gov’t
Problem of land distribution
Large landholders develop private armies
Gain influence in gov’t and reduced taxes for themselves
Epidemics spread in late 2nd and 3rd centuries
Peasant rebellions b/c of their discontent
184 CE Yellow Turban Rebellion
Suppressed but important b/c 1st in many revolts

21. Collapse of the Han Dynasty
Han 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
China disunited for more than 350 yrs b/c of this

22. Sinicization of Nomadic Peoples
Nomadic peoples adapt to Chinese environment: “China-fication”
Adoption of sedentary lifestyle
Agriculture, permanent settlements
Adoption of Chinese names, dress, intermarriage
As generations pass, nomadic peoples differences become less obvious

23. Popularity of Buddhism and Daoism
Disintegration of political order casts doubt on Confucian doctrines
After the collapse, Confucianism seemed irrelevant
Buddhism, Daoism gain popularity
Daoism attracted those afflicted by war and disease b/c of less competition w/ Confucianism
Daoists experimented with spices, herbs, and drugs to concoct elixirs and potions
Buddhism spread thru trade, but after the collapse of Han, Buddhism extended to India, China in late 6th c.

24. Fall of the Roman Empire: Internal Factors
Internal political problems
The Barracks Emperors
C.E., 26 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
Divisions and Factions b/c of the size cause problems

25. Diocletan (r CE)
Divided empire into two administrative districts
Co-Emperors rule each district
“Tetrarchs”
More efficient
Currency, budget reform
Adjust expenditures to income
Price caps to stop inflation
Army is under imperial control
Relative stability disappears after Diocletans’s death, civil war follows
Constantine emerges victorious
Moves capital to Constantinople

26. 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 5th c. CE
Massive migration of Germanic peoples into Roman Empire
Sacked Rome in 410 CE, established Germanic emperor in 476 Ce

27. Germanic invasions and the fall of the western Roman empire, 450-476 C
Germanic invasions and the fall of the western Roman empire, C.E.

28. 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

29. St. Augustine (354-430 CE) Hippo, North Africa
Experimented with Greek thought, Manichaeism
387 converts to Christianity
Major theologian

30. 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