Post on 10-May-2015
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 outsied 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
Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.
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
Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.
Buddhism in China
Originally, Buddhism restricted to foreign merchant populations
Gradual spread to larger population beginning 5th c. CE
Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.
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
Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.
Christianity in Mediterranean Basin Gregory the Wonderworker, central Anatolia 3rd 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 5th c. CE, followed Nestorios
Emphasized human nature of Jesus
Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.
Spread of Manichaeism
Mani Zoroastrian prophet (216-272 CE) Influenced by Christianity and Buddhism Dualist
good vs. evil light vs. dark spirit vs. matter
Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.
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
0102030405060
c. 0CE
c.200CE
c.400CE
c.600CE
Chinese Population, 0-600 CE
Millions
0102030405060
c. 0 CE c. 200CE
c. 400
Roman Population, 0-400 CE
Millions
Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.
Internal Decay of the Han State Court intrigue Formation of actions Problem of land distribution
Large landholders develop private armies Epidemics Peasant rebellions
184 CE Yellow Turban Rebellion
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
Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.
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 235-284 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
Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.
Diocletan (r. 284-305 CE)
Divided empire into two administrative districts Co-Emperors, dual Lieutenants
“Tetrarchs” Currency, budget reform Relative stability disappears after Diocletans’s
death, civil war follows Constantine emerges victorious
Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.
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
Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.
Germanic invasions and the fall of the western Roman empire, 450-476 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 (354-430 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