Trade Networks and the Silk Road

Long-Distance Trade and the Silk Roads Network
Trade Networks of the Hellenistic era
The monsoon system
Hellenistic mariners learned monsoon rhythms from Arab and Indian seamen
The monsoon system linked India/Arabia and Egypt/Mediterranean basin
Trade in the Hellenistic world
Exchanges between India/Bactria in east and Mediterranean basin in west
Besides various commodities, also slave trade
The Silk Roads
Trade routes
Overland trade routes linked China to Roman empire
Sea-lanes joined Asia and Mediterranean basin into one network
Trade goods
Silk and spices traveled west
Central Asia produced large horses and jade, sold in China
Roman empire provided glassware, jewelry, art works, perfumes, textiles
The organization of long-distance trade
Merchants of different regions handled long-distance trade in stages
On the seas, long-distance trade was dominated by different empires
Cultural and Biological Exchanges along the Silk Roads
The Spread of Buddhism and Hinduism
Buddhism in central Asia
First presented in oasis towns of central Asia along silk roads
Further spread to steppelands
Buddhism in China
Foreign merchants as Buddhists in China, 1st century B.C.E.
Popularity of monasteries and missionaries, 5th century C.E.
Buddhism and Hinduism in Southeast Asia
Merchants on silk roads (sea-lanes) were the agents
Rulers referred to themselves as rajas ("kings")
Adopted Sanskrit as written language
Many rulers converted to Buddhism, others promoted Hindu cults
Buddhist or Hindu advisors in government
The Spread of Christianity
Christianity in the Mediterranean basin
Countless missionaries took Paul of Tarsus as their example
Gregory the Wonderworker popularized Christianity in Anatolia
Christian communities flourished in the Mediterranean basin
Christianity in Southwest Asia
Sizable communities in Mesopotamia and Iran, 2nd century C.E.
Sizable number of converts in southwest Asia until the 7th century C.E.
Their ascetic practices influenced Christian practices in the Roman empire
The Nestorians
A Christian sect developed in southwest Asia
Nestorius emphasized the human nature of Jesus, 5th century C.E.
Nestorian communities in central Asia, India, and China, 7th century C.E.
The spread of Manichaeism
Mani and Manichaeism
Prophet Mani, a Zoroastrian, drew influence from Christianity and Buddhism
Perceived a cosmic struggle between light and darkness, good and evil
Offered means to achieve personal salvation
Ascetic lifestyle and high ethical standards
Differentiation between "the elect"and the "hearers"
Spread of Manichaeism
Attracted converts first in Mesopotamia and east Mediterranean region
Special appeal to merchants as hearers
Appeared in all large cities of Roman empire, 3rd century C.E.
Persecutions
The Sasanid rulers suppressed Mani's movement
Roman authorities also persecuted Manichaeans
Manichaeism survived in central Asia
The Spread of Epidemic Disease
Epidemic diseases
Common epidemics in Rome and China: smallpox, measles, bubonic plague
Roman empire: population dropped by a quarter from the 1st to 10th century C.E.
China: population dropped by a quarter from the 1st to 7th century C.E.
Effects of epidemic diseases
Both Chinese and Roman economies contracted
Small regional economies emerged
Epidemics weakened Han and Roman empires
The Fall of the Han Dynasty
Internal decay of the Han state
Problems of factions and land distribution
The Yellow Turban rebellion, 184 C.E.
Collapse of the Han dynasty
Generals usurped political authority, the emperor became a puppet
By 220, generals abolished the Han and divided the empire into three kingdoms
Nomadic peoples came in, China became even more divided
Cultural Change in Post-Han China
Sinicization of nomadic peoples
Withering of Confucianism
Confucianism failed to maintain order, became irrelevant
More individuals turned to Daoism and Buddhism
Daoism changed to a religion of salvation
Popularity of Buddhism
Buddhism received strong support from nomadic rulers
Between the 4th and 6th centuries C.E., Buddhism became well established
The Fall of the Roman Empire
Internal Decay in the Roman Empire
The barracks emperors
Between 235 and 284 C.E., generals frequently seized the throne
Most barracks emperors died violently
The sheer size of the empire became a problem of control
The emperor Diocletian (284-305 C.E.)
Divided the empire into two administrative districts
A coemperor ruled each district with the aid of a powerful lieutenant
The emperor Constantine
Constantine seized power, claimed to be sole emperor
Established a new capital city: Constantinople
Germanic Invasions and the Fall of the Western Roman Empire
Germanic migrations
Migrated from northern Europe, lived in the eastern and northern parts of the empire
Most notable were the Visigoths
Settled as agriculturalists
Adopted Roman law and Christianity
Contributed soldiers to the Roman armies
Roman authorities kept Germanic peoples on the borders as a buffer

The Huns
Under Attila, the Huns began expeditions from the mid-5th century C.E.
Soon disappeared after the death of Attila in 453 C.E.
The collapse of the western Roman empire
Under the Huns' pressure, Germanic peoples streamed into the Roman empire
Established settlements in Italy, Gaul, Spain, Britain, and north Africa
Under Laric, the Visigoths sacked Rome in 410 C.E.
Germanic general Odovacer deposed the Roman emperor, 476 C.E.
Imperial authority survived in the eastern half of the empire
Nomadic states in Spain, Gaul, Britain, and Italy

Cultural Change in the Late Roman Empire
Prominence of Christianity
Constantine's edict of Milan, Christianity became a legitimate religion, 313 C.E.
Emperor Theodosius proclaimed Christianity the official religion, 380 C.E.
St. Augustine harmonized Christianity with Platonic thought
The institutional church
Conflicting doctrines and practices among early Christians
Established standardized hierarchy of church officials
The bishop of Rome, known as the pope, became spiritual leader
Roman empire collapsed, Christianity served as a cultural foundation