The World that Trade Created, Strayer 8

1/10/2015

To the left is an example of a lateen sail, a technology that was a key part of the ever expanding trade along the sea routes of the Indian Ocean for centuries.

Remember to utilize the resources available on the period three page, and keep experimenting with your study strategies.

17 Comments

Andres Rodriguez

3/10/2015 12:11:35

i guess I'll start. this is a margin question, "what lay behind the emergence of the silk road commerce, and what kept it going for so many centuries?"

Trade between the outer agricultural people of eurasia and the inner pastoral people started commerce on the silk road and it went on for so long because larger and powerful states benefited from the trade such as the byzantine empire, the Muslim Abbasid dynasty, and the Tang dynasty in China. These also provided safety and security for merchants and traders. the mongols also encompassed the whole silk road region for a time.

Bingham

3/10/2015 13:35:54

So that's a good start Andres, you've left out a bit, and I think you could get this organized a but more clearly. If you can construct your notes, whether they are charts, bullet points, hierarchical outlines, flash cards, quizlets, or concept maps (or a combination of these) into clear nuggets of data, you'll be able to review and practice retrieving them. That retrieval practice will move the chapter's ideas and evidentiary support from short term memory into long term memory that will be available to you at the end of the week, AND on the exam in May and beyond. And keep this notion of main ideas (gists) separate from evidence (concrete details). When you do this, you are using your analytical habit of mind. Anyway...

One important reason was the exchange of products of the forest and of the semi-arid northern grasslands of inner Eurasia, which were controlled by pastoral peoples, for the agricultural products and manufactured goods of the warmer, well-watered lands of outer Eurasia, including the Mediterranean, the Middle East, India, and China. (Pastoral peoples as "middle men" between northern forrest peoples, and southern agricultural peoples.)
Also important were the construction of classical civilizations and their imperial states during the last five centuries B.C.E.; classical civilizations invaded the territory of pastoral peoples, securing sections of the Silk Roads and providing security for merchants and travelers. (Earlier empires had started the process of securing the roads.)
The Silk Roads had the continued support of later states, including the Byzantine, Abbasid, and Mongol empires, which also benefited from the trade. (Continued support of empires.)
There was a continuing demand for hard-to-find luxury goods among elites across Eurasia. (In economics, this is called "demand", the key word in this "nugget")

Now look back at the question and see how I've more directly answered

Bingham

3/10/2015 13:41:45

Here's BPQ4 for free. "Why so generous, Bingham?" you might ask. Well, look carefully, at this question. It lies at the heart of not just this chapter, but the course in general. Remember our discussions of trade as an engine of change?

Commercial exchange frequently provided the incentives and resources for the creation of larger, more powerful states.
It provided sustained contact through which cultural influences were also exchanged, as was the case with the spread of Buddhism and Islam.
It facilitated the spread of epidemic diseases beyond local regions, with sometimes devastating effects.
It resulted in the spread of plants and animals along with technological innovations.
It altered consumption patterns.
It encouraged specialization and diminished the economic self-sufficiency of local societies.
Sometimes it was a means of social mobility, with traders often becoming a distinct social group.

Jonathan Jalbert

4/10/2015 12:06:02

Is this BPQ3?

Bingham

4/10/2015 13:05:31

Sorry, yes, it's #3.

Cathleen Freedman

4/10/2015 13:16:31

I'll tackle margin number 2:
What accounted for the spread of Buddhism along the silk roads?
Silk was a luxury product sought after for by the elite.
China had a monopoly on the technology for producing silk, enabling it to move east to west.
In central asia, silk was used as currency and for a means of accumulating wealth.
In China and byzantine empire, it became a symbol of high status
Silk became associated with religions- buddhism and Christianity
-Chinese and buddhist pilgrims brought with them quantities of silk for the monasteries they were going to
-the tang dynasty emperors gave buddhist monks purple silk robes as a sign of honor
-In christianit, altar covers and silk hangings became signs of devotion and piety
Since no independent silk industry arose for western europe until twelfth century ce, a market developed for islamic silk

Anything anyone wants to add or take out?

cathleen

4/10/2015 13:18:09

Looking back, my first sentence is sort of unnecessary. Ignore, por favor.

Andres

4/10/2015 14:27:18

I think you could also add that the Mahayana expression of Buddhism appealed more to the merchants rather than the caste-based Hindu faith, and that they gained the support of rulers like Ashoka, and took it with them to the trade routes.

cathleen

4/10/2015 14:36:32

Oh my gosh. I said margin question 2 and wrote margin 3. What in the world. I meant to answer "What made silk such a highly desired commodity in eurasia". NOT what accounted for buddhism in the silk... I'm literally a hot mess. Sorry.

elle (praying hands emoji)

7/10/2015 18:38:55

Hey Cathleen, I love your answer, but I feel as though you could clean it up a bit (sounds a bit like repetition, but that's awesome, YOU KNOW STUFF! :) ). Okay, so I shortened your answer a bit:

1. Silk was used as a currency and a means of accumulation of wealth
2. It was a symbol of elite status in China and the Byzantine Empire
3. Silk became associated with holiness in Buddhism and Christianity

I also feel like you could get a lot of bonus points with your details and such, but I just wanted to chime in :).

cathleen

4/10/2015 15:05:24

I'm going to try to redeem myself on my previous slip up, because yikes.
What accounted for the spread of Buddhism along the silk roads?
Buddhism spread through the activities of merchants along the silkk roads, due to its appealing to merchants (they preferred the universal message versus Brahmin dominated Hinduism favoriting upper castes)
Indian traders and buddhist monks, and occasionally rulers like ashoka, brought the religion to trans-eurasian trade routes. In oasis cities of central Asia, Buddhism caught on quickly and thought of Buddhism as link to the prestigious civilization of India. Merchants could get religious merit for monasteries and supporting monks. THe monasteries became pit stops for merchnats traveling along central asia. Outside of oasis communities, Buddhism slowly reached pastoral people in central Asia. Once they became involved in long distance trade, buddhism was more appealing. Like in Jie, buddhism was spread by a buddhist monk who travelled the silk roads and befriended Shi Le, the emperor.
-I was going to mention that Buddhism took in new cultures, but then I would be maybe going off book by assuming that its acceptance of other cultures made it appear more accessible for the different kinds of people who were converting to buddhism along the silk roads

I had to kind of whack through the section, because some details didn't support the spread of buddhism along the silk roads, but rather the changes of buddhsim along the silk roads, how buddhism affected certain areas because of the silk roads, or examples of why buddhism didn't spread. If you have anything to add or take away, I'm here all night, folks.

Bingham

4/10/2015 17:02:39

Well, I think the accessibility is definitely a reason...

Thien-Tam Do

4/10/2015 21:42:31

MQ4: What were the major economic, social, and cultural consequences of the Silk Road commerce?

- $ affected farmers and favorably placed people because peasants stopped cultivating crops to focus on producing luxury goods

-became conduits of culture for Buddhism to both pastoral and agricultural communities

-disease traveled along routes and devastated population of civilizations in Eurasia: epidemic gave benefits to tenant farmers and urban workers (can demand higher wage), but gave agricultural people and European people advantage because of pre-exposure.

Is there anything I should add or take away? I'm open to any suggestions.

Morgan Levine

7/10/2015 23:16:43

I might add, when talking about the Silk Roads being a conduit for Buddhism, that it spread Buddhist architecture, practices, and art, and created a more secular and wealthy form of Mahayana Buddhism as it interacted with local cultures and the wealth brought by trade.

Blake Hetherington

5/10/2015 21:03:12

Hey guys! I'm gonna give Margin Question 4 a shot. "What accounted for the spread of Buddhism along the Silk Roads?"

-Buddhism appealed to Indian merchants because they liked the universal message rather than the Brahim controlled Hinduism that favored the upper class
-Buddhist merchants built monasteries and supported monks for religious merit
-People in the oasis cities of Central Asia that participated in long-distance trade found a link to India through Buddhism
-Buddhism progressed slowly among the pastoral people of Central Asia. and generally was the most successful when the pastoralists engaged in long-distance trade
- Buddhism also progressed slowly in China because it remained a religion of foreign merchants and rulers
- Buddhism changed as it spread to become more appealing to local populations. For example, the Mahayana form of Buddhism flourished because of the emphasis on compassion and bodhisattvas (don't know if I spelled that right) rather than the more austere psychological original teachings of the Buddha
-Buddhism also picked up elements of other cultures as it spread. This includes Greek culture and the local gods of the people along the Silk roads that were turned into bodhisattvas

Please give me any suggestions that you guys might have. Thanks! :)

Bingham

6/10/2015 06:25:51

Hey Blake, it's always a good idea to read the earlier posts.

Blake

6/10/2015 07:19:45

Sorry Mr. Bingham. I didn't notice. I did felt like I needed to do that as part of studying for that particular question, so I'm still glad I did it.

The World that Trade Created, Strayer 8

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