Unit 2 Chapter 12 The Silk Road

Chapter 12: CrossCultural Exchanges on the Silk Roads Standard: 2.1

My favorite Han movie ever • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmFlgCB9F2Q

Zhang Qian Father of the Silk Road • Crossed N. of Tibet into the Ferghana Valley in 128 BCE • Captive of the Xiongnu for 10 years • Sent by Emperor Han Wudi • Opened the silk road through information

Challenging how we think… • Assume that sources are correct and Zhang Qian’s mission took him in search of trade to the west. • Why do we learn in our history textbooks that the East, specifically China is historically closed off to foreigners?

Where did it go? What was it?

What 2 things made the silk road a possibility?

Learning with Primary Source Documents: • Working with your assigned group read the document and highlight the following: • Types of items traded • Who is trading the items • Special directions for diplomats/merchants

• Prepare to share a synopsis of your document with the class as we discuss what people who traveled the road were writing about.

Hellenistic Trade • Seleucids and Ptolemies both maintained land and sea routes • In Egypt the Ptolemies built up Alexandria into the greatest sea port of the time to support the trade • Egyptian, Indian, Roman, mariners learned to use the monsoon winds in the Indian ocean

What was traded on the Silk Road? • Better Question, what wasn’t! • China’s most valuable export – silk • Created Oases towns • Encompassed sea lanes • Required in-depth knowledge of trade and monsoon winds

Why were spices such a big deal? • Condiments • anesthetics,

• Drugs • Aphrodisiacs • Perfumes • Magic potions

India – Man in the Middle • Emissaries traveled to Rome and China and received Roman and Chinese emissaries • Acted as expert mariners • Romans set up a few colonies in India • Mauryan & Guptan empires provided regional stability

How far did merchants go? • No specific number but generally travel was accomplished in “legs”

• Individuals became expert merchants/travelers/ seamen on certain routes

Camels… who knew? • Dromedary Camel • From Middle East & N. Africa • 1 hump

• Bactrian Camel • From China & Mongolia • 2 humps

Look it up • Name the Ruling dynasty’s of China in order. • First person with the correct answer gets 5 points extra credit on the next quiz.

How did the Han rule? • 206 BCE • 24 successive rulers • Capital @ Chang’an • Feudalism w/centralized hierarchy (Jun – similar to a state each had a governor, military commander, and an imperial inspector) • Significant population growth (maybe triple!) • Paper, the rudder, compass, porcelain, seismograph 365 day calendar

• Empress Lu Zhi (1st emporer) ruled through her infant son for 16 years • Civil service exams on Confucian principals • Wu Ti (141-87 BCE) – greatest emperor • • • • •

Larger than Rome Repelled the Xiongnu Sent Zhang Qian to the Xiognu to open up the Silk road Adopted Confucianism Strong central government

• Ruled w/the Mandate of Heaven • Great wall of China

Highlights of confucianism • Hierarchy led by virtuous males Father Son Mother Daughter

• Specific roles – li • Adhering to one’s li ensures stability by eliminating role stress

Spread of Buddhism & Hinduism • Where did Buddhism & Hinduism originate? • How would it have spread to people in Iran, China, etc? • What helped propel Buddhism from merchants and cosmopolitan city dwellers to regular people? • Rate the importance of India’s religious contribution and explain your rating.

Spread of christianity • Initially persecuted by the Romans, later embraced • By 2nd & 3rd centuries Christians had fanned out over Roman roads to prostheletize • 3rd to 7th century Christianity was one of the major religions of the middle east • Asian christians – ascetic tradition • By 5th century there was a parting between Nestorians (opposed Jesus as divine) and Mediterranean (Jesus divinity sacred tennant of faith)

Spread of Manichaeism • Form of Zoroastrianism influenced by Christianity & Buddhism • Prophet for all humanity-syncretic blend • Surpressed by Sasanid rulers • Exterminated in the Mediterannean in the 5th & 6th centuries • Maintained along the silk road much longer

Think this through – make a bullet list of your ideas

If all the major religions were propagated and disseminated along the silk road, what does that tell us about the merchants, tradesmen, and travellers that traversed its paths?

The spread of epidemic disease • LIKELY culprits • Measles, smallpox, bubonic plague • Augustus took a census and counted 60 million 1 AD • Rome By 400 CE. 40 million • China: 200 CE 60 million • China: 600 CE 45 million

Look it Up w/a partner • At what rate would a normally increasing population rise in 300 years? • Compare that to Roman #’s and China’s #’s. What does that tell you about the severity of pathogens carried along the silk road?

Why the Han fell • Infighting coupled with repeated nomadic invasions • Elites used land ownership to oppress the poor, the weak central government meant the local warlords were more powerful and could do as they wished • Epidemics and poverty caused the yellow turban rebellion among others • Han generals usurped authority

8000 soldiers, 130 chariots, 520 horses, 150 cavalry horses!

Post han china • Northern invaders became “Chinese” • Confucian traditions lost credibility because they hadn’t worked • Rise of Daoism & Buddhism • Daoism (salvation, health, immortality through potions) • Buddhism (popular with nomads) • Buddhist temples helped the poor giving them enormous popularity

Fall of the Roman empire • Barracks Emperors • Too big to succeed • Epidemics • Diocletian’s solution… 2 roman empires, easier to manage?

Constantine • Came to power after a huge struggle when Diocletian died • Sign in the sky, myth or truth? • Same administrative problems partially spurred on by epidemics

Germanic invasion

The Hun invasion • Different type of invasion because the goal was simply pillage, not a takeover of government or settlement • They pushed even more Germanic tribes deeper into Roman territories • This finished off the western Roman empire, but not the Eastern empire

How things change! • Romans mixed with Germanic people created medieval Europeans • 312 Edict of Milan – why is it significant? • Constantine converted to Christianity • Christianity began to get more street cred when Augustine converged it w/Greek Stoicism & Plato’s works

The Canon Christianity was standardized and organized in Eastern Roman territories as well as in Western territories • 5 bishops/patriarchs • Lesser bishops • Council @ Nicaea & Chalcedon • The Pope, who was the first?

http://www.youtube.com/wat ch?v=vfe-eNqQyg&list=PLmBtWmBUeDcoc_Y 6MPDaSiIjiSU5_iClG Crash course AP World History – Silk Road