Blog on Intro to Part Three and Chapter 7: Commerce and Culture

Introduction to Part Three
An Age of Accelerating Connections (500-1500)

• 500-1500 (Third-Wave Civilizations), sometimes called the Middle Ages or Medieval Period, was a 1000 year period between the decline of the second-wave civilizations (Han dynasty, Roman Empire, etc.) and the beginning of the modern area.
• Civilization was globalized.
• The third-wave civilizations were "culturally unique" and "civilized", and they were also a renewal of older traditions
• Common theme of civilizations: interaction and human contact of cultured, trade.
• Large empires provided size and stability for interaction, and these along with long-distance trade fostered the spread of practices, particular focus given to traveling peoples.
• At the end, Strayer emphasizes the impact of women.

Chapter 7: Commerce and Culture

• The long distance trade of separate transactions fostered exchange, the spread of religion, and communication, consumption (diet and religion), the spread of disease, and it impacted societal structure (merchants became a social group) and politics because wealth lead to control leading to the creation of states.

I found the very beginning of Chapter 7, the opening anecdote, very appealing. It recounts the speedy delivery of a personalized iPod to one's home. It provides a perfect transition into the talk about older and more original methods of commerce and culture by sharing a modern perspective that we are so accustomed to.

Silk Roads: Exchange Across Eurasia 

• The Silk Roads were Eurasia's land-based trade routes. They linked pastoral and agricultural people and large civilizations together. Geography made Silk Roads possible, Outer Eurasia = warm, agricultural, Inner Eurasia = cold, pastoral. Civilizations and imperial states made trade possible because of territorial invasion and expansion. The Silk Roads provided security for merchants and travelers, and technologies made transportation effective.
• Silk originated in China, and women were the magic behind its production. It was highly valued and demanded because it marked high status in elite culture, and it was comfortable and fashionable, sometimes disapproved of. It was a symbol of high status and wealth, a form of currency, a religious gift. 
• The market caused farmers to focus on silk production. People became wealthy from silk commerce.
• Buddhism appealed to merchants, Indian traders brought Buddhism to trade routes, Sogdian merchants created exchange with China, prosperous cities liked the idea of wealth and prestige in Buddhism (building monasteries for merchants), Buddhist monk Shi Le's good reputation causes many conversions.
• Influenced by other religions, Buddhism became more devotional and like a deity.
• Besides goods and cultures, disease spread across the trade routes and affected Afro-Eurasia, leading to death and the decline of systems of centralized governments. Smallpox and measles led to the political collapse of the Roman Empire and the Han dynasty. The bubonic plague - the Byzantine empire. Mongol Empire - the Black Death. However, Europeans' exposure to diseases led to immunity 

I appreciate how Strayer does not forget to mention the role of women in the silk production. His tone and phrasing turns the spotlight to women, especially when he discusses that they were the driving force of silk manufacturing. As we discussed before, Strayer is a feminist. Still, I think it is important that women receive the credit they deserve, just as Strayer provides, because it is nothing but the truth. Another remarkable point Strayer makes is that during the spread of disease in the Silk Roads, it was probable that there was such a great attraction to religion because it "offered compassion in the face of immense suffering" (290). This is a very interesting approach to the spread of religion in the time of disease, because it makes a connection between the impact of religion on the individual and its methods for coping with suffering. Another topic I find interesting is the spread of disease. It caused me to reflect on the advanced medicine we have today in the West. But back in time, peoples of the Western Hemisphere would have perished far more easier when they came in contact with disease because of their geographic isolation from Afro-Eurasia. As a whole, it is pretty amazing to realize that all of this change was a product of Silk Road trade.

Sea Roads: Exchange across the Indian Ocean

• The Sea Roads lead to wealth. The Indian Ocean was home to this commerce. Transportation here was less costly than the Silk Roads because large ships accommodated bulk transit. Monsoon winds were the environmental condition that made Indian Ocean commerce possible. Indian Ocean commerce occurred among diverse urban centers.
• Indian Ocean commerce began during the First Civilizations, increased during the Second-Wave civilizations because mariners learned to ride monsoons, technology advanced. The spread of Christianity was the impact on trade.
• During the Third-Wave civilizations, China's political and economic revival, encouraging trade and poring products, and the rise of Islam and creation of Arab Empire economy and political system, Islam values resonating with trade, contributed to Indian Ocean commerce.
• Indian Ocean commerce created political change because wealth from commerce inspired the construction of larger and more centralized cities and states, religion attracted locals. Trade created new civilizations in Southeast Asia, as in Srivijaya, where competition for trade and its access to resources created its kingdom.
• Indian culture influenced Southeast Asia - people were inspired by the language, their belief that leaders were god-kings, Buddhism and the construction of buildings, Hinduism (Angkor Wat), but Indian culture did not completely replace Southeast Asian traditions, just ideas influenced it in some ways.
• Indian Ocean commerce gave rise to Swahili city-states, independently governed by kings. People found opportunity for power in demand for products, with immense wealth and trade creating "class-stratified urban societies" (299). Swahili civilization became largely Islam, distinct from other parts of Africa. This eventually led to the emergence of the Great Zimbabwe powerful state.

In this section we discover that there was a slave trade of East African peoples to produce sugar and dates for export. I wish there was more information on the origins of this slave trade. I am curious about the power and money people needed to have and use in order to trade other human beings, which is not discussed. It is only revealed that a desire to reclaim wasteland "stimulated" this slave trade. Another point that is interesting to me is that Strayer is careful to say that "no imperial control accompanied Indian cultural influence" (298), and that Southeast Asia kept true to many traditional practices. In reading about Indian influence on Southeast Asia, I initially got the idea that Indian culture was largely impacting, because language and religion was adopted, yet my understanding changed when Strayer clarifies that they adopted Indian ideas to fit their "needs" (298).

Sand Roads: Exchange across the Sahara

• The Sand Roads spread across the Sahara. It linked North Africa and Mediterranea with West Africa. Environmental trade gave rise to Trans-African trade. Desert Sahara, agricultural people, and North African manufactured goods. In the beginning, exchange of products took place across the Niger River, by agricultural peoples.
• Camels impacted African commercial life because of its durability across Sahara deserts. 
• Gold was found in West Africa. Sahara provided Sudan with goods. The Sahara became an "international" trade route. The organization of caravans was impactful as journeys were long. Sudan, impacted by the wealth of trans-Saharan trade, created new and larger political structures of monarchal states, empires, and city-states, known for riches and taxing Sahara merchants. All civilizations were affected by international commerce, as it lead to social division and hierarchy.
• West African and Sahara slavery was a result of this commerce-culture. Sudanic Africa became urban and commercial centers. Islam was an important culture in urban West Africa.

I found it surprising that the Arabs referred to Sudan regions as "the land of the black people." I'm sure they did not intend to be racist, as seeing a new people gave them this first impression, but reading that statement in this modern day and age, of course it seems offensive. To me, seeing something like this just reveals how much the times have changed, but it also urges me to consider an initially unbiased perspective in order to truly understand history. A strange thought I had while reading is how society often portrays Africa as less developed and less urban than other areas. While this may be true in some ways, because of poverty and education, the text strongly emphasizes how urban and commercial West Africa was. This again ties back to the idea of suspending initial judgment in order to get the best out of understanding history.

An American Network: Commerce and connection in the Western Hemisphere

• The Silk, Sea, and Sand Roads linked the civilizations of the Eastern hemisphere, but not as much interaction took place in the Western hemisphere because a lack of animals, vehicles, vessels, geography of narrow Panama limiting interaction and agricultural passage between North and South America. Climate too was an inhibitor, South and North environments were distinct, but in Eurasia agricultural passage was simpler because environments were similar. Also there was not so much a spread of culture as in Eurasia. 
• Some evidence, such as art and games does reveal some interaction, but still cultural diffusion was slow. Cahokia was a chiefdom at the center of trade, revealing network exchange. Commerce had a role in creating an American network. Between Mesoamerica and the Andes  were the greatest commercial networks, and the focus was on luxury goods because it sustained royalty. Inca trade was state-run, and not private, transported by caravans and llamas.

It is interesting to know how much of a difference resources and environment can make. A lack of animals, for example, and climate, were big inhibitors in the slow diffusion of culture and the creation of trade network in the Americas. Eventually, people would have to work around these barriers.