Silk Roads
Explain ONE way the Silk Roads spread more than just goods.
They spread religions, technologies, languages, ideas, and cultural practices between different societies.
Why did Indian Ocean trade generally carry more goods than Silk Road trade?
Ships could carry much larger and heavier loads than caravans traveling overland.
This desert had to be crossed by merchants traveling between North Africa and West Africa.
The Sahara Desert?
True or False: Trade networks only moved physical goods.
False. They also moved ideas, religions, technologies, languages, and diseases.
What invention or animal helped travelers cross the Sahara Desert?
Camels
This dangerous geographic feature made travel across Central Asia difficult and encouraged merchants to use caravanserais and other forms of support.
The mountains and deserts of Central Asia?
This East African coastal region became an important center of Indian Ocean trade and developed a culture blending African, Arab, and Persian influences.
Swahili Coast
This religion spread into West Africa largely through merchants and scholars traveling along trade networks.
Islam
Which network relied most heavily on ships?
The Indian Ocean network
What seasonal winds helped sailors travel across the Indian Ocean?
Monsoon Winds
Name TWO important goods traded along the Silk Roads. (Not Silk)
Porcelain, spices, horses, textiles, paper, or other acceptable examples.
This type of ship was commonly used by merchants in the Indian Ocean and was especially associated with the western Indian Ocean.
A Dhow
These two goods were especially important in the Trans-Saharan trade.
Gold and Salt
Which network depended especially heavily on camels?
The Trans-Saharan network.
What instrument helped sailors determine their position using the stars?
Astrolabe
Why were cities such as Samarkand important to Silk Road trade?
They were major trading centers where merchants, goods, cultures, and ideas came together.
Name ONE technology that helped Indian Ocean merchants travel long distances.
Lateen sail, compass, astrolabe, improved ship
Why was salt so valuable in West Africa?
Salt was necessary for human health and food preservation, and it was difficult to obtain in many parts of West Africa.
Name the two deserts that one would have to consider passing thru on the Silk Roads
Gobi and Talamakan
The Silk Roads, Indian Ocean network, and Trans-Saharan network all crossed difficult environments. What was one important way merchants adapted their technology or methods to overcome these geographic challenges?
Caravan organization/camel transport for deserts, specialized sailing technology for ocean travel, or navigation technologies such as the compass and astrolabe.
How could the expansion of a large empire simultaneously increase trade and threaten merchants?
A large empire could provide political stability, protection, and connected territory, encouraging trade, but wars, conquest, taxation, or conflict could also disrupt routes and increase risks.
Both the Silk Roads and Indian Ocean network connected distant regions. Why did merchants use different types of goods and transportation strategies on the two networks?
Geography and transportation capacity differed. Overland routes favored valuable, relatively lightweight goods because caravans had limited capacity, while ships could carry much larger quantities of heavier or bulkier goods.
How did Trans-Saharan trade contribute to the growth of West African states such as Ghana and Mali?
Trade generated wealth and taxes, allowing rulers to strengthen their governments, armies, and cities.
The Silk Roads, Indian Ocean network, and Trans-Saharan trade network all connected distant societies. What was one important similarity in how these networks changed the societies they connected?
All three networks encouraged the exchange of goods, ideas, religions, technologies, and cultures, while also contributing to the growth of cities and states connected to trade.
Why were technological adaptations especially important to long-distance trade?
They allowed merchants to overcome geographic challenges and travel farther/more efficiently.