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Producer
A person, company, or country that makes, grows, or supplies goods or commodities for sale.
Consumer
A person who purchases goods for personal use
Merchant
Person that buys, sells, and trades goods (AKA Middleman)
Economy
A system of making and trading things of value, normally divided into “goods” and “services”
Supply
The amount of a good or service that is available
Demand
Willingness of a consumer to buy goods and services at a specific price
How did geography influence the development of trade?
Geography affected what goods were available and how easy or difficult it was to trade. For example, natural resources and climate determined what could be produced, and physical features like mountains, deserts, and rivers impacted how easily people could travel or trade.
How did supply and demand influence trade?
Regions traded when one had a high supply of a good and another had high demand for it. For example, China had lots of silk (high supply), and Rome wanted it badly (high demand), so trade occurred.
Why did countries want to trade? How was it beneficial?
Countries wanted goods they couldn’t produce themselves, like spices, silk, or gold. Trade brought wealth, new technologies, ideas, and cultural exchange, helping societies grow and prosper.
What were items that were traded along the Silk Road?
China: Silk, bamboo, paper, gunpowder, porcelain
India: Cotton textiles, spices, herbal medicine, gems
Central Asia: Horses, furs, slaves, saddles
Middle East: Dates, dyes, nuts, swords
What was the importance of the Silk Road?
It connected Europe and Asia for over 1,000 years, allowing the exchange of luxury goods, cultures, religions, and ideas. It helped create wealthy cities and powerful empires.
Explain the importance of pack animals used on the Sand Road.
Camels were essential because they could carry heavy loads (up to 400 pounds), travel long distances without water, and survive desert conditions. Without them, trade across the Sahara would’ve been impossible.
What was the importance of Timbuktu in Mali?
Timbuktu became a major trade city and cultural center during Mali’s rise. It was known for its Islamic learning, arts, and scholarship
Define cultural diffusion. Explain how trade encouraged cultural diffusion.
Cultural diffusion is the exchange of ideas, customs, goods, and beliefs between cultures. Trade encouraged this by bringing people from different regions together. For example, religions like Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity spread through trade.
What are the positive effects of trade along the Silk and Sand Roads?
Increased wealth
Spread of religions (Buddhism, Islam, Christianity)
New technologies, foods, and ideas
Growth of cities and empires
Diplomatic relationships
What are the negative effects of trade along the Silk and Sand Roads?
Spread of diseases like the Black Death
Environmental damage from overuse of resources
Increase in slavery and conflict
Economic collapse when routes declined
Explain how a SPECIFIC empire either rose or fell as a result of trade on the Silk or Sand Road.
Mongol Empire (Silk Road):
Rise: They united a large area and secured trade routes (Pax Mongolia), which helped trade thrive.
Fall: The spread of the Black Death and overextension caused the empire to weaken.
OR
Mali Empire (Sand Road):
Rise: Controlled gold trade and built wealth through trans-Saharan trade.
Fall: Trade route disruptions and weak leadership led to decline.
Explain how trade along the Silk or Sand Road contributed to the spread of a specific religion.
Islam (Sand Road):
Islam spread through North Africa and West Africa as Berber merchants traded goods and also shared religious beliefs. Cities built mosques, used Arabic, and practiced Sharia law.
OR
Buddhism (Silk Road):
Buddhism spread from India to East Asia as merchants and travelers shared religious teachings along trade routes.
List the reasons that trade decreased on the Silk and Sand roads.
Dangerous routes (bandits, disease)
Sea trade became more efficient and profitable
Wars (Morocco in Africa, Ottomans in Asia)
Black Death spread through Silk Road
Rise of European sea trade made land trade less necessary
Shifts in political power and collapsed empires