Notes 

2.1: Growth and Networks of Exchange After 1200

 

The Silk Roads, a vast trading network throughout Eurasia, revived global trade in the Postclassical era of history. The expansion of the Silk Roads were primarily driven by new technologies, the rise of new empires, and a demand for luxury goods. Let’s analyze these empires in particular:

• The Abbasid Empire:Arab merchants from the Abbasid Empire would rejuvenate the land-based SIlk Roads and sea routes in the Indian Ocean Basin from the 8th-9th centuries. 

• The Mongol Empire: The Mongol Empire was one of the most powerful forces driving trade expansion. For the first time in history, the SIlk Roads would go on to be unified under one authority. The Mongols respected commerce and enforced laws that would enable trade. The Mongols also prioritized improving roads and would punish bandits to make trade optimal. 

• In China, the Tang dynasty would go on to provide innovations such as the compass, gunpowder and paper to this new interconnected network. 

 

As the Silk Roads facilitated trade, transportation technologies would be needed to allow travel. 

• Caravans: Caravans were organized groups of merchants where travelers would move in larger groups. This increased safety. 

• Saddles: Camel saddles had greatly improved, allowing for animals to be able to carry more weight. This meant that a greater volume of goods could be traded. 

• Chinese Junks: These large ships had many sails and hull compartments, allowing for efficient travel as sinking was less likely to occur. 

• The Magnetic Compass: Helped sailors navigate their ships. 

 

The Crusades would introduce Europeans to fabrics and spices from the East, which increased demand for these goods. To address this heightened demand, artisans from Persia, India and China would work towards boosting the production of textiles, porcelain and silk. 

 

As a result of these expanding exchange networks, cities would form at thriving economic and cultural centers. Examples of this include:

• Kashgar: A city located in China that quickly began a center for Islamic scholarship and housed a vibrant market of textiles and pottery. 

• Samarkand: A significant “stopping-point” in modern-day Uzbekistan. It served as a center for diverse religious exchange (between Christians, Islam and Buddhism). It was renowned for its artisans and mosques. 

• Caravanserai: The Caravanserai were smaller inns that were spaced 100 miles apart (as camels could only travel that distance without needing more water) throughout the Silk Roads. Travelerers and their animals would rest there and interact amongst themselves, leading to cultural diffusion and exchange. 

 

With trade at an all-time high, new financial inventions would come about. It was becoming increasingly difficult for merchants to physically carry heavy coins while trading. So, there came: 

• Flying Cash: a credit system where merchants would deposit money in one place and would withdraw it in another.

• Banking Houses: Institutions that would encourage trade by offering financial services like loans and currency exchange (they can be considered to be a precedent to modern day banks). 

• Bills of Exchange: Can be considered a type of “check”. These were written documents that made merchants promise to pay a set amount on a specific date. 

• Hanseatic League: The Hanseatic League was an influential commercial alliance between various European cities (throughout northern Germany and Scandinavia) that would enable commerce throughout the Baltic and North Seas. They would work together to eliminate pirates and profit off of goods like grain and timber.