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Expanding the Silk Routes

Unit Problem: How did the expansion of trade routes impact communities on the edges of Afro-Eurasia?

As the Silk Roads expanded, new regions were connected across this vast network of exchange. From medieval England to West Africa, travelers, soldiers, sailors, merchants, and many others moved goods and ideas to new places, transforming life across Afro-Eurasia.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Learn about regional networks of exchange and how these networks impacted communities in Afro-Eurasia.
  2. Examine the intellectual, cultural, and environmental effects of networks of exchange such as the Indian Ocean and trans-Saharan systems.
  3. Use a graphic biography to support, extend, or challenge the overarching narratives from this time period.

Vocab Terms:

  • commercialization
  • guild
  • hajj
  • textile
  • till
STEP 1

Opener: Expanding the Silk Routes

Merchants were the lifeblood of the Silk Roads. They traveled long distances over difficult routes. What do you think they most needed?

STEP 2

Indian Ocean Trade

The Indian Ocean was one of the most important trade networks in the world during this period. Use this article and graphic biography to explore this diverse region.

STEP 3

Wool and Silk

Silk and wool flowed across the networks of the Silk Roads. Use what you’ve learned in this lesson to compare the trade in these two fabrics.

Silk and the Song Dynasty External link

Silk was the ultimate medieval cloth, and Song Dynasty China was its main producer. More than just the stuff from which clothing was made, it served as money, art, and symbol of imperial power.

Key Ideas

As this video progresses, key ideas will be introduced to invoke discussion.

Guilds, Wool, and Trade: Medieval England in a Global Economy External link

Around 1250 to 1350 CE, an archipelago of trade stretched across Afro-Eurasia. Historians Nick Dennis and Trevor Getz explore the role of the wool trade in this system and its impact on England.

Key Ideas

As this video progresses, key ideas will be introduced to invoke discussion.
STEP 4

Salt and Gold

Did you know that the wealthiest person in history lived in fourteenth-century West Africa? Explore the trading networks that linked wealthy empires in the article and video, and then put it all into context in the activity.

Mansa Musa and Islam in Africa: Crash Course World History #16 External link

As trade recovered across Afro-Eurasia, new states expanded in parts of Africa. These states exerted influence over Islamic trade networks. History’s wealthiest man provides us a unique window on this period.

Key Ideas

As this video progresses, key ideas will be introduced to invoke discussion.
STEP 5

Closer: Expanding the Silk Routes

In this lesson, you explored how the expansion and contraction of trade routes over time influenced networks. How has your thinking changed?

Extension Materials
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Expand your exploration of the intersection of politics and trade by delving deeper into West African history.
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West Africa

West Africa was home to several powerful states during this period. The Mali Empire thrived in part thanks to its control of the production and trade of gold. Trade networks brought new ideas such as Islam to Mali, transforming society.