Effects Of Cross Cultural Interactions Between 600-1450 CE

Through analyzing the five given documents, factors affecting cultural exchange through civilizations during 1000 and 1400 A.D. are noticeably those which result in the bringing of new ideas to a different area, such as missionary work, commerce, war, and travels. As new religions sprouted throughout Europe on other expansive areas, missionaries were sent out to foreign lands. Document 1 comes from the viewpoint of a Roman Catholic missionary attempting to spread his faith by presenting a letter from the pope to the emperor of the Tatars. This shows that by converting a powerful leader to your faith, such as an emperor, it is easier for others to follow said faith. Documents 2 and 4 also emphasize how travel can be accountable for the

Though Islamic jihads spread rapidly throughout the Middle East and North Africa (even into Europe), they rarely forced conversion by the sword and instead wanted people to come to it of their own will, which allowed a “truer” believer. The reason for this difference is probably due to the threats that the early western European church faced from constantly invading nomads and thus wanted those under their control to be Christian and nothing else. Islam was not as concerned with this due to the overwhelming nature of their conquests. This is also demonstrated in the eastern Roman empire (Byzantine Empire) because they never “collapsed” and thus allowed a diversity of religions within their empire unlike western Europe. The structure of these religions allowed both regions to have a sense of stability and common beliefs even though both had a diversity of cultures within their regions. This structure allowed for political systems to get stronger and protect the people during this period of constant invasion (especially for Europe) and allowed the rise of more advanced civilizations. One sees this with rise of the Holy Roman Empire in Western Europe and the caliphate empires of the Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties. This similarity in the impact of structured religion in both regions can be explained by the need for people to latch on to any stable, organized entity that would allow them to survive the chaos after 500 CE.

Islam is an empire that expanded greatly, but they didn’t expand by people just joining them they did it by battles and other ways. Muhammad guided a small group of people who followed him in 622 CE. Then died in 632 CE, because there was no one who took charge some Arab tribes started leaving Islam. But Abu Bakr used military force to get back some Muslims. People who were Jew or Christian liked how Islam thought of how people can be equal. But in 656 the third caliph was killed and 661 the fourth was killed and they Umayyad dynasty started to take place. They did what Abu Bakr did and used military forces to expand; they expanded it to Persia, Central Asia, and Spain. By 732 a battle started and Christians stopped Muslim armies. The Umayyad’s

Similarly both trade routes had access to salt. Nevertheless, the Trans-Saharan trade route also was able to obtain gold, ivory, metal ware, textiles, pepper, dates, beads, and leather. Consequently the quantity of goods led to an increase in wealth for Ghana. The Trans-Saharan trade route was able to exchange their luxury goods for pottery, glassware, and textiles from Persia, India, and China. Additionally during the 900’s the kings converted to Islam causing wealthy merchants to also convert. On the other hand, overland trade on the Silk Road produced silk, spices, and precious stones. Meanwhile sea-lanes on the Silk Road were capable of carrying bulkier items such as steel, stone, coral, and building materials. Because China was the only country that had cultivators and weavers with an outstanding knowledge of developing techniques, they were able to produce high-quality silk fabrics in classical

Throughout early history, civilizations often sought to receive resources from afar to sustain their societies and keep themselves thriving, and to this end trade relations and eventually trade routes began to emerge. This aided civilizations in their discovery of foreign items that they may use to better their societies. These items traded ranged from complex technology to something as simple as nutmeg. The main trade routes that were utilized in East and South Asia were the silk road and the Indian Ocean Trade Network. In the 7th- 12th centuries, both the silk road and Indian ocean trade route had affected east and south Asia by the introduction of religions such as Buddhism changing government forms and altering the belief systems of society and changing how individuals live their daily lives, however differences were present in the impact that these routes had on daily lives, such as the Indian Ocean Trade Route giving rise to an entire new culture in Africa known as the Swahili and leading to the innovation of the sailing boat known as the Dhow, and the silk road led to the transmission of religion and resources throughout Eurasia and it led to utilization of caravans and animals as a means of trade.

The spread of Islam and Christianity. Both belief systems spread both rapidly and were efficient religions that brought great change for the greater good. They were the largest religions in the entire world and both happened to be monotheistic. Both religions share a similar history and tradition. Christianity appealed to the people because of their unwillingness to live on and how hopeless they were to move forward in poverty. Travel played an enormous role in conversion because of the missionaries sent out to unknown lands to spread the faith through trading routes (Christianity) and contacts (Islam). Islam prospered, on the other hand, with a vision of the angel Gabriel from Muhammed (became a god messenger and prophet of Allah). Interactions with other civilizations developed the Islamic World. These new religions led to more growth in the aspects of their social, economic, and political systems in addition to influencing other upcoming religions in history.

Three new major religions developed and spread around the same time as the decline of the classical empires. These tree religions were Christianity, Buddhism, and Islam. As government declines, people began to strive for a more spiritual like and to seek joy. So, people turned to these religions. Buddhism spread through the bodhisattvas. As it spread and gained popularity, different versions of Buddhism formed in certain areas, like Mahayana Buddhism. Christianity spread through the teaching of monks and religious leaders. It became very popular because it appealed to all social classes. It offered a spiritual like, seeking the divine all-powerful force, which appealed to the wealthy. But, it also promoted the beauty of a simple life and spiritual equality, so the lower classes were fond of the new religion. Islam spread when the Arab armies fought to convert people to their religion. Islam had a huge impact in the civilizations in the Middle

| * New trade routes were made, such as the Indian Ocean routes, and old routes were expanded upon, like the silk

Trade was an important achievement to Africa, especially Aksum. Aksum, one of Africa’s major trading cities, is a justification for Africa’s achievements. Its site is near important trade routes such as the Red Sea, the Nile River, and the Gulf of Aden made it a key international trading center (Doc 1). Another important city of trade was Kilwa. Kilwa controlled the trade overseas between Africa because of location near the coast. (Doc 8)

The already existing trade routes of the trans-Saharan, the Silk Road, the Indian Ocean network, and the Mediterranean Sea network continued to help empires, goods, beliefs, ideas, technologies, and people spread to newer and farther cities with trade centers. These cities included Hangzhou, Tenochtitlan, Baghdad, Cahokia, Venice, and Swahili city-states.

One of the greatest changes in the post classical period was the rise of Islam that spread across Eurasia and Africa. Even after the Islamic Empire, Dar al-Islam, had begun to lose power by 850 Islam continued to spread, unifying diverse societies and ethnicities through the commonality of culture and religion.

The Byzantine Empire needed the metal to create an economy and many products. The route kept on expanding to be a more traditional trade route of the Silk Road between Europe and the Middle East. The camel caravans and oases were the primary modes of transportation to make it possible for the buyer and seller to communicate about the product and slave. The camels were perfectly suited to the travel through the Sahara from moving for extended periods of time and carrying heavy packages. The transportation also helped cultural exchange between Africans and Arabs. The Trans-Saharan trading enriched the African kingdoms beyond what would have been possible without it.

These invasions were a primary factor of the religions spread. For example, the Islamic empire began to spread through Asia and the Middle East, where they encountered people of various religions like Christianity, Judaism, and Confucianism. Though they tolerated religions like Christianity due to their monotheistic aspect, they did not tolerate any other faith and forced conversions were made which in many cases, the alternate decision was death. These brutal methods of conversion allowed Islam to become a powerful religion throughout Asia, and by the age of discovery, Islam reached the New World. Currently, Islam is the largest ethnic religion and the second most practiced religion in the

Long distance trading had made it possible for people from different cultures to interact. Silk roads were one of the famous trade routes that were used in the ancient time. It stretched from China to central Asia and westward. It merged into one big series of routes. Traders traveled segments of the route, passing their goods on to others who took them further along the road, and in turn, passed them on again. The effect of long-distance exchanges altered the political geography of Afro-Eurasia. The Middle East became a commercial middle ground between the Mediterranean and Indian. The horse-riding nomads of Inner Eurasia made long-distance trade possible. Kushan empire in Afghanistan and the Indus River basin embraced a large and diverse

In the African continent, they developed an economic relationship with the European nation. There was clear signs that European needed connections. Prior to their relationship, african rulers had established trade links with the Mediterranean world, Western Asia, and Indian Ocean region. The expansion provided Europeans goods that included, cloth, iron, copper, jewelry, beads, and more. In exchange, Europeans return with textiles, carving, spices. The main trade however was