AP World Ch. 7: Networks of Communication & Exchange Flashcards

191770941	Silk Road	trade route linking land of Mediterannean w/ China by way of Mesopotamia, Iran, & Central Asia; experienced period of heavy use beginning around 100 B.C.E.; Europeans were captivated by this idea; Manichaeism spread along here	0
191770942	Parthians	people originally from east of Caspian Sea; major force by 247 B.C.E.; left few written records & recurring wars w/ Greeks & Romans to west prevented travelers from Mediterranean region from gaining knowledge of kingdom; being located on threshold of Central Asia & sharing customs w/ steppe nomads farther to east helped foster the Silk Road	1
191770943	Sasanid Empire	224 - 600; brought continuation of rivalry between Rome & Parthians along Euphraes frontier & intensification of trade along Silk Road; Ardashir, a descendant of Sasan, defeated Parthians around 224; came from southwest (earlier, gave rise ro Achaemenids); silver work & silk fabrics - sumptuous (luxurious) & sedentary lifestyle of warrior elite; Iranian cities were small walled communities that served more as military strongpoints protecting long-distance trade; farmers pioneered in planting cotton, sugar cane, rice, citrus trees, eggplants, & other crops from India & China; est. Zoroastrian faith, which Parthians has not particularly stressed; late 3rd cent. inscription in Iran boasts of persecutions of Christians, Jews, & Buddhists carried out by Zoroastrian high priest; Christians were patronized by kings	2
191770944	stirrup	evidence comes 1st from Kushan people who ruled northern Afghanistan in about 1st cent. C.E; @ 1st solid bar, then loop of leather to support rider's big toe & device of leather & metal or wood supporting instep; gave riders greater stability in saddle; a mounted warrior could supplement bow & arrow w/ long lance & charge enemy @ gallop w/o fear that impact of attack would push off mount; to the west: made possible armored knights who dominated battlefields of Europe & contributed to superiority of Tang cavalry	3
191770945	Indian Ocean Maritime System	est. by multilingual, multiethnic society of seafarers - left few records & seldom played visible part in rise & fall of kingdoms & empires, but forged (formed) strong economic & social ties between coastal lands of East Africa, southern Arabia, the Persian Gulf, India, Southeast Asia, & southern China; trade network across Indian Ocean & South China Sea; trade took place in (1) in South China Sea, Chinese, & Malays (including Indonesians) dominated trade; (2) from the east coast of India to the islands of Southeast Asia, Indians & Malays were main traders; (3) from west coast of India to Persian Gulf & east coast of Africa, merchants & sailors were predominantly Persians & Arabs	4
191770946	Sahel	literally "the coast" in Arabic; southern borderlands of Sahara	5
191770947	sub-Saharan Africa	portion of Africa south of Sahara; most important African network of cultural exchange from 300 B.C.E. to 1100 C.E. arose w/in regoin & took form of folk migration; by 1 C.E.	6
191770948	steppes	semiarid in the Sahel region; flat	7
191770949	savanna	tropical; covered by long grasses & scattered forest	8
191770950	tropical rain forest	on lower Niger & in Zaire Basin; east-west travel is difficult	9
191770951	great traditions	cultural heritages shared by educaed elites w/in each region; typically include written language, common legal & belief systems, ethical codes, & other intellectual attitudes	10
191770952	small traditions	local customs & beliefs	11