APWH|Unit 2 Sections 2.5 “Cultural Consequences of Connectivity,” 2.

6 “Environmental Consequences of
Connectivity”
Directions: For each reading section define the important vocabulary words and answer the reading questions that follow using
specific details. It is imperative that you complete your readings thoughtfully and independently. Students who do not do their
reading will not do well in this course.

UNIT 2.5| Cultural Consequences of Connectivity

Key term/event Definition (Think - Who, What, When, Where…) and Significance (Why this term matters)

1. Diffusion (Definition not in book) Spread of something (typically cultural aspect like religion) from its place of origin

2. Zen Buddhism A syncretic religion from Daoism and Buddhism. Popular among scholar
Gentry and middle class in Song Dynasty.
3. Neo-Confucianism A syncretic region from Buddhism, Daoism and Confucianism. Was based
on logic and reasoning and it was popular in SE Asia.
4. Black Death A disease that spread from rats across trade routes and killed off a third of
Europe, which caused feudalism to weaken.
5. Marco Polo An Italian merchant who traveled around the trading routes as he wrote
down accounts of each place. Interacted with the Mongols.
6. Ibn Battuta A scholar from Morocco that traveled through Asia. Documented many
accounts of Islam and achievements of the Islamic people.
7. Margery Kempe A poor, Jewish English mystic who traveled all throughout Europe and to
Jerusalem.

Objective Key Developments

Explain the 1. Religious, Cultural, and Technological Impacts of Interaction

intellectual A. Generally, in what ways did cultural diffusion in c. 1200-1450 effect places?
and cultural
effects of the
It brought advancements through trade and artistic/literary styles, and
various unified many different regions.
networks of B. Buddhism in East Asia
exchange in ● How did it spread to China?
Afro-Eurasia Silk Roads and Xuanzang
from c. 1200 to
c. 1450.
● What was Zen Buddhism and why was it popular?
It was a syncretic religion made from Buddhism and Daoism, it was popular because it
was easily incorporated into people’s lives.

● How did printing impact Buddhism in China? How was literature itself impacted?
Printing allowed for Buddhist teachings to spread to the scholar Gentry class. It was impacted itself
because writer started to develop a Confucian writing style.

● What does it mean that Japan and Korea were “countries in China’s orbit”? Why would they
adopt Confucianism and Buddhism at this time (think back to the Song Dynasty).
It means that they relied on China for defense and trade. They adopted the religions because it
strengthened the ties between empires and regions.

● In Korea, who studied which religion and why?

The educated would study Confucianism because they respected and understood their social
placement. Peasants practiced Buddhism because it was the opposite.

● How was Neo-Confucianism significant to East Asia?

It made the regions more rational and their governments more advanced and fair.

C. Spread of Hinduism and Buddhism in Southeast Asia

● How did it spread to Southeast Asia?
Trade

● What evidence do we have that Buddhism had a strong influence?

In the Sinhala dynasty, the rulers took economic and political advice from the
monks.

● How does the Khmer Empire (Angkor Wat) evidence religious diffusion?
It has a mix of Buddhist and Hindu monuments.

D. Spread of Islam
● How and where did Islam spread?
It spread to South, Southeast Asia and Africa by missionaries, merchants and conquest.

● List TWO specific impacts for each region below:

○ Africa:
■ Timbuktu was a great city for Islamic learning and education

■ African leaders made pilgrimages to Mecca

○ South Asia:
■Low class Hindu people would convert to Islam because they rejected the caste system

■Islamic beliefs were incorporated into architecture

 ○ Southeast Asia
■ Buddhism and Confucianism were merged to make Java Islam

■ Javanese stories, poetry, and puppetry gained Islamic ideals

E. Scientific and Technological Innovations

● How did technology spread?
Trade

● List FIVE examples of technology that spread through diffusion:

○ Paper making spread through Europe
○ The compass was made and used by sailors
Champa rice grew in China and Vietnam
○ Indian math concepts were introduced by Islamic scholars
○ Aristotle and other Greek philosopher teachings were translated to Arabic
○

● What did Marco Polo’s writings show?

Accounts of Hangzhou

● How was Hangzhou similar to Timbuktu/Calicut in being a center of trade?

They both were centers of cultural and technological exchange through
merchants trading goods and ideas

● What factors contribute to the growth of cities?

Transportation, labor supply, increased agricultural production, commerce, political
stability and invasion

● What factors contributed to the decline of cities like Constantinople and Kashgar?
Invasion from foreign empires and the plague

F. Effects of the Crusades

● What was the Black Death?
A disease that killed a lot of people that spread across trade routes

● What was its impact on the world of this time?

The feudal system declined because the disease killed all the workers.

2. Traveler’s Tales
A. How did traveler’s tales become popular?
People were interested in learning about other places and cultures. They also could spread the stories
faster and easier with printing

B. Marco Polo
● Where was he from and where did he travel to?
He was Italian and traveled to the court of Kublai Khan

● What was his Point of View?

He focused on trade and the cities he visited and their culture/economy

● What was the impact of his writing?

Europeans began to learn about and accept the Chinese as very advanced and wealthy
people
 Ibn Battuta
Where was he from and where did he travel to?
He was from Morocco and traveled to Asia, Africa and parts of Europe

What was his Point of View?

He was an Islamic scholar so he mainly focused on faith and Muslim accomplishments

What was the impact of his writing?

Rulers became interested with foreign places and
what went on there

Margery Kempe
Where was he from and where did he travel to?
She was from England and traveled to Jerusalem, Spain and Germany

What was his Point of View?

Medieval woman

What was the impact of his writing?

Her accounts inspired the lower class

UNIT 2.6| Environmental Consequences of Connectivity

Key term/event Definition (Think - Who, What, When, Where…) and Significance (Why this term matters)
Rice from Vietnam to China that greatly impacted growth and production of Chinese crops due to the fact
1. Champa Rice that it could grow in many different conditions

2. Overgrazing Excessive farming/grazing that destroys land and farms

Objective Key Developments

Explain the 1. Agricultural Effects of Exchange Networks

environment
al effects of A. Generally speaking, what was the impact of new crops (the good and the bad)?
the various Crop production grew immensely but that led to overgrazing in certain areas.
networks of
exchange in
Afro-Eurasia
from c.
1200-1450. B. Champa Rice
● Where do we think Champa Rice originated? How did it get to China?
China because it lasted through floods and droughts

● How did it impact China’s:

○ Population:
The population grew because the food supply went up
 ○ Land use: They could use all the land potential because it could grow in so many
different places
○ Migration:
People moved south which spread ideas

C. Bananas
● Who introduced this crop to Sub-Saharan Africa?
Indonesian sailors

● What was the major impact of bananas in this region?

Gave Bantu people a food source and increased land cultivation, grew population and enriched
diets

D. Sugar, Cotton, and Citrus Crops

● Who spread cotton, sugar, and citrus beyond the Arabian Peninsula?
Muslim Caliphs

● Explain how cities like Samarkand were also involved in the spread of these items.
Samarkand brought new vegetables and fruits to Europe from SW Asia

● How does sugar impact the 1500s?

It’s value and demand increased and it became a massive reason for slavery in the americas

E. Environmental Degradation
● How did increases in population impact the environment?
It put pressure on the efficiency of agriculture which caused overgrazing

● How in turn did overuse of land impact places like Great Zimbabwe and the Mayans?
It forced many people to abandon Zimbabwe. It also led to the fall of the Mayans

2. Spread of Epidemics through Exchange Networks

A. How did the Mongols and caravanserai help spread the plague?
The mongols spread the plague through their conquests. The caravanserai’s spread the plague by having
humans and animals so close together

B. How was the impact of the plague on Europe negative and positive?
It was negative because it killed a third of the population and it was positive because it caused the
importance of workers to go up because they were in high demand.

C. Where else did the Black Death make an appearance? How did South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa avoid
the Black Death?
In North Africa, Central Asia and China. In these places, about 25 million people died. South Asia and Sub
Saharan Africa didn’t have as many trading posts so they were sheltered from the plague

UNIT 2.7| Comparison of Economic Exchange

Objective Key Developments

Explain the A. Summarize how the Silk Roads, Trans-Sahara Route, and Indian Ocean trade are similar via origins, purpose,
similarities and effects.
and All 3 routes expanded empires, the economic purpose of the routes were to exchange crops and products, and the
differences routes helped nuke trade cities along the East African coast
among the
various
networks of
exchange in B. Summarize how the Silk Roads, Trans-Sahara Route, and Indian Ocean trade are different via the goods
the period c. exchange, technologies they inspired, and the religions they spread.
1200-1450. They were different because the silk roads had luxury goods, the trans Saharan routes focused on salt and natural
goods, and the Indian Ocean trade depended on monsoons

C. Summarize the social implications of networks of exchange in labor.

Need of more production of goods required more labor
Many of same labor positions stood from past periods
Slave trade was common in the Indian Ocean trade
Achievements of water systems and tech made a need for more labor

D. Summarize the social and gender structures of the networks of exchange.

The gender and social structures were based off caste system and patriarchs
Some places women could have power and influence
Mongol women had an unprecedented amount of power
Women granted powerful roles in families in SE Asia

Multiple Choice Responses (Record them here!)

Section 2.5 1. A 2. A 3. C

Section 2.6 1. B 2. D 3. C

Short Answer Question Responses

List any information that would help you to craft a well-informed response.

2.5 SAQ A. B. C.
Question #2 Diffusion of Buddhism to SE Asia Marco Polo’s writings about his
was evident through Buddhist The arrival of Islam influenced African
culture through African leaders journeys is an example of traveler
statues replacing those of perspective writings. This is because
Hinduism in the Khmer empire. pilgramaging to Mecca. The rulers
would go to Mecca and then bring Marco Polo was exactly that, a traveler
This shows that Buddhism writing about his journeys to China and
spread to and quickly gained back the beliefs to their kingdoms.
how it compared to Europe.
support in foreign places

2.6 SAQ A. One pattern that shows the B. One way the Black Death spread C. One report of the plagues impact
Question #1 Black Death is the decrease in was through rodents on ships and on the environment is a source
populations. The plague killed on merchants. The rodents would that records the travels of Ibn
millions and millions of people hitch a ride with merchants Battuta and the battles in foreign
the whole time it was around. (whether that be land or sea), and countries of
they carried flees which had the
plague.