AGMSPRITE
First of all, the expansion of trade during the time of the third-wave civilizations dramatically enhanced the art of empires, with more wealth for atisans and more techniques and tools. With more trade, areas were also allowed agricultural goods that they otherwise could not cultivate themselves, but through trade with other cities crop diversity could begin to accumulate. Spices, wheat barley, seeds, and potatoes spread to the far reaches of Eurasia. Merchants also learned to use animals to their benefit during travel, such as employing camels to cross harsh desert climates. Also, they created ships to carry large shipments of wheat and cleverly took advantage of monsoons to cross the Indian Ocean in order to continue their trading. Gunpowder spread along the Silk Road and sparked many new inventions such as the cannon, which completely revolutionized warfare and military tactics. Drastic social changes took place during this period including an emergence of stark social hierarchies. Due to the new abundance of wealth within the community, one was able to alter their social standing. The new group of merchants became a social group of their own and created their own wealth, allowing them to live a life of luxury. Goods passed a long the Silk, Sea, and Sand Roads, most notably silk, which acted as a symbol of economic prosperity. Politically, the issue arose of who should be in control of the trading in each area, whether it be privately ran or government-operated. The spread of religion occurred rapidly from city to city during this time. Buddhism spread to China from India, the birthplace of Buddhism. Islam was also spread to Africa, while Christianity erupted in Europe. These religious expansions instilled new ways of thinking and behaving in the lives of everyone affected by their spread. Innovation during this time was booming. Ideas were able to spread from person to person in ways unthinkable before. A product created in one city, such as gunpowder, could spread throughout all of Asia and eventually become, for example, the cannon or fireworks. New ideas and technologies were spreading to every corner of Eurasia and sparking revolutionary innovation that has shaped the modern world today. Idea and technologies would be developed in one city, and as soon as they spread to the next city, they were improved upon, and innovation flourished. The means of printing, making paper, creating different silks or wine were spread, altered, and reproduced in cities all across the Eastern Hemisphere. From an economic standpoint, the cities were prospering immensely from the trade routes passing through their respective cities. The cities began specializing in trading foreign goods instead of depending on each other for goods and ideas that they could not otherwise obtain, which created a very lively, prosperous trading environment. A major continuity over time is innovation through the exchange of ideas and improvement of previous technologies by different regions that trade it with one another. Improving technology is crucial to the growth of a society, so this can be seen throughout all of history. One major change that has occurred is that the world became more globalized. Countries learned to overcome geographical barriers like oceans and deserts, in order to trade faster and easier. Overall, expanded trade throughout the ancient world allowed for the formation of a flatter world, or in other words, a world with easier communication and more potential to work together for the greater good of all.
Bibliography:
Image:
-http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&client=firefox-a&sa=N&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&biw=1024&bih=615&tbm=isch&tbnid=F02PN2UfNHnIHM:&imgrefurl=http://www.fredonia.edu/internationaleducation/studyabroad/programs/ChinaSummer09.asp&docid=Kxuf6tyqlYL82M&imgurl=http://www.fredonia.edu/internationaleducation/studyabroad/programs/China.jpg&w=640&h=427&ei=6sIHT8HPCcTm0QGD7snzDw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=568&vpy=273&dur=4918&hovh=183&hovw=275&tx=188&ty=150&sig=115962840066967822059&page=2&tbnh=124&tbnw=182&&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:8,s:15
Text:
- http://www.silk-road.com/artl/gun.shtml
- http://monkeytree.org/silkroad/transmission.html
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silk_Road
Image:
-http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&client=firefox-a&sa=N&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&biw=1024&bih=615&tbm=isch&tbnid=F02PN2UfNHnIHM:&imgrefurl=http://www.fredonia.edu/internationaleducation/studyabroad/programs/ChinaSummer09.asp&docid=Kxuf6tyqlYL82M&imgurl=http://www.fredonia.edu/internationaleducation/studyabroad/programs/China.jpg&w=640&h=427&ei=6sIHT8HPCcTm0QGD7snzDw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=568&vpy=273&dur=4918&hovh=183&hovw=275&tx=188&ty=150&sig=115962840066967822059&page=2&tbnh=124&tbnw=182&&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:8,s:15
Text:
- http://www.silk-road.com/artl/gun.shtml
- http://monkeytree.org/silkroad/transmission.html
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silk_Road