2.5 Cultural Consequences of Connectivity

2.5 Cultural Consequences of Connectivity

By Isiah Jones

Open Ended

Imagine you are a trader in the year 1300. You've just returned from a year-long journey to a distant, incredibly advanced civilization that none of your friends or family have ever seen.

What is the ONE most amazing thing you would tell people about first? (e.g., their technology, cities, customs)

Open Ended

Imagine you are a trader in the year 1300. You've just returned from a year-long journey to a distant, incredibly advanced civilization that none of your friends or family have ever seen.

Why do you think some people might not believe your stories?

Cultural Consequences of Connectivity

Objective:

• We will be able to analyze the intellectual and cultural effects of trade networks from 1200 to 1450 by examining the spread of religion, technology, and the accounts of travelers.

AP World History Theme:

• Theme 1: Humans and the Environment (ENV)

  • How did the environment and disease shape human events?

Historical Thinking Skill:

• Continuity and Change

  • We will identify what stayed the same and what changed as a result of growing global connections.

Key Term Definitions

Black Death: A devastating pandemic of plague that spread across Afro-Eurasia in the 14th century. It was facilitated by trade routes and led to the deaths of tens of millions of people, causing massive social and economic change.

Swahili A language that developed in East Africa as a result of cultural blending. It is a Bantu language with a significant number of loanwords from Arabic, showing the deep influence of Indian Ocean trade.

Marco Polo: A Venetian merchant whose written account of his travels to China under the Mongol Empire gave Europeans detailed knowledge of Asian societies, cultures, and wealth.

Ibn Battuta: A Muslim scholar from Morocco who traveled extensively throughout the Islamic world. His writings provide a detailed view of the diverse societies, religious practices, and intellectual life of the 14th century.

Key Term Definitions

Astrolabe A navigational instrument, improved by Muslim scholars, that allowed sailors to determine their latitude at sea by measuring the position of the sun or stars. This technology was critical for long-distance ocean travel.
Hangzhou A major Chinese city that, during this period, was a colossal urban center and a hub of trade and industry. It was famously described by Marco Polo as a place of immense wealth and sophistication, astounding European readers.

Multiple Choice

The Black Death is best defined as:

• A) A religious movement that spread along the Silk Roads.

• B) A devastating pandemic that killed millions of people in Afro-Eurasia.

• C) A new type of ship used for Indian Ocean trade.

• D) A period of intense warfare between European kingdoms.

Multiple Choice

A historian would most likely use the travel accounts of Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta as evidence to show:

• The causes of the fall of the Roman Empire.

• The details of Japanese feudal society.

• The reasons for the start of the Crusades.

• The intellectual and cultural connections across Afro-Eurasia from 1200-1450.

Multiple Choice

The language of Swahili developed in East Africa and is a clear example of cultural blending because it:

• Is a Bantu language with a significant number of Arabic loanwords.

• Replaced all local Bantu languages.

• C) Was created by European colonists for trading purposes.

• D) Is identical to the language spoken in Morocco.

• "Goods, people, and ideas traveled with relative freedom..." → I'll highlight this and write [Main Idea] in the margin. This is the core of what we're studying.

• "stability of the Mongol Empire..." → I'll mark this with a [C] for Cause. It's a reason why trade increased.

• "Technological developments... were diffused by trade." → I'll mark this with an [E] for Effect. This is a result of the trade networks.

Your job when you read is to do the same!

Independent Reading & Notes

Your Task:

1. Read the rest of the text, "Cultural Consequences of Connectivity."

2. Annotate as you read. Look for:

   • [C] = Cause of connectivity or cultural change

   • [E] = Effect of connectivity (e.g., spread of religion, technology, disease)

   • [?] = Something you have a question about

3. Fill in your Cornell Notes using your annotations.

Partner Check

Your Task:

1. With your shoulder partner, compare your notes for 3 minutes.

   Be ready to answer these Check for Understanding questions:

Multiple Choice

The spread of Islam through trade networks between 1200 and 1450 led to both cultural blending and new cultural developments primarily because:

• A) Islamic armies forced all conquered peoples to abandon their local languages and artistic traditions.

• B) Muslim merchants and missionaries interacted with local populations, leading to the creation of new languages and syncretic architectural styles.

• C) trade networks were used exclusively for the purpose of religious conversion, halting all other cultural exchanges.

• D) the Black Death wiped out local cultures, making it easier for a single Islamic culture to replace them.

Open Ended

Compare Perspectives: How did the travel accounts of Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta reflect their different cultural backgrounds?

Open Ended

Evaluate Impact: To what extent did technological innovations facilitate cultural exchange along trade routes?