Question of the Day: How has trade influenced India's culture and economy?
Today we will discuss the role of trade in the development of India's culture and its economy. In particular we will consider the impact of the Silk Road and the spice trade in India.
None
Watch Episode 3 of The Story of India ("Spice Routes and Silk Roads"): Use the questions below as a guide.
Read this article on Southerniztion, answer the questions at the end of the article, and be prepared to discuss it next class.
VIDEO QUESTIONS
Key Vocab / Ideas
1. Monsoons ?
2. Shipbuilding process of old
3. What Indian commodities were in most demand in Rome ? (6:30)
4. Why were these commodities in such high demand ?
5. Reverse trade : what Roman commodities were most desired by the Indians ? (9:30)
6. What would be your guess as to the “balance of trade” (e.g. presently the US has a huge trade DEFICIT, because it imports far more than it exports) ?
7. When does India first encounter Christian missionary influence ?
8. What are the Western Ghats ? (13:30)
9. What materials were used for early writing in south India ?
10. So, in the city of Madurai, 6,000 goldsmiths, passing the knowledge of the trade from father to son to … What aspect of Indian tradition is involved here ?
11. Which Indian native plant spawned a huge fabric industry ?
12. Why is gold in such demand in India ?
13. What is the connection between gold & dowry ?
The Kushan Silk Road
14. When did the Silk Route first open ? (21:30)
15. Which empire controlled the Silk Road connecting China to the west ?
16. Why does Michael Wood refer to this empire as being “mysterious” ?
17. What explanation is there for the Kushan sponsorship of the arts ?
18. What religion was adopted by the Kushans ?
19. Who was Kanishka ? (25:00)
20. Why has much Kushan sculpture been reduced to rubble in recent years ?
21. Why is it that today we know so much more about this “mysterious” group ? (24:00)
22. From whom did Kanishka say he received his leadership ?
23. Over which time period did the Kushan Empire control north India & the Silk Road ?
24. From old Kushan coins what can we deduce about their religious belief ; about their artistic sophistication ; and about the geographic extent of their trading empire ? (26:00)
25. Draw a quick sketch of the extent of the Kushan Empire. (27:20)
26. Where was the first Kushan capital ?
27. Where was the first Kushan capital “inside India” (actually in Pakistan) ? (27:55)
28. What was strategically important about this city’s geographic location ?
29. What was the richest cargo carried along the Silk Route ? (29:50)
30. So, should silk be viewed as a Chinese or an Indian product ?
31. What complaint did Pliny of Rome have about trade with India ? (30:20)
32. What explanation is given for the Kushan era being an economic boom time & a period of population growth ?
33. Review question : who was the god “Indra” ?
34. What monumental structure was built in Peshawar by Kanishka ? (33:40)
35. Why should you NOT be surprised that records of this building come from diaries of Chinese Buddhist pilgrims, not from Indian historical records ?
36. Despite supporting Buddhism, why do we think the Kushans were polytheists ?
37. What comparison is made between Sanskrit and Latin ? (43:00)
38. What is AYUVERDIC medicine ? (44:00)
39. How were the traditions of Ayurvedic medicine passed down for centuries ?
40. Review question : what are the 5 elements of life ?
Big Picture Questions
1. The Romans loved to trade with India, because India had such cool luxury goods. But the Roman desire for Indian imports created one huge headache for Rome. What headache ?
2. Christianity is a relatively recent arrival in India, coming with British missionaries in the 1800s. Or is it ?
3. Kanishka, most famous of the Kushan kings, spent a fortune sponsoring Buddhist art. (The Buddha would have been horrified, but he wasn’t around.) What problem confronted artists asked to create images of the Buddha ?
4. In recent years the Taliban in Afghanistan have been responsible for smashing much Buddhist art work of the Kushan era. Why ?
5. The Silk Road encouraged the diffusion (spread of auyervedic medicine. What is this ?
6. What is the most important legacy left by the Kushans ?
Indian Ocean Trade Website: This is a great website for understanding the Indian Ocean trade.
Silk Road - Social, Economic, Political Impacts - student level essay summarizing impacts
The Impact of the Silk Road on a Local Community - Valerie Hansen - Yale University
The Silk Road - Dr. Oliver Wild - from early route to decline to current role and restoration
American Museum of Natural History - from teacher resources to audio clips to museum exhibits
Silk Road Today - interactive map and travel journals
Silk Road Maps - varying maps arranged by language, faith, climate, geography, countries