Introduction to 2.1
The Silk Road is the granddaddy of them all. This is the big one. This is THE land-based trade network. You know it as a Trade Network, but the Silk Road began as the Han Dynasty was seeking allies to the West to help fight against the dreaded Xiongnu (basically, the bad guys in Mulan). This overland road allowed for religion to spread far and wide, such as Buddhism and Islam, and luxury goods from China to fill the royal courts of Afro-Eurasian empires. What began as a Chinese cry for help developed into a network of trade alliances that eventually spanned and transforms Afro-Eurasia.

AMSCO: Chapter 2.1

2.1 CED (AP's Required Content)

Long Read The Silk Road: Caravanserai & Paper Making Technology

Learning Objectives:
A. Explain the causes and effects of growth of networks of exchange after 1200.

Themes:
A. ECN(Economics)

Skills:
* LEQ: Rubric: Contextualization
1.B: Explain a historical concept, development, or process.

A. ECN
Explain the causes and effects of growth of networks of exchange after 1200.

Historical Developments:
Improved commercial practices, such as the caravanserai, forms of credit, and the development of money economies, led to an increased volume of trade, especially of luxury goods [Chinese textiles and porcelains; manufacture iron, gold from Africa, etc.], and expanded the geographical range of trading networks promoting the growth of powerful new trading cities.