The Silk Road is the big route at this time. It is a THE land based route everyone wants to be apart of (and control). The Silk Road began during the Han Dynasty because they were seeking allies to the West to help fight off the Xiongnu (those were the bad guys depicted in Mulan). As cries for help were sent out - trade alliances were formed spanning throughout Afro-Eurasia.

For this topic you should focus on the ability to explain the causes and effects of growth of networks of exchange after 1200. (ECN) (KEEP IN MIND THE SILK ROAD PEAKS AT THIS TIME - IT WILL BE REPLACED BY THE ATLANTIC SYSTEM AND THE INDIAN OCEAN!)

Improved commercial practices led to an increased volume of trade and expanded the geographical range of existing trade routes— including the Silk Roads—promoting the growth of powerful new trading cities

Trading cities:

• Kashgar

• Samarkand

The growth of interregional trade in luxury goods was encouraged by innovations in previously existing transportation and commercial technologies, including the caravanserai, forms of credit, and the development of money economies.

New forms of credit and money economies:

• Bills of exchange

• Banking houses

• Use of paper money

• Demand for luxury goods increased in AfroEurasia. Chinese, Persian, and Indian artisans and merchants expanded their production of textiles and porcelains for export; manufacture of iron and steel expanded in China.