With all the trade, there are cultural consequences. Do not think consequences as solely "bad" but "good" as well. The College Board mentions a couple specific illustrative examples - but you will definitely be able to come with more. Just keep in your mind - religions and technology spreads. And there are some really big name important travellers - Marco Polo, Ibn Battuta and Margery Kempe.

And, as things spread things will alter from its original from - this is SYNCRETISM.

You should be able to:

(CDI) Explain the intellectual and cultural effects of the various networks of exchange in Afro-Eurasia from c. 1200 to c. 1450.

• Increased cross-cultural interactions resulted in the diffusion of literary, artistic, and cultural traditions, as well as scientific and technological innovations

• Diffusion of cultural traditions:

• The influence of Buddhism in East Asia

• The spread of Hinduism and Buddhism into Southeast Asia

• The spread of Islam in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia

• Diffusion of scientific or technological innovations:

  • Gunpowder from China

  • Paper from China

• The fate of cities varied greatly, with periods of significant decline and periods of increased urbanization, buoyed by rising productivity and expanding trade networks.

• As exchange networks intensified, an increasing number of travelers within AfroEurasia wrote about their travels.

• Travelers:

  • Ibn Battuta

  • Margery Kempe

  • Marco Polo