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Trans-Saharan Cultural Diffusion

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Several civilizations have experienced cultural diffusion throughout history, due to the trade routes that existed. The spread of religion, goods, and knowledge to their surrounding ethnic groups is due to to the trans-Saharan trade routes. These trade routes caused civilizations to have connections with each other, causing cultures to blend. If the trans-Saharan trade routes never existed several African countries would have never experienced cultural diffusion. Cultural diffusion helped make cultures more aware of their surrounding ethnic groups. Cultural diffusion is the spread of cultural traits from one ethnic group to another, spreading their beliefs from one area to another geographical area. When new cultures are receiving new traits …show more content…

Some items that merchants would send using long-distance trade were household items, livestock, salt, kola nuts, and clothing. Merchants would heavily depend on long-distance trade (Abbott). Some commonly traded goods along the trans-Saharan trade routes were horses, gold, slaves, and salt. The first two major trans-Saharan trade routes were in full use by 1000 CE. They started in western Africa and were taken control of by the Ghana Empire , the Mali Empire, and the Songhai Empire. Even though transporting goods was risky, and bandits would hide on trade routes, trade still made profits and was estimated to make hundreds of thousands ounces of gold. Trading thrived because of the trans-Saharan trade routes (Davis and Page). Goods, resources, and religion were spread along trade …show more content…

Islamic ways were taken into various cultures. While Muhammad, the founder of Islam, was ruling in Medina, the earliest institutions for Islamic people and religious-political authority, economic organization, and law were created. Also during this time period Islamic beliefs spread through Arabia and was considered a society. During the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries Islamic ways spread from west Africa to southeast Asia. The Rashidun caliphate had a great expansion of Islam along with taking in their values, and social ways of organization. Several different cultures were influenced by the Islamic beliefs

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The silk road was helpful to the people in china, central asia, Africa, and India/all the way to Rome and beyond because of the trade routes the silk road was able to have the right resources to make it successful and helpful to others who trade. Transition + Your own original Reason, Detail, or Fact For example, where the trade routes went across most of the whole entire world. For, trading horses, orange seeds, grape seeds, or anything popular or needed during their time made the trade routes easier so they wouldn’t have to travel all the way to go trade and get what they had needed. One supporting Example or Evidence from text or source document To explain, in the article “The Silk Road” it says, the silk road has been an important part of success domestication of the camel which was an animal that could carry heavy loads over

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There was a high demand for luxurious goods that were special to each region which caused a great increase in trade. This also occurred on the Trans-Saharan trade routes with gold. Religion also played a big factor in why trade was increasing in these two trade routes. Increases in technology helped trade become more efficient and faster. For example, the compass helped people trade along the Indian Ocean sea lanes.

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Daniel Serrato HISTORY 111 Document and Essay Question assignment 7 1. What motivated and sustained the long-distance commerce of the Silk Roads, Sea Roads, and Sand Roads? Why did the peoples of the Eastern Hemisphere develop long-distance trade more extensively than did those of the Western Hemisphere? One thing that I noticed that motivated the long-distance commerce of the Silk Roads, Sea Roads, and Sand Roads was the fact that the elites were desired luxury items from distant parts of the Eurasian network.

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Islam is a religion that controls their follower's daily lives. It quickly spread throughout many large and small civilizations all throughout the world. Two civilizations that Islam affected were the Byzantine Empire and China. The Byzantine empire was the section of Rome that remained after the fall of Rome and was a very successful civilization in its time. During the rise of Christianity, the Byzantine empire became a Christian-based civilization and used the church to solve its political and economic problems that sprang up after the fall of Rome.

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Cultural diffusion can be defined as a process by which one culture barrows or adopts material culture or ideas from another culture. This process occurs when one culture comes into some form of contact with another culture. The ideas or material culture that is borrowed is usually more advanced than what the other culture holds, which in turn makes it more appealing to the other culture. Cultural diffusion is not only limited to remote areas or islands but also has spread to Western cultures such as the U.S. An example of cultural diffusion is beignets in New Orleans which originated from the French.

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Extensive trans-cultural commerce occurred as well. Inventions such as crossbows, paper, and gunpowder were traded across the majority of Afro-Eurasia. Many cities, including Tashkent and Kalgan, relied on the business that travelers from the Silk Roads brought. Additionally, many regions shared languages, cultural attitudes, and religious motifs. The Silk Roads truly connected Afro-Eurasia, bringing new recourses and innovations to each

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These trade routes facilitated the exchange of goods, ideas, and cultures across many different regions of the world, and helped to establish a new era of global commerce.

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The societies of West Africa, Europe, and North America exhibited similarities and differences in their religious beliefs, values, and government systems. These contrasts and similarities were further made apparent during European expansion across the Atlantic and the subsequent new cross cultural interactions that were created. One way in which the societies of West Africa, Europe, and North America diverged was in their belief systems. Unlike Europe and North America, West Africa gradually adopted Islam in addition to its traditional religions. Islam diffused through the trans-Saharan trade with North Africa and by the 1200’s was assimilated into the Mali and Songhai Empire.

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As for salt, it was seen as a major resource for its nutritional and preservation qualities. It was a vital resource that these Mali people used. The Niger river allowed the Mali empire to trade easily, as the current would calmly drift them into other civilizations. Both empires also utilized camels as the river was not always accessible. All in all these trade routes allowed these civilizations to expand their wealth, and distance of trade.

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In addition, the holy city, Mecca was the main site for trade. According to the map, followed by Document C, ”Mecca, the holy city, had military campaigns and was in the middle of Arabia, near the coastlines.” Ultimately, Arabs transported goods to market places. Document A state 's,”Vast camel trains, bearing species, perfume, precious metals, ivory and silk, filed through the town, headed north on the way from Yemen … to the

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Trade in the classical civilization was a significant impact that shaped so much of the coming world. China was a strikingly impactful civilization when it came to trade. China used the Silk Road to trade, it connected China to the Middle East and Europe. China’s way of trade began a way for other civilizations to interact with one another. They traded all the goods that they produced such as medicine, silk, pottery, paper, gunpowder, gold, rugs, and more.

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The Islam religion, believed by Muslims, has spread across the globe at rapid speeds. Muhammad ibn Abdullah started the religion. The religion began in Mecca. The religion was made known in 610 CE. The two major themes of the religion are “Allah is the one God” and the importance of charity.

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The difference between the trade systems, however, were the way the goods were traded. Along the Indian Ocean, ships were used to carry bulk goods as well as luxury goods along a more relay-based route. Along the Trans-Saharan route, traders used camel caravans to carry mostly luxury goods to their trading destination. There were not many cities along the Trans-Saharan, so they never really did the relay-style trading.

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For example, when China started using silver as currency, they traded with the British and Dutch. The Dutch would pay with pesos that had been made by African slaves using Incan and Aztec forms of labor. The silver would then eventually find its way to more places. Although, the people at the time didn’t know this, the world was interconnected because of trade, and because of the many places and people involved in trade. Why was trade so pervasive in the Islamic world prior to contact with the Portuguese?

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First they had crossroads of profitable trade. They would trade perfumes, precious metals, incense, and silk filed through their town, headed North to coastal town. When they would trade overseas to the Arabian Peninsula, they traded spices, textiles, and spices from Asia. Mecca was rich due to travel connects to Europe, Asia and Africa. Trade became such a big thing in Islam, it was known as...

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