1st Century Trade

World trade: from the 1st century AD
The Silk Road links east Asia and western Europe at a time when each has, in its own region, a more sophisticated commercial network than ever before.  The map shows the silk 'road' that links the West to the East.  The silk 'road' connects to many other routes and the silk 'road' becomes the silk 'route' - a large international trading network that uses both land and water to transport goods and ideas. The caravan routes of the Middle East and the coastal shipping lanes of the Mediterranean have provided the world's oldest trading system, transporting goods between civilizations from India to Phoenicia. Now the Roman dominance of the entire Mediterranean, and of Europe as far north as Britain, gives the merchants more opportunities to the west. At the same time a maritime link, of enormous commercial potential, opens up between India and China.
Merchant shipping increases as coastal trading opportunities open up from India to China. Down through the Straits of Malacca and then up through the South China Sea, there are at all times inhabited coasts not far off to either side. It is no accident that Calcutta is now at one end of the journey, Hong Kong at the other, and Singapore in the middle. Indian merchants are trading along this route by the 1st century AD, bringing with them the two religions, Hinduism and Buddhism, which profoundly influence this entire region.  Christianity (3rd Century) and Islam (7th Century) spread through the regions in the following centuries.  The SILK ROAD was not used only for trading silk.  Here are some of the commodities which will bring the merchant a good profit if traded along the Silk Road to and from China: 'Furs of Slavonian squirrels and of martens and fitches, goat skins and ram skins, dates, filberts, walnuts, salted sturgeon tails, round pepper, ginger, barked brazil-wood, lac, zedoary, incense, quicksilver, sal ammoniac, copper, amber big middling and small, striped coral, raw silk, saffron, clove-stalks and nutmegs, spikenard, cardomoms, scammony, pounding pearls, manna, borax, gum Arabic, dragon's blood, sweetmeats, gold wire, dressed silk'... and much else besides. The Treasures and Dynasties of China, Cape 1973 link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vn3e37VWc0k Based on the text and the video and your previous learning in units 1-3: Why was the silk road called the silk road?  Why is this name wrong? (2 reasons) Why did the rise of Rome provide more opportunities for trade growth? Why is the maritime link between India and China important? What is the function and what is the importance of 'inhabited coasts'? Why did Calcutta, Hong Kong and Singapore rise as financial and trading cities? Did the silk road only transport commodities (raw materials)? What is meant by "the silk road's success led to its own demise"? Explain this with examples.

Reflection

Reflection Homework (due week beginning 27th April + your books are due for checking!)

Reflecting on our learning and assessment performance in Term 3

1. Title your work, neatly and clearly, on a new page: 'Reflecting on my Term 3 Learning'

2. Open MB and copy my comments for your Term 3 assessment response into your book

3. Read the comments.  Open your Term 3 assessment response on your blog.  Read your assessment response.  Read my comments again.

4. Reflect - think about your own learning, your experiences in class and at home while working on your assessment.  Think about the challenges you faced, the things you struggled to understand, any technical issues you faced with your blogs, time-management, connecting the statement of inquiry and the global context, including concepts in your work, issues with peers and cooperation and collaboration - Reflect on these and how you managed these challenges.

5. Write about what challenges you faced and how you overcame these.  Write about what successes you had and how you felt about these.  Write about what you learned from this experience (the experience of producing your assessment response not the content from the unit)

6. Now consider your personal journey through the IB and your personal academic and affective growth as you continue to practice and develop the IB Learner Profile attributes.  Reflect on this growth and copy the following questions into your book and answer them as completely as you can with examples and explanations 

• As you reflect on last term's work, which of the IB Learner Profile attributes were you most aware of in your own learning?
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• What insights have you gained as a result of employing these IB Learner Profile attributes? (what have you learned about yourself and your strengths and weaknesses)
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• Which of the IB Learner Profile attributes do you feel needs the most effort from you to improve your learning?
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• What will you do to ensure that you develop this/these IB Learner Profile attribute(s)?
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• Which of the IB Learner Profile attributes will you focus on as you begin our next project?
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• As you think about your future, how might these IB Learner Profile attributes be used as a guide in your life?

Trade Expands

The Beginning of Global Trade New routes to the west: from 300 BC

The presence of Greeks in Mesopotamia and the eastern Mediterranean encourages a new trade route.  To ease the transport of goods to Greece and beyond, in 300BC a trading city was established - Antioch. Antioch provides a meeting point between waterborne and land-caravan transportation (review previous posts on water and land transportation) Here goods are put on board ship after arriving by land transport caravans from Mesopotamia. A trade route from China: 2nd century BC A tentative trade route is becoming established along a string of oases north of the Himalayas. They are very exposed to the broad expanse of steppes - from which marauding bands of nomadic tribesmen may attack at any moment - but protection by the Han dynasty in China is now making it reasonably safe for merchants to send caravans into this region. The goods are usually unloaded in each oasis and traded or bartered before continuing the journey westwards - where rich customers around the Mediterranean are eager for the luxury products of the east. In 106 BC, for the first time, a caravan leaves China and travels through to Persia without the goods changing hands on the way.  The Silk Road is open.  In the 1st century BC the Romans gain control of Syria and Palestine - the natural terminus of the Silk Road, for goods can move west more easily from here by sea. Soon a special silk market is established in Rome. China, proudly self-sufficient, wants nothing that Rome can offer. And the Han rulers are unwilling to release silk - either as thread or woven fabric - except in exchange for gold.  It has been calculated that in the 1st century AD China has a hoard of some five million ounces of gold. In Rome the emperor Tiberius issues a decree against the wearing of silk. His stated reason is the drain on the empire's reserves of gold.  The Silk Road introduces global economics.  Vocabulary Meeting point Expanse Oasis Steppes Marauding  Nomadic Merchant Luxury products Terminus Silk Self-sufficient Gold Decree Global economics Can you connect the following concepts to the information in the text (give examples of these the text) Key Concept Global Interactions Related Concepts Trade Growth Resources Consumption