Key Concept 2.3Emergence of Trans-regional networks

of communication and exchange“In what country it grows is quite unknown. The Arabians say that the dry sticks, which we call kinamomon, are brought to Arabia by

large birds, which carry them to their nests, made of mud on mountain precipices which no man can climb. The method invented to get the cinnamon sticks is this. People cut up the bodies of dead oxen into very large joints, and leave them on the ground near the nests. They then scatter, and the birds fly down and carry off the

meat to their nests, which are too weak to bear the weight and fall to the ground. The men come and pick up the cinnamon. Acquired in

this way, it is exported to other countries.” Herodotus

Myths and Mis-directions

• A century later Theophrastus had a different story: He heard it grew in deep glens and was guarded by deadly snakes.

• Herodotus also told of the flying snakes that protected Frankincense-bearing trees; that could only be driven off by burning storax. (An incense extracted from the sap of a Turkish Sweetgum Tree).

Savvy Arabs

• Tall tales obscured the true origins of the goods being traded.

• The plan allowed extraordinary prices throughout the Mediterranean basin.

• Various administrations worried about trade imbalances.

Where did it come from?

• Cinnamon originated in Sri Lanka and Southern India, other spices originated further a field in the Maluku Islands

• The Indian and Arab merchants transported the spices to markets on the tip of Arabian and the Mediterranean

• The Greeks and Romans did not have a direct route to India

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Why Spices?

• Are they really that special? ; plant extracts from dried saps, gums and resins; barks; roots; seeds; or dried fruits

• Prized for their unusual scents and tastes, ward off insects or vermin; no real nutritional value

• Durable, lightweight, and found in very specific places

• Thought to be divine

But what is a spice?

• The word spice comes from the Latin species (literally a type or kind)

• Referred to types or kinds of things for which a duty (tax) was payable

• The Alexandria Tariff, 5th century AD Rome, lists 44 things subject to a 25% import duty

• The list includes cinnamon, cassia, ginger, white pepper, long pepper, cardamom, aloewood, myrrh but also lions, leopards, panthers, silk, ivory, tortoiseshell or Indian Eunuchs

What purpose did they serve?

• The first case of conspicuous consumption• Demonstrated one’s wealth, power, and generosity• 1st used as perfumes and incense• Also used in religious ceremonies• Greeks started cooking with them• Widespread culinary use by the end of the

Classical Era

How were they transported?

• On the sea with the winds. The invention of the Lanteen sail dramatically increased ease of navigation at sea

• The Indian Ocean routes relied on seasonal trade winds know as Monsoon Winds

• Mediterranean ships were unable to navigate the open ocean and were forbidden from hugging the coast of Arabian Peninsula.

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How were they transported?

• Caravans, relying on the camel connected previously isolated people and places

• The high-built saddle invented around 200CE• A revolution in pack animals for desert regions• Made roads obsolete and wheeled transportation

waned• Expanded the trading network and penetrated

further into arid and desert regions.

The Great Empires are linked

• Rome, Persian, Han and the Kushan of Northern India

• Rome and China even established diplomatic contacts

• Goods were not the only commodity exchanged:

• Inventions, knowledge, languages, artistic styles, social customs, crops, disease and religious beliefs.

Technology and Crops

• Technology Spread– From China: Gunpowder, Magnetic Compass, Paper,

Noodles, And SILK– Better Tech spreads West, gold and silver are sent

East– Qanats to assist in the cultivation of new crops– Crops: cotton and rice spread to the Middle East for

cultivation

Artistic Influences

• The convergence of Greco-Roman culture and Buddhist beliefs affected the development of unique sculptural developments.

Diseases Spread

• The network is a great transmitter of pathogens

• Waves of plagues spread throughout the region

• Devastate urban populations• The Roman Empire records 3 such waves of

disease• Marking a decline in population during the 1st

millennium.• The Antonine Plague in 161-180, the Justinian

Plague in 542 forms of Small Pox

Transformed Traditions

• Islam rises and spreads along the same path.• Christianity: Thomas the Apostle traveled to

India’s Malabar coast• Other Missionaries follow the trade routes and

make adaptations to attract followers• Buddhism: From India to China and then Japan

and south to Sri Lanka, Burma and SE Asia-Created oasis and villages along the

road -Established themselves as a wealthy merchant class

The pursuit of spices changed the world

• Illuminated its full extent and geography

• Created and promoted rival trading empires

• Connected distant lands facilitating an exchange of ideas