The Last of the Great Nomadic Challenges 600-1450

1
The Last of the Great Nomadic Challenges 600-1450

• Expanding Communities

2
Demographic and Environmental Changes

• Nomadic Migrations
• Vikings
• Turks
• Aztecs
• Mongols
• Arabs
• Predict the impact of these movements.

3
Demographic and Environmental Changes

• Migration of Agricultural Peoples
• Bantu migrations
• Europeans to Eastern and Central Europe
• Consequences of Disease
• For ex. Black Plague 1348
• Growth and Role of Cities
• Urbanization (Ghuang Zhou, Canton,
  Changan,Cairo, Cordova, Samarkand, Baghdad,
  Damascus, Venice, Constantinople, Tenochtitlan,
  Timbuktu, etc.)
• How much of this demonstrates continuity?

4
Compare the Aztecs to

• Group 1-Arabs
• Group 2-Turks
• Group 3- Vikings
• Group 4- Bantus
• Group 5- Mongola
• Aztecs were nomadic and settled around Lake
  Texcoco, established a militaristic empire based
  on tribute, became expert engineers constructing
  chinampas (floating gardens) demanding tribute
  from their peripheral states and creating a
  flourishishing marketplace in Tenochtitlan. Their
  religious polytheistic components could be felt
  in everything from their monumental architecture,
  calendars and human sacrifice to appease the
  Gods. Theiir military is how they established and
  maintained their empire while creating gender
  paralellism where spearate spheres of work were
  establiehd fore men and women.

5
Arabs

• Early post-classical movements along the Arabian
  Peninsula. Bedouin merchants facilitated spread
  of Islam invaded and eventually settled in Middle
  East, Northern Africa and Southern Europe.
  Although the notion of Caliphate would be sacked
  by Mongols in 1258, Islam held areas together
  culturally, and mixed with native customs and
  religions. Despite political conflict over
  succession (Sunni-Shiite) Dar Al Islam would
  unite much of AfroEurasia

6
Vikings

• These sea-faring marauders swept into many parts
  of Europe from Normandy to Mediterranean areas,
  to Russia during the 8th and 9th centuries
  looting and destroying communities and churches
  and monasteries. Some settled and intermarrying
  with groups like Normans and Rus (Russia). Served
  in Black sea trade with Byzantium but are mostly
  known for providing the threat to Western
  European armies developed under the auspices of
  Feudalism

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Turks

• Originally Indo-Europeans who migrated into the
  Middle east dating various time in this era. The
  Seljuk Turks invaded the Byzanitne Empire
  sparking another Great migration to the Middle
  Eats-crusader. Indirectly responsible for
  Europes interest and involvement in
  long-distance trade. Also served as mercenaries
  and militia in both Tang and Abbasid armies. By
  the end of this era, the Ottoman Turks were on
  the rise capturing Constantinople (thanks to the
  Mongols) by 1453. Turks (Afghan) even invaded
  India forming the Delhi Sultanate and introduced
  Islam into India with such force that the
  consequences reverberated throughout the rest of
  Indian history.

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Mongols

• Identified by many historians as the end on the
  nomadic era. Clearly the good was their ability
  to establish a Khanate system where safe trade,
  religious tolerance and a relatively peaceful
  existence (Pax Mongolica) facilitated an East
  meets west connecting Middle East, South Asia,
  East Asia and Europe. For even a brief time
  Central Asian Empire the Timurud Dynasty will
  become a major Islamic center of trade and
  scholarship in the great city of Samarkand ruled
  by Tamerlane. They would also contribute to the
  spread of the black death, the end of the Song
  Dynasty and the Abbasid Caliphate and the
  indirect beginnings of the rise of Western
  European age of exploration.

9
Aztecs

• Migrated to the Central Valley of Mexico around
  Lake Texcoco according to legend ( area where
  Eagle perched on a cactus with a snake in its
  talons). Developed an agricultural method of
  tying reeds to floating gardens known as
  chinampas. Established a thriving militaristic
  state using tribute from surrounding areas to
  develop thriving city Tenochtitlan.
  Decentralized in nature, the development of
  causeways and bridges and roads would facilitate
  trade within the city dubbed the Venice of the
  Americas by the Spanish conquistadores who
  encountered it for the first time. Many war
  captives were either enslaved or sacrificed.

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Inter-regional networks and Contacts

• Mediterranean trade circuit
• Silk Routes
• Indian Ocean
• Trans-Saharan Trade
• Trans-American circuits

• Religious connections missionaries,
  inter-religious contact
• Impact of Mongols

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Mediterranean Circuits
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Silk Routes
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Indian Ocean
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Trans-Saharan Trade
15
Trans-American trade
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Religious Connections
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COMP Thesis
The Mongols and Aztecs both established large
empire based on military prowess and might, both
collected tribute from peripheral states in
return for protection and autonomy, however, the
Mongol Empire was established into a massive
interregional trading network while the Aztecs
regional connections were much smaller extending
into only the Central Valley of Mexico
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Impact of Mongols Blessing or a Curse
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China Internal and External Expansion

• Tang Dynasty
• Technological innovations compass, paper,
  gunpowder etc.
• Influence on Japan
• Footbinding, Neo-Confucianism
• Song Dynasty
• All the makings of an industrial revolution
• Early Ming
• Zheng He voyages, eunochs and nomadic threats

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Islamic World Dar al-Islam

• Expanding cultural, economic and political
  influence
• Al-Andalus/ Islamic Spain
• North and West Africa
• Indian Ocean East Africa, India, SE Asia
• Technological accomplishments astrolabe,
  algebra, philosophy, cartography

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Al-Andalus
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Islamic World Sample Comparisons

• Compare Islam to Christianity
• Compare Islamic contacts with Europe and with
  Africa
• Crusades- points of view compared
• Compare gender changes
• Compare support/ patronage of arts and sciences

23
Europe

• Break in eastern and Western Christendom
  political significance?
• Religious schisms compared
• Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholicism
• Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism
• Sunni/ Shiite in Islam

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Europe

• Restructuring of institutions
• Role of religion Papacy, Crusades, architecture
  and education
• Development of feudalism
• Comparison of feudalism in Europe and Japan
• Increasing importance of monarchy over church

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Amer-Indian World

• Migrations over the Bering Strait at least 10,000
  years ago.
• Northern America Cahokia
• Southwest Hohokam
• Meso-America Olmecs, Maya, Toltec (Aztec)
• South America Nazca, Moche, (Inca)

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Sub-Saharan Africa

• West African kingdoms Ghana, Mali, Songhay
• East African city states Axum, Kilwa, Mombasa
• Southern Africa Great Zimbabwe
• Contacts with Islamic World, Indian Ocean world,
  and within Africa
• Role of Trade, Education and Religion

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Questions we will focus on

• Was there a world economic network in this time
  period?
• How did gender roles change?
• How can material culture and urban history help
  us to understand early societies?

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Conclusions

• Examples of continuity?
• Examples of change?
• Think about new and old players.
• Similar patterns and trends demographic, social
  and cultural, technological.
• New avenues of intersection.