AP World History (WHAP) Unit 0: The First 10,000 Years of History in 20 Minutes

Summary

This script offers a comprehensive overview of pre-1200 world history, focusing on the Neolithic Revolution, the rise of agriculture, and the development of political and social structures. It delves into the foundations of patriarchy, the significance of river valley civilizations, and the strategies used by early empires to maintain control. The script also explores the emergence of major religions, the impact of trade networks like the Silk Road and Indian Ocean trade, and the inevitable fall of civilizations due to corruption and overexpansion.

Takeaways

• 🏛 The script introduces 'WHAP Unit 0', covering the first 10,000 years of history that the AP World History curriculum does not include, emphasizing the significance of events before 1200 CE.
• 🌾 The Neolithic Revolution, marked by the domestication of plants and animals, led to a food surplus, allowing for permanent settlements and population growth, which laid foundations for many political and social structures.
• 👑 The transition to agriculture resulted in men taking over farming, leading to the development of patriarchal societies where men dominated social and political structures.
• 🏙️ Civilizations often arose in river valleys, leading to the formation of city-states and early governments that managed agriculture and resolved disputes, which were typically composed of men familiar with farming.
• 🕌 Religion played a crucial role in state building, with rulers often using it to gain legitimacy and support, either by claiming divinity or by aligning with religious practices.
• 🗿 Monumental art and architecture were created to demonstrate the power of rulers and to leave a lasting impression on the populace, serving as a form of continuity in state building.
• 💰 Taxes and control over economic systems were vital for maintaining state power, with rulers often using their images on coins to remind people of their authority.
• 🛣️ Infrastructure, such as roads and aqueducts, was essential for trade, communication, and the movement of soldiers and tax collectors, contributing to the stability and control of empires.
• 🔱 Dealing with 'others' in an empire often involved exclusion, assimilation, or a combination of both, with varying degrees of success and resistance from different groups.
• 📚 The rise of universalizing religions like Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam had a profound impact on world history, spreading across regions and influencing the cultural and social fabric of societies.
• 🛣️ Trade networks, such as the Silk Road, Saharan trade, and Indian Ocean trade, facilitated the exchange of goods, ideas, and cultures, shaping the interconnectedness of the pre-1200 world.

Q & A

What is the significance of the year 1200 in the context of AP World History?

The year 1200 marks the beginning of the AP World History curriculum, which means that while some important events occurred before this year, they are not typically covered in the course. However, the script discusses the importance of understanding the events before 1200 for a more comprehensive historical context.

What is the Neolithic Revolution, and how did it change human societies?

The Neolithic Revolution refers to the shift from a nomadic lifestyle of hunter-gatherers to settled farming communities. This change allowed for the domestication of plants and animals, leading to food surpluses, population growth, and the development of permanent settlements, which laid the foundations for many political and social structures.

How did the development of agriculture contribute to the rise of patriarchy in early civilizations?

As agriculture developed, men began to take over farming and livestock tending, as they no longer needed to travel for extended periods hunting. This shift led to men dominating food production and, consequently, social and political structures, pushing women away from these roles and into domestic life.

What are river valley civilizations, and why were they significant in history?

River valley civilizations, such as Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Indus Valley, and China, developed in fertile regions near rivers. These areas provided ideal conditions for agriculture, leading to stable and prosperous civilizations that played central roles in trade, culture, and political power dynamics throughout history.

How did early governments use religion to maintain control over their states?

Early governments often used religion to gain legitimacy and support. Rulers might claim to be gods, have special knowledge from the divine, or insist on adherence to state religions. In some cases, rulers allowed conquered peoples to keep their religions to prevent resistance.

What is the importance of monumental art and architecture in state building?

Monumental art and architecture served to demonstrate the power and wealth of a state. They included massive building projects like pyramids and terracotta armies, as well as large statues of rulers, which helped to inspire awe and obedience among the populace.

Why is control over economic systems crucial for a state's stability?

Control over economic systems, particularly through taxation, is vital for a state's stability because it ensures a steady flow of revenue to fund governance, military, and infrastructure. It also helps to maintain a balance between agricultural productivity, trade, and public satisfaction.

How did infrastructure contribute to the cohesion and control of empires?

Infrastructure, such as roads and aqueducts, facilitated trade, communication, and the movement of people and resources. It also made it easier for governments to administer their territories, collect taxes, and deploy military forces, thus reinforcing control over the empire.

What strategies did empires use to deal with 'others' or minority groups within their territories?

Empires might exclude, enslave, or assimilate minority groups. Some rulers respected minority cultures, allowing them to continue their practices, while others, like Alexander the Great, actively tried to mix cultures through policies such as forced marriages.

Why do civilizations inevitably fall, and what are some common causes of decline?

All civilizations eventually fall due to a variety of factors, including corrupt leadership, economic decline, overexpansion, and difficulty securing borders. Even with the best efforts at state building, the size and complexity of empires can lead to fragmentation and collapse.

How did the rise of universalizing religions like Christianity and Islam impact world history?

Universalizing religions, such as Christianity and Islam, had a profound impact on world history because they sought to spread their beliefs widely. This led to the conversion of diverse populations, the creation of expansive religious communities, and significant cultural exchanges.

What was the role of trade networks like the Silk Road and the Indian Ocean trade in the pre-1200 era?

Trade networks facilitated the exchange of goods, ideas, and cultures across vast distances. The Silk Road was primarily for luxury goods, while the Indian Ocean trade carried bulk goods as well. These networks connected different regions, promoting economic growth and cultural interaction.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to 'Whap Unit 0' and Pre-1200 History

The script begins by introducing 'Whap Unit 0,' a bonus episode focusing on the first 10,000 years of history that the AP World History course does not cover. The speaker humorously addresses the exclusion of significant historical events before 1200 and decides to cover three main topics: the Neolithic Revolution, the rise of civilizations, and the foundations of political and social structures. The Neolithic Revolution is highlighted as a pivotal moment where agriculture transformed human life, leading to the development of permanent settlements and population growth. The speaker also touches on the shift towards patriarchy as men began to dominate farming and political power, a pattern that persisted for millennia.

05:01

🏛️ State Building and Empire Management in Ancient Civilizations

This paragraph delves into the strategies ancient states used to maintain control, termed 'continuities and state building.' The speaker outlines several key tactics: using religion for legitimacy, creating monumental art and architecture to demonstrate power, ensuring state control over economic systems, and building infrastructure to facilitate trade and connectivity. The paragraph also addresses common issues states faced, such as dealing with 'others' through exclusion, assimilation, or cultural respect, and handling resistance through persecution or suppression. The inevitability of empire decline is mentioned with a satirical nod to the United States as an exception.

10:02

🌏 The Rise and Impact of Major World Religions

The speaker transitions to the development of major world religions and their impact on societies. Confucianism in China is highlighted for its emphasis on social hierarchy and ethical behavior within relationships, influencing Chinese governance and social mobility. Taoism is briefly mentioned for its contrasting focus on personal introspection. The paragraph continues with a discussion on Hinduism's caste system and its rigid social hierarchy, benefiting those in power. Judaism and Zoroastrianism are noted for their ethnic and community ties, setting the stage for the rise of universalizing religions like Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam, which sought to spread their faith and beliefs across the world.

15:02

🛣️ Trade Networks and the Interconnection of Civilizations

The final paragraph of the script discusses the extensive trade networks that developed before 1200, emphasizing their role in the exchange of goods, people, and cultures. The Silk Road, Saharan trade, and Indian Ocean trade are highlighted as critical networks, with the Silk Road known for luxury goods, the Saharan trade for connecting sub-Saharan Africa, and the Indian Ocean trade for its bulk goods movement. The speaker foreshadows the European quest for spices and the eventual disruption of these established trade networks with the discovery of new sea routes.

Keywords

💡AP World History

AP World History is a high school course and exam that covers the political, economic, social, and cultural history of the world, with a focus on significant events and developments. In the video, it is mentioned as the context for the 'WHAP Unit 0' which is an unofficial prequel to the course content, covering the first 10,000 years of history that are not part of the official AP curriculum.

💡Neolithic Revolution

The Neolithic Revolution refers to the period in human history when people transitioned from a nomadic, hunter-gatherer lifestyle to settled farming communities. It is a foundational concept in the video, illustrating the shift to agriculture that led to the development of permanent settlements and the growth of human populations.

💡Patriarchy

Patriarchy is a social system in which men hold primary power and are dominant in roles of political leadership, moral authority, and social privilege. The video discusses how the shift to agriculture led to men taking over farming, which in turn established patriarchal structures that have persisted throughout much of human history.

💡River Valley Civilizations

River Valley Civilizations are early civilizations that developed in fertile river valleys, such as Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Indus Valley, and China. The video highlights these civilizations as key developments in human history, emphasizing their geographical advantages and the political and social structures that arose from them.

💡Continuities and State Building

Continuities and state building refer to the consistent patterns and strategies used by early states to maintain control and stability. The video outlines several of these strategies, such as using religion for legitimacy, creating monumental art and architecture, controlling economic systems, and building infrastructure, which are essential for understanding the development and maintenance of early civilizations.

💡Religion and Legitimacy

Religion and legitimacy are interconnected in the video, where rulers often used religion to gain support and maintain their power. Examples include pharaohs in Egypt who were seen as gods and rulers using religion to justify their rule, such as in Hammurabi's code.

💡Infrastructure

Infrastructure in the context of the video refers to the physical structures built by early civilizations to facilitate trade, communication, and governance. It includes roads, aqueducts, and standardized systems like the width of cart axles in China, which were critical for the functioning and expansion of empires.

💡Trade Networks

Trade networks are the interconnected routes and systems used for the exchange of goods and ideas. The video discusses the Silk Road, Saharan trade, and the Indian Ocean trade as key examples of such networks, which were vital for the spread of culture, religion, and economic prosperity before the year 1200.

💡Universalizing Religions

Universalizing religions are belief systems that actively seek to spread their faith and include all people, regardless of ethnicity or social status. The video mentions Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam as examples, which had a significant impact on world history by promoting the spread of their teachings and influencing the cultural and social development of societies.

💡Silk Road

The Silk Road was a network of trade routes that connected the East and West, facilitating the exchange of goods such as silk, spices, and luxury items. The video emphasizes the Silk Road as a critical trade network for elite goods, highlighting its role in cultural exchange and the importance of camels and pastoral nomads in facilitating this trade.

💡Indian Ocean Trade

Indian Ocean Trade refers to the maritime trade network across the Indian Ocean, which was a significant route for the exchange of bulk goods and luxury items. The video notes the importance of this trade network in making products from India, Southeast Asia, and China highly coveted by elites in other parts of the world, setting the stage for later European exploration and trade.

Highlights

Introduction to 'Antisocial Studies' special bonus episode focusing on pre-1200 world history for AP students.

Explanation of why AP World History starts at 1200 and the importance of events before this date.

Overview of the Neolithic Revolution and its impact on human society and development.

Discussion on the shift from hunter-gatherer societies to agricultural settlements and population growth.

Analysis of the development of political and social structures influenced by early agricultural practices.

The rise of absolute power and patriarchy in early civilizations.

Formation of river valley civilizations and their significance in world history.

Strategies for maintaining control in empires, including religion, monumental art, economic control, and infrastructure.

The inevitability of empire decline and common causes such as corrupt leadership and economic issues.

The emergence of major world religions and their impact on societies and civilizations.

The unique development of Confucianism in China and its emphasis on social order and hierarchy.

The caste system in Hinduism and its rigid social hierarchy.

The rise of universalizing religions like Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam, and their spread across the world.

The significance of trade routes like the Silk Road, Saharan trade, and Indian Ocean trade in connecting the world.

The role of camels and maritime technology in facilitating trade across different regions.

The impact of trade on the exchange of goods, people, and cultures before the European discovery of America.

Transcripts

welcome to antisocial studies and a

special bonus episode edition for

those lay people out there stands

for world history AP and it makes the

class sound really scary and aggressive

the students love it if you're listening

to this episode you are probably an AP

world history student or teacher and I

would guess that you at some point

looked at the course description and

thought wait AP world history starts in

1200 but like didn't some important

things happen before the year 1200 don't

be quiet sit down no actually yes a lot

of really important things happen before

the year 1200 but we're not supposed to

cover it anymore but I'm gonna cover it

anyway so welcome to what I'm calling

whap unit 0 the first 10,000 years of

history that the College Board decided

wasn't important anymore even though

we're throwing away oracle bones and

alexander the great and the roman empire

in the trash I figured there were a few

good pieces of information from the

ancient and classical eras right like

there's got to be something useful there

so here we go I'm gonna run down three

big topics that will be useful for you

to know before we jump into the year

1200 in the global tapestry whatever

that is first let's go over a quick

chronology before 8000 BCE people looked

like this they were hunters and

gatherers they lived in small kinship

tribes and they were typically nomadic

then one day someone in the tribe

discovered a thing called agriculture

and they started to look like this this

change is called the Neolithic

Revolution the innovation of

domesticating plants and animals so that

you don't have to chase after them

anymore

it's pretty nice unless yes Jared

Diamond but we don't ask it this process

farming especially occurred all over the

world over the next few thousand years

we barley yada yada yada now we have a

food surplus and we can settle in

permanent dwellings woohoo

we're like Katniss living in the victors

village at the end of book 1 no more

squirrels for us with a food surplus our

population grew and those small villages

grew into these whoa

nicely done humans ok now this is all

great but like why do we care well we

don't accept that this process that

occurred over around 5,000 years laid

the foundations for almost every

political and social structure that

humans would live on

until about the 20th century number one

most leaders in most civilizations for

most of history rule with absolute power

I mean check out that guy with his

jewelry like I'd follow him blindly and

to patriarchy Oh

patriarchy man it's the worst thinking

about this way we were hunter-gatherers

these guys men hunted and women gathered

which one was more important well

they're kind of equally important right

exactly so men and women were both

equally valued in the most important

tasks food production but as we

domesticate plants and animals men don't

need to travel for weeks following a

mammoth or whatever look like there are

cows right there so men start taking

over farming and tending to livestock in

other words now the men hunt and gather

and women are slowly pushed away from

food production and into domestic life

raising babies and why does this matter

well the earliest governments arose to

manage agriculture to solve disputes

like water distribution and super

interesting things like that and so when

early governments were formed they were

made up logically of the people who knew

the most about farming men and men have

been dominating social and political

structures around the world ever since

and everything's been going great anyway

let's move on so civilizations arose in

river valleys we call them river valley

civilizations well you got your

Mesopotamia city-states like hey there's

a continuity whoever controls the Middle

East is literally at the center of the

known world like we're talking insane

trade benefits so everyone wants that

land so throughout history the Middle

East is plagued with conflict and

conquest because the land is so valuable

and that's before everyone put their

holy cities there hello

so the Mesopotamian city-states never

fully unite into one big empire and then

you have to Egypt I mean you know those

guys pharaohs pyramids and mummies and

brenden fraiser over in asia we have the

Indus Valley I mean who knows what

they're doing there no seriously who

knows like has anyone deciphered their

writing yet and then as always you have

China holding down the fort

China is geographically isolated and

fertile prime real estate for a stable

civilization that will basically crush

it for the next 5,000 years and then get

addicted to British opium and get

totally played by now but you'll get

there okay after the ancient

civilizations knew larger states arose

and they started conquering

other places that weren't there people

whatever that means

those are empires these classical

empires are what people think about when

I say world history Greece Persia Han

China Rome but for now we're not gonna

worry our pretty little heads over them

all we care about with these early

civilizations both ancient and classical

is what did they leave behind that later

people will think was valuable

what continuities will we see as we

explore civilizations moving forward and

web I like to think of this section as

how to maintain your Empire 101 so for

those listening whenever you conquer the

world and inevitably name yourself czar

or Khan or whatever here are a few pro

tips of what the first States all did to

maintain control over their States in AP

language we call these continuities and

state building but you can think of them

as how did not get murdered by peasants

one use religion to gain legitimacy and

support so sometimes rulers will say

they are a god oh hey pharaohs sometimes

they'll say they like chat with the gods

and get some super secret information

from them like in Hammurabi's code

sometimes they'll just insist that you

follow their religion like Rome and

sometimes in the rarest cases they'll

let you keep your religion so you won't

be mad that they just conquered your

land

oh hey Cyrus number two create

monumental art and architecture these

show the people just how powerful you

are look I can stack bricks so this

could include massive building projects

to create a place to throw your rulers

dead body pyramids and shoot Wonka's

tomb with terracotta soldiers or it

could just be huge statues of you to

remember you like the Olmec heads

make sure the state has primary control

over important economic systems this

really just means taxes taxes are so

important and they're so boring but

they're so important check out these

Persian tax rolls the Herodotus

described or why do rulers put their

faces on coins it's so you remember who

to thank for all that money you have

it's really in general super important

that the economy is running smoothly

agricultural productivity good trade

that keeps people happy and that leads

us to number four build infrastructure

build stuff and especially stuff that

helps connect your

fired together for one build things that

make trade easier like chef wanjin china

demanded that everyone's axles on carts

were the exact same width and that way

they could build all of the roads that

exact same width and you wouldn't ever

have to change carts so trade could go a

lot faster well or you can build

aqueducts so that crops and people have

water that's kind of important

thanks Rome and roads oh my gosh so many

roads just like if you conquer a place

to start building roads check out this

Persian Royal Road nicely done to rious

sidenote merchants can use roads which

is great but you know who else uses

roads soldiers and tax collectors and

spies for the government roads man

they're so important all right now after

you've conquered your empire and put in

place these protips you'll probably at

some point and counter a few issues so

here's my FAQ portion of the state

building lecture question number one

what do I do with others well first you

have to define what others are and it

depends you can use any of your spice

tea themes to figure out who and other

is most people do it on ethnic groups or

language or religions but in theory it

could be anything or here's a thought

what if there were no others and we all

live together in perfect harmony yeah I

know that's stupid that'll never happen

okay one you can exclude and/or enslave

them just check out ancient Greece too I

mean you could just respect their

culture by letting them continue to

practice it again Syrus or you can

actively try to mix people in cultures

like Alexander the Great did his

soldiers weren't super happy about being

forced to marry women outside of their

own culture but like it was an attempt I

guess question number two how do I deal

with resistance well you can like burn

books that you don't like and kill those

who speak out against you that's what

she wanted but I mean then his dynasty

ended like right after his death so or

you could make an example out of those

who resist through targeted persecution

like the Roman Empire did with

Christians I mean you could just fight

them openly and hopefully win like

badass Theodora convinced her husband

Justinian to do during the Nika revolts

but really spoiler alert is that once

resistance begins it's really hard to

successfully get rid of it

without just making things worse so

you're really better off just making

your empire nice enough that people

don't want to resist good luck okay

final question how do I prevent my

civilization from falling sorry bud this

is the ultimate continuity they all fall

no matter what you do no matter how many

pyramids you build no matter how many

coins you put your face on at some point

all civilizations fall and now I can

tell you common causes of decline so

that you can try to avoid those but take

it from someone who literally knows the

entire history of the world you can't

escape it

unless you're the United States in which

case we will all live forever go USA

bald eagles George Washington but

everyone else Falls why one main reason

is that leadership grows corrupt over

time in general people who have power

don't want to not have power and they

start doing shady things to make sure

that they never lose that power and

privilege and people who are near power

want it I mean basically just like watch

it episode of Game of Thrones but if you

insist on a historical piece of evidence

then just look at the court of the Han

Emperor eunuchs gained swag and became

the Emperor's inner circle fighting for

power with the Confucian scholars and

family members were orchestrating Wars

and intrigue to get their person on the

throne it was a mess

or check out this chart of Roman

emperors over just a 50-year period look

at how many were assassinated that's

insane that can't be good for stability

but besides corrupt leadership which

seems to be unavoidable at some point

most the problems boiled down to your

empire was too big problem number one

your empire is large and diverse and

people feel disconnected from the

capital or the leadership I mean

especially if it's correct and so we

will see local leaders rise and become

more important and trusted to the common

people than the far away Emperor common

problem number two I mean big empires

are hella expensive every time you

conquer more land that's people who have

to administer it and soldiers who have

to defend it oh it's exhausting and so

your economy goes into decline side tip

if your economy is struggling you can't

just make more money that's not how it

works I don't know why because I don't

teach economics but I know that it

didn't work for Germany after World War

one or the Roman Empire with their

quote-unquote silver coins or Holland

with their tulips so just don't

do it problem number three you have

difficulty securing your massive borders

either groups from the fringes start

gaining influence along your border

regions or just a massive influx of

immigrants maybe fleeing the Huns for

example enters your empire and you start

losing control here's the deal at some

point you're gonna be tempted and you're

gonna want to fill your military with

foreigners I get it

I know but don't do it seriously

students pay attention this year every

time you read in your textbook and then

blank civilization hired insert foreign

group here to fight for them just like

start a countdown and see how many pages

before that civilization Falls I'm

looking at you out of seeds okay so

that's topic number one but like there's

more to app than just state building

right sure one of the other really

important developments that arises in

the ancient classical and early

post-classical eras is the rise of

modern religions now I'm not a religion

expert and frankly you don't need to be

either but I'm gonna point out to you a

few things that you should keep in the

back of your mind as you learn about

Hindu kingdoms or Islamic empires that

might be helpful first let's start with

China because China is always very

unique so at some point between the

ancient and classical eras China had a

period where a lot of states were at war

with each other

we call it the warring States Period

genius during that time a lot of

philosophers started thinking about how

to bring order to China and a guy named

Confucius won at least as far as China

was concerned Confucianism is the single

most important continuity in Chinese

history and you need to know it forever

or at least until you've taken the AP

test so Confucius believe that the world

or China really would be stable if

everyone knew their place and acted

ethically within that place in society

his philosophy is centered on

relationships that include things like

husband wife father son and most

importantly ruler subject each person in

the relationship had a part to play the

superior the husband or father a ruler

was to act ethically and respectfully

while the inferior the wife or son or

subject was to obey or show filial piety

what does that look like well you have

to consult Confucius as teachings to

know how to act ethically if you think

about it Confucius had a great pyramid

scheme going on here like want to be a

great husband want to work your way into

the powerful government

see calm down and get the Analects for

just five installments of $9.99

there is another religion in China

Taoism but it doesn't have a huge impact

on big picture world history because its

whole teaching was to remove yourself

from the material world as much as

possible and seek introspection and this

is really different from Confucianism

that emphasized the need for educated

gentlemen to become very involved in

public life and importantly to run the

government throughout most of Chinese

history the government will be run by

scholar gentry meaning men highly

educated in Confucian ethics who passed

civil service exams to get their

position in society this makes Confucian

civilizations way more socially mobile

than others because in theory anyone

could take and pass the exams even you

peasants but in reality rich kids got

the best education and had the best

chance of succeeding sound familiar

the other thing that is consistent in

Confucian societies is patriarchy you

again stop it in general whenever you

learn about a civilization that is

emphasizing traditional values or people

knowing their place that means that that

civilization is not gonna be super

progressive toward women

okay so Confucianism reigned supreme in

China but what other belief systems were

developing well in the rest of the Asian

world three ancient religions developed

in India you had Hinduism similar in

some ways to the Confucian relationships

you had a religious concept of hierarchy

but this was much more strict the caste

system the only way to move up live life

well and move up in the next life good

luck you know the caste system benefits

people in power so you know who really

benefits from a Hindu State with an

entrenched caste system people in power

more on that in a second and in the

Middle East

two ancient religions developed Judaism

and Zoroastrianism the important aspects

of Judaism as far as web is concerned is

that it's an ethnic religion this

doesn't mean other ethnicities are

excluded it just means that for the most

part Judaism stayed within its original

community this is partly because Judaism

like Hinduism for example doesn't

emphasize going out and converting

people they've a uniquely tight-knit

culture and community that makes them

distinct from the majority cultures they

live in and this will have important and

really bad implications later on because

Jews throughout the Middle East in

Europe will

much always be seen as others by the

larger community sir Austrian ISM was

the awesomely named religion of the

Persians and we don't need to know too

much about that just know as a popular

religion across the Middle East until it

was mostly supplanted by Islam which

brings us to three newer religions and

by newer I mean like new within the last

two thousand years or so they rose

across the Middle East and South Asia as

well and they arose out of the ancient

religions but they had a new

characteristic they were universalizing

religions meaning that their followers

believed it was important to spread the

word of their faith and this has huge

implications for world history

first there was Buddhism it arose out of

Hinduism and kept a lot of the teachings

but the Buddha rejected the caste system

you know who loved that people in lower

castes especially merchants merchants

were often resentful of their low status

across many societies Confucian saw them

as ungentlemanly because they didn't

create anything useful for society they

just made money off other people's labor

and in Hinduism merchants were just one

caste above the bottom tier so when

Buddhism showed up in South Asia

merchants especially took hold of this

religion and spread it along trade

routes Buddhist monasteries became

important stops along the Silk Roads as

it spread into China and Southeast Asia

but it was never successful spreading

westward because of Zoroastrianism and

then eventually Islam similarly out of

Judaism arose Christianity just like

Buddha was a Hindu who rejected the

caste system and preached individual

introspection Jesus was a Jew who

advocated equality of all believers and

a more personal relationship with God I

mean do I really need to go into

Christianity's impact on world history

like just wait until you get to the unit

on imperialism and prepare to feel super

uncomfortable but for now just know that

Christianity also spread quickly

especially amongst the lower classes or

those who resented Roman rule sidenote

pay attention to the fact that

Christianity rose independent from the

state so early leaders of Christianity

were just religious leaders because

there was already a powerful Emperor

even when Christianity became the

official religion of the Roman Empire

the president had been established of

separation between church and state in

the Christian world and this is fairly

unique among world

religions especially when compared with

Islam Islam rose in the Arabian

Peninsula out of the polytheism of the

bedouin tribes Muhammad was similar to

Jesus and the Buddha and that he

preached a new religion that modernized

a lot of ancient or pagan beliefs of the

time Aslam at its core is a religion of

equality similar to Christianity and

Buddhism and it was actually very

progressive for the seventh century for

our purposes there are two key points

about Islam that we need to know number

one Muhammad was not just a religious

leader he was also a political and

military ruler when he marched back to

Mecca with an army he established a

precedent that has continued for the

most part in the Islamic world up until

today Islam in the state are closely

connected the second point is that Islam

saw merchant's way more highly than any

other religion why well

Mohammed was a merchant he worked in a

trading caravan for his wife Khadija who

was his boss again very progressive for

the six hundreds Muhammad encouraged his

followers to seek knowledge and this led

to a wave of Muslim merchants fanning

out across the known world spreading the

faith and it created a culture of

innovation and scholarship in the

Islamic world that Europe will be very

grateful for when it decides to

Renaissance but you'll get there okay

the last thing you need to know from the

pre 1200 era is that extensive trade

networks had been developed and these

would continue to grow and reach their

height from 1200 to 1450 until the

Europeans bump into America and throw

everything out of whack I'll be honest

I've been trade routes and economics and

general quite boring so let's just see

how quickly I can cover these networks

of exchange all right across Eurasia

there was a network of roads that traded

luxury goods most notably silk we call

this the Silk Road two things this trade

was expensive because camels can't carry

as much as a ship sorry camels and so

the Silk Road was not for mass goods it

was for special things that made the

elite feel elite you know like silk also

pastoral nomads were critical in

connecting this trade network nomadic

groups reached their height of

importance in the late post-classical

era as they were the ones facilitating

all of this land trade Thanks nomads

another land network went across the

Sahara Desert we call this the Saharan

trade

the Sahara was uncrossable until camel

showed up and people invented a camel

saddle to ride those humps this happened

somewhere around 500 CEO and then the

Saharan trade exploded sidenote y'all

camels they're just so important like

when in doubt if you get to an essay on

trade just like throw in something about

camels and you'll probably be good

so the Saharan trade connected

sub-saharan Africa to the rest of the

known world and it led to the rise of

large trading kingdoms profiting off

Africa's natural wealth most notably

gold I'll hate Timbuktu I see you

finally the most important trade network

in the world until the Atlantic trade

begins in 1492 is the sea routes across

the Indian Ocean we call this you

guessed it the Indian Ocean trade just

like we had to wait for camels and

saddles to show up in Africa

it wasn't until improved knowledge and

better technology allowed sailors to

harness the power of monsoon winds that

this trade network really became a thing

sidenote just like camels if you get an

essay on Indian Ocean trade just say the

phrase lateen sails over and over again

the college board will love you compared

to the Silk Road the Indian Ocean trade

did carry bulk goods in addition to

luxury items because again a ship could

hold more stuff than a camel and these

sea routes are what made the products of

India Southeast Asia and China so highly

coveted by elites in the rest of the

world some foreshadowing when Europe is

going to wake up from its Middle Ages

and decide that it wants spices it's

gonna have two options travel to India

and China on land and have to pay taxes

to the Muslims that is not an option for

those devout medieval Christians or find

another way what could go wrong whoa so

there you have it by 1,200 rulers have

learned the do's and don'ts of

state-building

all the major religions have formed and

trade networks are facilitating the

exchange of goods people and cultures at

faster and faster rates Oh nicely done

Emily that normally would have been my

entire first semester well have fun in

the year 1200

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