9/21/14
Guided Reading 7
1. Steppes: Treeless plains, especially the high, flat expanses of northern Eurasia, which usually have little rain and are covered with coarse grass. They are good lands for nomads and their herds. Living on the steppes promoted the breeding of horses and the development of military skills that were essential to the rise of the Mongol Empire.
2. “Great Traditions”: Historians’ term for a literate, well- institutionalized complex of religious and social beliefs and practices adhered to by diverse societies over a broad geographical area.
3. “Small Traditions”: Historians term for a localized, usually nonliterate, set of customs and beliefs adhered to by a single society, often in conjunction with a “great tradition.”
4. Bantu: Collective name of a large group of sub-Saharan African languages and of the peoples speaking these languages.
5. Sahel: Belt south of the Sahara; literally coastland in Arabic. The southern borderlands of the Sahara. Middlemen who were native to the Sahel played an important role in this trade.
6. Sasanid Empire: Iranian empire, established in 224, with a capital in Ctesiphon, Mesopotamia. The Sasanid emperors established Zoroastrianism as the state religion. Islamic Arab armies overthrew the empire in 640.
Questions to Outline:
1. List the products
a. Going from east to west on the Silk Road
Peaches, Apricots Cinnamon, ginger and spices
b. Going from west to east on the Silk Road
Pistachios, walnuts, pomegranates, and sesame
2. Why can the Silk Road be described as a social system rather than simply a transportation route and what were some of the technological advances the Silk Road was responsible for?
The Silk Road encompassed a lot of different religions such as Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. There also was much technological advancement that spread quickly throughout the Silk Road. Because there were so many different people trading this caused a lot of cultural diffusion.
3. Compare the Mediterranean sailors and the Indian Ocean sailors.
The