When Asia Was The World Chapter Summary

merchants and trade from the religions origins’ origins until about 1500. Are there indications of

Before this assignment I never knew anything about Asian history until I got to this class and received this assignment. I can’t believe how much Asian history influenced the way we as Americans look at history now. In Steward Gordon’s When Asia Was The World, I found the story of Xuanzang very interesting. Xuanzang was a Buddhist monk who traveled all over to learn more about Buddhism until he became confused and decided to go to the center of Buddhism, along the way he faced many difficulties, he decided to go back to China and share what he had learned.

That Colonialism and imperialism played a significant role in shaping the modern world and particularly Asia is a prudent judgment. Colonialism is "a policy in which a country rules other nations and develops trade for its own benefit" and "the extension of power or authority over others in the interests of domination" (2004). 'The West', which refers to the societies of Europe and their genealogical, colonial, and philosophical descendants. Spain, France, Britain, Canada, and the United States of America are some examples of Western societies. These countries have spread their influence and hegemony over other nations for centuries; shaping today's North America,

1) Nationalism, socialism, and religion have all played a major role in anti-colonial struggles and post-colonial constructions in India and Southeast Asia. Which of these three ideologies do you think was most effective for colonized peoples and why?

The luxuries exchanged between the three continents of Asia, Europe and Africa gave the Islamic World many goods and sellable merchandise. The Islamic World imported products such as rich African gold,

Woodblock printing was invented around the year 220CE in China. Inventors decided carving out from wood and using them as stamps was much more efficient than writing. In the 5th century CE, Arab Muslims were also printing texts, mainly passages from the Qur'an which is the Muslim version of a bible. The Arab Muslims had already embraced the Chines craft of paper making, the Muslims had also developed the craft and adopted it widely in the Middle East. The Arab Muslims continued this method for about 500 years. Whether or not the Arab Muslims may have influenced the eventual adoption of printing in Europe is still debated about to this day. The possibility of

Author, J. Baldius firm in William of Ockham, created an advertisement expressing the way scribes, people who make copies of documents, hand wrote before the Printing Press was created.(Doc 1) Prior to the Printing Press, people hand wrote books and drew illustrations that took many years to complete.When the creation of the moveable type took place, it allowed for people to create books at a much faster rate and it enabled for more jobs to be available. Moreover, the development of this invention spread all across Europe between the years of 1471 and 1500. In maps displaying the spread of the Printing Press from 1471 and 1500, the location from where they started were mainly in Germany, Netherlands, and Italy.(Doc 2) In 1500, there were nine times more printing press’ then there were in 1471 and in that year there was one printing press in every major city. The popularity of the printing press spreads knowledge throughout Europe and makes people realize that this invention was not only a necessity, but it was not even counted as a luxury. The development of the printing press was the most important of all the consequences because although it was the beginning, it sparked a new and easier way for people to spread their knowledge and ideas quickly but

In the article, “A Silk Road Legacy: The Spread of Buddhism and Islam” by Xinru Liu, the author discusses the dominance of Buddhism in Central Asia and how the religion made its way from Central Asia into China, India, and other parts of Asia. Xinru Liu also discusses how the regions in Central Asia were divided into many city-states that never unified. Because of this, no region in Central Asia ever had an official religion and there was a variety of religions practiced by the people, such as Zoroastrianism and Manichaeism. Xinru Liu also points out the Arab conquest to Central Asia and the important Silk Road trading stations that were located there that they wanted control of. Xinru Liu discusses the introduction of Islam to Central Asia during this conquest and how it was established there and then later spread to other parts of Asia, such as India. Finally, Xinru Liu discusses the influence on Central Asians from many different outsiders and what life was like for the people before, during, and after the rise of the Islamic Empire and how Central Asians have survived and thrived under the constant changing environment.

Since time immemorial, the development of civilizations has been affected by religion. Religion in historical development came to be seen as a commercial and military tool. Religion provided a major point of contact between continents and regions. The spread of Islam into North Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East provided new influences and contacts without interfering with the cultures of the regions in which it spread. For instance, Africa retained its diverse culture even though Islam opened up the continent to the whole world.

If there was ever an important period historians, and people could put a finger on, this would be it. This is the important period where the world’s countries, kingdoms, and dynasties established trade routes. This is the period where countries were made and countries were destroyed because of the importance of trade and the importance of building a fundamental, religious, and economical way of life. This paper will discuss the goals and functions of trades, and traders, and a historical analysis of world trade. This paper will also get into world trade patterns, of The Americas, Sub-Saharan Africa, The Indian Ocean, The Silk routes, China and The South China Sea, Europe and The Mediterranean, and The Atlantic Exploration.

Besides the experience of travel itself, identify one theme or pattern that seems to be repeated throughout the test. Examples (political\ systems, economic development, religion). What significance does this theme or pattern play in shaping the ancient world? Are there any chapters/people/events that contradict your pattern or theme?’

From their origins to 1500, the attitudes of both Christian and Muslims toward trade shifted as conditions in the Christian and Islamic worlds changed. In the beginning, Christian attitudes were more negative, while Muslims tended to encourage and respect trade and merchants. Over time, Muslims became more like early Christians in that they were suspicious of traders whereas the Christians became more like the early Muslims, equating merchants (at least honest ones) with doing God’s work, reflecting the changed importance of trade in the high Middle Ages in Europe.

and learned from them. By the 10th century mills that produced the paper could be found in Persia,

The first historical mention of paper is 104 A.D. in China. The Empress of China at that time loved books and wanted to have a lot of them made. At the time everything was written on silk scrolls which were extremely expensive and time consuming to make. She wanted something cheaper and easier to use and so she asked one of her servants, a gentleman by the name of Tsi Lun to come up with an alternative. He worked for over nine years experimenting with different things and finally came up with hemp, mulberry tree bark, silk and old fishing nets all ground up into a mushy pulp. I wonder how he ever thought of it; the history books don't say. The Empress was very pleased and Tsi Lun was elevated to a high rank in the court. Unfortunately for

The past centuries saw a clear distinction between the Western civilization and the non-western culture. The western civilization composed of Greece, Romans, Byzantine Empire, and the European while the non-western civilizations included East Asia, Egypt, Persian Empire, Sassanid Empire, African Societies and Kingdoms, Incas, Mayans, Aztecs, and Mongols. For a long period, the western civilizations prevailed around the world. They influenced, lead and controlled others in various sectors such as medicine, clothing, business orientations, religion, and government. In this paper, I will be affirming my conviction that the western civilizations had unique attributes that made them more powerful than the non-western civilizations. I will also show how the western cultures were influenced by the spread of Christianity, and how the western cultures have maintained their great influence and power over the other societies even in the modern era.