Week 5 Lecture
HIST410
Dr. Males
Spring 2022
SSU
Chapter 11
Chapter 11:
How did geography influence the spread of culture and state-building in the Americas?
Why did the Ethiopian Empire being to expand again in the eleventh and twelfth centuries?
Why were the land routes across Eurasia less significant than the sea routes across the Indian Ocean?
Which areas of India were most prosperous during these centuries, and what was the basis for their prosperity?
How did their relative cultural isolation affect Japan and western Europe during these centuries?
How did geography influence the spread of culture and state-building in the Americas?
Approximately 1,00 years ago there was a warm spell that disturbed the lives of hunters that lived along North America’s Artic edge
This led to improved conditions for hunting and navigating
Led to migrants working their way across the southern edge of the Artic Ocean
At the same time migration was also taking place across the North Atlantic by the Scandinavians
With this change in climate the geography would open to peoples that would bring with them the culture of their homes
Parts of North America would be settled by the Natives in the Artic region to the Scandinavians “Norse” parts of what is now Eastern Canada
How did geography influence the spread of culture and state-building in the Americas? cont.
At the same time in the heartland of North American the new way of life traveled along two routes:
From the heartlands of maize in current day Mexico into the arid lands of the North American Southwest
From the Gulf of Mexico into the wetlands of the Mississippi valleys and parts of the deep south of the current United States
This resulted in the rise of cultures with similarities
Further south in Mesoamerica
The collapse of the cities of the classic Mayan empire of the 9th and 10th century did not put an end to the Mayan civilizations
Mayan city life would revive on the peninsula of the Yucatan in eastern Mexico
Why did the Ethiopian Empire being to expand again in the eleventh and twelfth centuries?
A new dynasty recovered political unity in the 12th century
The Zagwe, as the kings of Lalibela’s dynasty were frontiersmen
This land had been predominately Christian for more than 700 years, a time of internal crusade began, recorded in the lives of trailblazing frontier saints
Ethiopia was even proclaimed as “the new Israel”
The Axumite monarchs from the central highland region around Axum despised the others
They called themselves Solomids and in 1270 seized power
They continued to seize pagan lands
Why were the land routes across Eurasia less significant than the sea routes across the Indian Ocean?
Links across the Indian Ocean had lessened isolation
The Indian Ocean enclosed the main routes of communication around maritime Asia and between Asia and Africa
Land routes were not as readily accessible and most often the water routes were used
Land routes required traversing across Central Asia and the Sahara desert which proved quite difficult for most
Which areas of India were most prosperous during these centuries, and what was the basis for their prosperity?
The Chola Kingdom
The heart of the kingdom lay away from the coasts in rice fields and pastures
Attached more importance to landward security and expansion then the sea
They would labor to extend their landward frontiers and develop their landward resources through exploitation
Eventually the power, wealth and ambitions of the Chola Kings would merge with those merchant communities on the coast
This would lead to grand ports bring in trade such as gold, pearls, and coral just to name a few
How did their relative cultural isolation affect Japan and western Europe during these centuries?
Japan and western Europe were at the easternmost and westernmost extremities of Eurasia
This meant that they were hard to get to and from
However, they were close enough to the major communications routes to tap into the great exchanges of culture
Around the 11th or 12th century both areas would emerge from relative isolationism
Japanese rulers would try and turn their isolationism into a virtue
They feared that would lose migrants to richer regions and would require permission for traders to trade abroad
Europe in its isolation would begin to develop society and culture within
Building culture and society amongst the people and would eventually grow into prosperous empires
Reference: Fernandez-Armesto, F. (2011). The World: A History. Prentice Hall.
