Post-Classical+Unit

=The Post-classical Period, 500-1450: New Faith and New Commerce=



The World Map Changes:
Trade and religion proliferate during this era and political boundaries are too remain the same. Despite the contrary, trade actually sped up the spread of major religions through Afro-Eurasia. "Systematic international" trade, that which far exceeds the capacity of the old Silk Road, is developed through Afro-Eurasia, specifically in the Indian Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Connections established by these trade networks begin to gradually describe world history.

Triggers for Change:
Collapse of classical empires results in economic decline and more disorder, which causes people to turn to religion for guidance and security. Established boundries of faling empires were removed, resulting in further expansion into new territory.

The Big Changes:
Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam are able to reach peoples of cultures other than their own. Political issues recieve much less attention than religious ones as religion is a dominant force in everyday life. **Syrectism** was also an apparent force as religions interacted with many other cultures and beliefs. Trade creates a "coherent world network" throughout Afro-Eurasia. Trade facilitates the spread of technology. Chinese and Arab innovations are spread and combined with those of other societies.

Continuity:
China, although out of the classical age, revives early classical forms of bureacracy. The Middle East's Islam interacts with Hellinistic ideals and established relationship between science and faith. Traditional cultures are basically blending with missionary religions. Expansion of the merchant class is evident with the expansion of trade, but nothing is systematic.

Impact on Daily Life: Women
Major religions insist women are equal to men. The example of footbinding in China is a clear example of the expectations and pressures on women that still existed in postclassical societies.

Chapters: #6 - The Rise and Spread of Islam #7 - Abbasid Decline and Spread of Islam to South Asia #8 - African Civilization and the Spread of Islam #9 - The Byzantium and Orthodox Europe #10 - Western Europe #11 - The Americas #12- Tang and Song Dynasty #13- Japan, Korea, and Vietnam #14- The Mongols