, Topic 2.1: The Silk Roads
Economics Systems
As societies develop, they affect and are affected by the ways that they produce, exchange, and consume
goods and services.
● Improved commercial practices led to an increased volume of trade and expanded the geographical range of
existing trade routes— including the Silk Roads—promoting the growth of powerful new trading cities.
In the space below, identify the trade route based on the trading cities that developed. (Options: Indian Ocean,
Mediterranean Sea, Silk Road, Trans-Saharan Route) Note: Cites not listed include Tenochtitlan and Cahokia.
Trade Route Trading City
The Volga trade route Baghdad, Novgorod
(crucial for trade with
Northern Europe and Russia
during the Islamic Golden Age)
The Silk Road Kashgar, Samarkand
The Trans-Saharan Route Timbuktu, Swahili city-states
The Indian Ocean Gujarat, Calicut, Melaka
How did these trade routes promote the growth of these cities?
These trade routes promoted the growth of these cities by establishing hubs for economic and cultural exchange. Cities
grew into marketplaces and promoted development.
● The growth of interregional trade in luxury goods was encouraged by innovations in previously existing
transportation and commercial technologies, including the caravanserai, forms of credit, and the development of
money economies.
Why would the introduction of credit, paper money, checks, and banking houses increase trade?
The introduction of credit, paper money, checks, and banking houses would increase trade by making purchases more
convenient and providing essential financial services.
● Demand for luxury goods increased in Afro-Eurasia. Chinese, Persian, and Indian artisans and merchants
expanded their production of textiles and porcelains for export; manufacture of iron and steel expanded in China.
Complete the chart below by listing the origin of the main luxury goods during this period:
Luxury good Origin
Silk China
Slaves Mesoamerica
Economics Systems
As societies develop, they affect and are affected by the ways that they produce, exchange, and consume
goods and services.
● Improved commercial practices led to an increased volume of trade and expanded the geographical range of
existing trade routes— including the Silk Roads—promoting the growth of powerful new trading cities.
In the space below, identify the trade route based on the trading cities that developed. (Options: Indian Ocean,
Mediterranean Sea, Silk Road, Trans-Saharan Route) Note: Cites not listed include Tenochtitlan and Cahokia.
Trade Route Trading City
The Volga trade route Baghdad, Novgorod
(crucial for trade with
Northern Europe and Russia
during the Islamic Golden Age)
The Silk Road Kashgar, Samarkand
The Trans-Saharan Route Timbuktu, Swahili city-states
The Indian Ocean Gujarat, Calicut, Melaka
How did these trade routes promote the growth of these cities?
These trade routes promoted the growth of these cities by establishing hubs for economic and cultural exchange. Cities
grew into marketplaces and promoted development.
● The growth of interregional trade in luxury goods was encouraged by innovations in previously existing
transportation and commercial technologies, including the caravanserai, forms of credit, and the development of
money economies.
Why would the introduction of credit, paper money, checks, and banking houses increase trade?
The introduction of credit, paper money, checks, and banking houses would increase trade by making purchases more
convenient and providing essential financial services.
● Demand for luxury goods increased in Afro-Eurasia. Chinese, Persian, and Indian artisans and merchants
expanded their production of textiles and porcelains for export; manufacture of iron and steel expanded in China.
Complete the chart below by listing the origin of the main luxury goods during this period:
Luxury good Origin
Silk China
Slaves Mesoamerica
