Unit 2: Networks of Exchange (c. 1200–1450)

AP World History: Modern

Key themes to watch for

The Catalan Atlas of 1375, showing the major trade routes and rulers of the medieval world

Caption: The Catalan Atlas (1375) by Abraham Cresques illustrates medieval knowledge of Afro-Eurasian trade networks. Mansa Musa of Mali appears holding a gold nugget, reflecting European awareness of Trans-Saharan trade wealth.

The three major trade networks

The Silk Roads

Indian Ocean maritime routes

Trans-Saharan caravan routes

The Mongol Empire and connectivity

Consequences of connectivity

Cultural consequences

Environmental consequences

Technological transfer

Primary sources

Marco Polo on the wealth of Kublai Khan's court (c. 1298)

Ibn Battuta on the Indian Ocean trade (c. 1355)

Key figures

Unit 2 topic overview

Vocabulary

Unit 2 topics

Unit 2 overview2.1The Silk Roads2.10Comparison of the Effects of Connectivity2.2The Mongol Empire and the Making of the Modern World2.3Exchange in the Indian Ocean2.4Trans-Saharan Trade Routes2.5Cultural Consequences of Connectivity2.6Environmental Consequences of Connectivity2.7Comparison of Economic Exchange2.8Effects of the Mongol Empire2.9Causes and Effects of the Bubonic Plague
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