U368 Mongol Conquest Lecture
First Week, Wednesday: Geography of Eurasia

 

I.  Eurasia divisible into four east-west belts
                    1.  Tundra
                    2.  Taiga/coniferous forest
                    3.  Steppe/grassland
                    4. The “money” belt
II.  Tundra belt
          A.  No cities, no agriculture, reindeer herding, sea-fishing, small groups
III.  Taiga/Coniferous Forest belt
          A.  East: No cities, some farming, reindeer herding, hunting, very small groups
          B.  In some areas interacts with herders of the steppe zone
          C.  West: farming, small towns: incorporated in neighboring civilizations
                    1. Bulghar into Islamic world--trade ties to Central Asia
                    2.  Ruthenia (Russian principalities) tied to (crippled) Byzantium       
IV.  The steppe belt
          A. Ecology
                    1.  Whole societies based on herding, esp. horse & sheep
                    2.  Cities periodic, little farming, huge herds, groups middle-sized
                    3.  Farming happened, but herds basis of prestige & leadership
          B. Nomadic states and their role in history
                    1.  600 BC (West), 300 BC (East), horse introduced >> military power
2.  Since 550 AD literate empires, herding and caravan trading
                    3.  Belt linking China, Middle East, Europe
V.  The “money belt”
          A. Ecology
                    1.  Desert, temperate forest, or subtropical/tropical forest
                    2. But all based on rich, productive, diverse agriculture 
                    3. Militarily, temperate forest and desert had horses, subtropical did not  
          B. Five great civilizations  
                    1. Frankish/Latin Europe (Byzantium crushed by Latin and Turco-Persian)  
                    2. North Africa, Egypt, and Levant (Arab Islam)
                    3. Turco-Persian Islam
                    4. South and Southeast Asia (Buddhist and Hindu, with Islam rising)
                    5. East Asia                    
          C.  Zone of Money and banking
                    1. Mines/exports silver, till 1254 silver coin only: Europe
                    2. Few mines, imports gold, uses old coins: Islam (silver famine)
                    3. Mines, uses, exports gold coin: South and Southeast Asia
                    4. Uses bronze coin & paper money (some silver ingots): East Asia
          D.  Inter-relations:  cultural/religious hostility & appreciation, trade, price waves