| City | Ruling Power | Modern Location | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kaifeng | Song Dynasty | China | 1,000,000 |
| Baghdad | Abbasid Caliphate | Iraq | 1,000,000 |
| Quanzhou | Song Dynasty | China | 800,000 |
| Cairo | Fatimid Caliphate | Egypt | 500,000 |
| Constantinople | Byzantine Empire | Turkey | 500,000 |
| Córdoba | Umayyad Caliphate | Spain | 450,000 |
| Paris | Capet Dynasty | France | 25,000 |
| London | Wessex Dynasty | U.K. | 15,000 |
Technology lagged behind
Agriculture less productive
Classical Greek tradition lost
*Cerealization
Crop rotation
Plow with iron tip
Watermill
W. European population trends
40 million in 1000 CE
75 million in 1340 CE
Urbanization/Commercialization
Periodic markets before 1000 CE
Cities and market towns develop
*Guilds
| City | Ruling Power | Modern Location | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hangzhou | Mongol Empire | China | 1,000,000 |
| Cairo | Mamluk Empire | Egypt | 400,000 |
| Beijing | Mongol Empire | China | 400,000 |
| Paris | Capet Dynasty | France | 230,000 |
| Constantinople | Byzantine Kingdom | Turkey | 100,000 |
| London | Norman Dynasty | U.K. | 45,000 |
| Baghdad | Mongol Empire | Iraq | 40,000 |
| Córdoba | Castile Dynasty | Spain | 40,000 |
Cerealization
Population growth
Urbanization
Modeled on guild
Master's degree
Bachelor's degree
Students (apprentices)
Liberal Arts
Trivium
Quadrivium
Mathematics
*Indo-Arabic numerals, India, 6th c.
*Zero (Arabic: zephir)
*Place-value
Trigonometry
Translation from Sanskrit to Arabic
Spread to Islamic Caliphates, 7th c.
Decimal notation, Muslims, 7th c.
Algebra
Al-Khwarizmi
Latin: AlgorithmIndo-Arabic math introduced to Europe
*Fibonnaci (ca. 1170-1240)
Pisa, Italy
Travels to Bugia (Algeria), Egypt, Syria, Greece, Sicily, and Southern France
Book of Calculation, 1202
Latin
Chinese Papermaking
Proto-paper
Wrapping material, 2nd c. BCE
Writing material, 2nd c. CE
Production
Chopping and pounding of cellulose fibers mixed with water to form pulp
Bamboo
Mulberry bark
Stalks of harvested crops
Dipping
Drying
Bonding of cellulose fibers
Light, flexible, durable
Spread of papermaking
China
Writing material, 2nd c. CE
Silk Road, 722
Abbasid Caliphate (Baghdad), 750
Islamic Spain, ca. 1050
Ream (Spanish resma from Arabic rizmah (bale))
Europe, ca. 1250-1500
Clay tablets, ca. 3000 BCE
*Papyrus, ca. 2000 BCE
*Parchment
1. How and why did Western Europe lag behind the Byzantine, Chinese, and Islamic Empires during the period from 400 to 1200 CE? Why did Western Europe begin to develop economically in the period from 1000 to 1400?
2. Why were paper and Indo-Arabic numerals important to the development of universities in Europe in the period from 1200 to 1500?
3. Where were paper and Indo-Arabic numerals invented? What roles did trade routes play in their transmission to Europe?
1. What was the "cerealization" of European agriculture? How did increased agricultural output encourage population growth, urbanization, commercialization of the economy?
2. What led to the foundation of Europe's universities from 1150 to 1250? How were universities organized? What were the similarities and differences between the liberal arts curriculum of medieval Europe and American universities today?
3. In Image 13.5 (p. 310), what message was the artist trying to convey about medieval university classrooms? Is his message still relevant today?
4. How did Fibonnaci’s education in North Africa and travels from early in life help him to learn about Indo-Arabic numerals? How did he transmit knowledge of "Indian" numerals to Europeans? Why were "Indian" numerals superior to Roman numerals?
1. Where was paper invented? How and when did paper-making technology reach the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe? (See trade routes in Map 13.3, Voyages, p. 317.)
2. Why did paper replace papyrus and parchment as the main writing materials in the Middle East and Europe? What are the drawbacks of papyrus and parchment?
3. Why does Professor Jonathan Bloom think that the "Silk Road" should be renamed the "Paper Road"? Do you agree or disagree?