Humanities Homework Help

PART 1: Answer the following prompt in 300 words. Based on your readings below did the Mongols or the Vikings have a greater impact on Eurasia. Why?

Risala: Ibn Fadlan’s Account of the Rus

Three Sources on the Ravages of the Northmen in Frankland, c. 843 – 912

Excerpt from Book of Marco Polo-How the Kaan’s Posts and Runners.pdf

Excerpt from Book of Marco Polo-How the Great Kaan Causeth the Bark of Trees.pdf

PART 2: Respond to TWO CLASSMATES

Classmate 1 (Christopher)

The Vikings had a rather expansive trade route around Europe with their brutality of pirating to plunder the resources of other regions. The Mongols had a much more lasting and far-reaching impact on Eurasia as a whole. The Mongols were equally brutal and used much larger armies to overpower and topple Empires. The Mongols were innovative and resourceful engineers. They understood the importance of allowing diverse governance of their controlled territories for religious freedoms and state-building practices to not only gain support from those they now ruled over but to continue to rule effectively while opening up and expanding their vast trade routes. Allowing them to practice a vast range of religions and cultures allowed the Mongols to expand. Not only did this allow for the trade of goods, but it allowed for cultural expansion, sciences and arts. The Mongols understood the value of putting people of specific skills in areas where they would utilize their skills best for the Empire. The Mongols would not hesitate to forcibly put those experts where the Mongols most needed them, allowing for the greater spread of mathematics and sciences as well as wealth and control

The Mongols in Eurasia also utilized Yamb or “Horse-Post-House.” each of which had a station that housed horses and living quarters. With as many as four hundred horses at the ready, messengers could quickly relay between posts which were typically twenty-five to thirty miles apart runners were also employed both of which would use bells of sorts to alert the posts of approach so that another runner or horse would be saddled and ready to take the next leg of the trip. These posts acted as a courier for the quick relay of messages between the provinces and the Great Kaan. No greater advance in such communication would be seen for nearly five centuries. The messengers also carried with their authority to take another rider’s horse to deliver a message and no one dared to resist such task if the messenger’s horse were to fall ill or die.

The Mongols expansion brought with it technology from China that would forever change Europe and the future of Europe Mongols also impacted Eurasia by the spread of the bubonic plague. The spread of the bubonic plague started in China but was carried as far as Western Europe as well. This accounted for one-third of the population of Europe.

Classmate 2 (Brenden)

I believe that the Mongols had a greater impact on Europe and Asia than the Vikings. The two excerpts come from The Book of Ser Marco Polo, where he details multiple different advancements that the Mongol empire made. The first excerpt is from book two, part one, chapter twenty four, and is called How the Great Kaan Causeth the Bark of Trees, Made Into Something Like Paper, to Pass for Money Over All His Country. This chapter goes into detail about the financial system that the Mongols implemented. The emperor has a mint in the same city as him, in this case it is the city of Cambaluc. The Mongols used a system of paper currency to represent physical valuables such as gold and jewels. All of these valuables were collected by the emperor and exchanged for this paper currency, which worked throughout the whole Mongol empire.

The second excerpt of these comes from book two, part one, chapter twenty six, and is called How the Kaan’s Posts and Runners are Sped Through Many Lands and Provinces. This chapter talks about the advanced trade and messaging systems that were invented by the Mongols. Every twenty five to thirty miles along major roads was a resting place that was built for messengers and travelers. These stations would have hundreds of horses for people who need them, and would also be set up in remote places where no other lodging would be. They would also build camps every three miles for messengers. They would travel quickly between camps and carry information to the next, so that the information could travel much faster.

Both of these advancements have played a huge part in the development of Eurasian countries, and have perhaps influenced the rest of the world. The Mongols might not have been the first to invent paper money, but they did have much more influence and reach than the Song Dynasty that did before them. This new form of currency allowed for easier travels and was eventually adopted by many other countries. Paper money is also something that most countries still use today. The system of messengers and checkpoints also had a huge impact, as it allowed information to travel much faster.