Conflict In Ancient Asia Essay

Conflict and War in Ancient Asia
Along the coasts of Asia, pirates raided countless ships; within Palestine and Jerusalem, armies fought holy wars; on the steppes of the Mongols, the Great Khans expanded their already massive empire. Conflict and war in ancient Asia drove important changes in technology, trade, and religion.
Piracy was a risk for any traveler or merchant, no matter how long the trip or how valuable the cargo. Pirates frequently raided ships traveling to and from Sri Lanka, crossing the Indian Ocean (Gordon 82). To lower risk, merchants made use of anything. For example, merchants established partnerships. Not only did this spread risk, reducing individual losses, but also made reputation important (Gordon 94). This made reputation

and trust important for long distance trading, in which goods were sold and the profits transported over far distances. Besides partnerships, traveling merchants split up their journeys into sections to reduce risks (Gordon 83). Due to the dangers of travel, splitting up the journey reduced the knowledge ship pilots and captains needed to know to safely navigate the waters. Captains who only had limited knowledge of the route could still navigate a ship to its destination, provided they knew enough for their smaller section of the whole journey.
Crusaders took over large areas of land around Palestine, provoking battles and causing prevalent antisemitism. Trading in the area decreased, not only because of frequent warfare, but also because many Jewish traders began to stay away from the area (Gordon 80). Around 1148 CE, crusaders in the Mediterranean began warring. Once again, Jews and other non-Christians became targets, and Jewish migration south toward Yemen steadily continued (Gordon 92). In Yemen, many Jews took up crafting, making leather, metals, and jewelry. Traders exported these goods and important other commodities, allowing trade to flourish in the area (Gordon 93). The holy wars were not limited to the Palestine area; in 1512 CE, Tomé Pires of the Portuguese attempted to bring the crusaders to Asia, to conquer China. Pires failed, and China reacted with a decades-long ban on foreign traders. Although he failed, continued Portuguese attempts at conquest caused other countries to develop countermeasures. Portuguese fleets attempted to tax merchant ships, but failed when China built better, faster ships to outmaneuver and avoid the fleets. Trade dwindled in Europe compared to Asia, with Asia transporting much bigger amounts of pepper and other spices that Europe. Portuguese interference put pressure on countries all across Asia's trade routes. As Gordon put it, "the Portuguese incursion initiated a widespread arms race across the whole of the Asian maritime world" (172).
Unlike the failed Portuguese attempts at control, Genghis Khan and the Mongol armies had widespread success in conquest: "his armies defeated virtually every opponent for the remainder of Genghis Khan’s life" (Gordon 140).

Genghis Khan's conquest of Asia caused huge changes to the entire area. Many cities were permanently destroyed from the Mongol's assault, such as the caravan cities of Merv and Balkh (Gordon 140). Centuries couldn't repair the damage done to some cities, and the Mongol's managed to destroy religion as well. The Buddhist culture in present-day Afghanistan was wiped out by the Mongols, who murdered everyone in the area (Gordon 140). The taxes the Mongols enacted and the loot the Mongols stole made the Mongol capitals extremely luxurious, with many expensive goods to sell (Gordon 141). Genghis Khan's way of fighting and leadership was passed down to his many descendants, who continued his legacy for decades.
War and conflict caused huge changes in technology, religion, and trade. Advances in trade, from partnerships to new piloting routes, were the result of dangerous sea conditions and the constant threat of raiding pirates. Crusaders and Portuguese conquerors stirred up animosity toward themselves, causing heavy trade regulations and antisemitism. The Mongol's fast victory over almost all of Asia led to irreparable destruction, both of cities and of religion in certain areas. Without war and conflict to pressure people, many important changes in technology,

trade and religion would not have happened in ancient Asia.