Trace the Indian Ocean network c. 800-1500 CE — the Swahili Coast city-states (Mogadishu, Mombasa, Kilwa, Zanzibar, Sofala), ibn Battuta's 1352-3 visits, the Calicut spice-trade entrepôt, and Zheng He's 1405-1433 Treasure Fleet voyages
Exercise
Difficulty 4
~12 min
hist.g7.f.ex_40
Claim Evidence Warrant
Prompt
Apply Hansen 2012 'Silk Road: A New History' refusal of 'Marco Polo opened the Silk Road' simplification in 100-150 words. Cite the multi-century pre-Polo system + Sogdian merchants + Han-Tang era predecessors.
How it's presented
mode
text
Answer criteria
type
claim evidence warrant rubric
rubric
Multi-century pre-Polo system named (Han Zhang Qian 2nd c. BCE + Sogdian 6th-9th c. + Tang) (15 pts); Polo as ONE traveler in Pax Mongolica window (10 pts); Hansen 2012 citation (5 pts); Banks Level-3 transformative move (10 pts). Total 40 pts.
Hints
- Hansen 2012 is the anchor — name it.
- Polo was ONE traveler among many — Rabban Bar Sauma + Giovanni di Montecorvino + ibn Battuta + many others.
Misconceptions to watch
- Treating Polo as the unique opener — refusing this framing is the lesson's signature move
Used in lessons