RESPONSE PAPER QUESTIONS
In what ways were the trading cities and inland networks of East Africa linked to trade in the Indian Ocean? How does this help us to understand how the Indian Ocean trade network was important to global history in a manner similar to trade in the Atlantic Ocean? How was the Hindu kingdom of Vijayanagara ruled and how was it dependent upon trade? In your essay you will wish to discuss the use of dhows, the value of gold dust and ivory in the East African trade, the ways in which Hindu rulers were seen as divine kings, the use of religious tolerance in Vijayanagara, and the importance of rice in the trade networks of the Indian Ocean. (Page 640-653)
How did the power of the Mughal Empire begin to expand in the sixteenth century? How does the chapter describe everyday life and the rise of larger cities in the Mughal Empire? In your essay you wish to discuss the use of gunpowder weapons, the relative religious tolerance of Akbar the Great, the role of sati and polygamy in the Mughal Empire, and the rise of large urban centers such as Delhi in India. (Pages 653-663).