1. The compass was a very important new technology that enabled the growth of interregional trade networks. The compass was also known as the “south pointing needle” and was invented by the Chinese. They were able to use it for marine navigation and land navigation, which was a huge aspect that enabled the growth of interregional trade. Another new technology was the dhow ships which were Arab sailing vessels. These dhows were small but extremely sturdy and were very maneuverable. An important new crop that enabled agricultural development was Champa rice. Champa rice was drought resistant and was ready for harvest very early. Now with this rice the Chinese could double the area of rice cultivation and grow it twice in one season. This was a huge advancement in agriculture.

2. Some factors that encouraged commercial growth in the post- classical era were new state built architecture like the Grand Canal. Also new organizations for trade like the Hanseatic League. New trading cities also encouraged commercial growth. Some of these cities were Baghdad, and Novgorod in the Islamic caliphates and Byzantine Empire. These trade cities flourished due to the pre-existing trade routes like the silk and sand roads, and the Indian Ocean Commerce. Another huge factor were new state practices …show more content…
The classical era trade networks like the Silk Road, and Sand Roads continued during the post classical era. The Mediterranean Sea trade, trans-Saharan trade route, and Indian Ocean trade also continued. These trade routes promoted the growth of many new trading cities like Baghdad, Novgorod, Timbuktu, Hangzhou, Calicut, Malacca, Venice, Tenochtitlan, and Cahokia. These trading cities were located in the major states like the Mongol Empire, Byzantine Empire, Islamic Caliphates, Swahili States, etc. These cities were all pre-exiting, but due to the trade route going directly through them they became trade cities and flourished as long as the trade routes were still heavily