Name: ________________________________________________ Period: ______
Use the instructions on Schoology to complete this map.
WHAP Unit 2- Silk Road Map Activity
Post Instructions on Schoology:
Sketch the Silk Road routes (approximate lines are fine!) Remember the Silk Roads are a LAND ROUTE only.
Bactrian Camels and Caravans: Draw a bactrian camel anywhere along the Silk Road. Make a textbox with the definition of a camel caravan. http://www.historyshistories.com/silk-roadtransportation-overland-route.html
Caravanserais: Make a textbox with info about Caravanserais- include a definition and how they encouraged cultural diffusion (4th and 5th paragraphs)
https://en.unesco.org/silkroad/content/caravanserais-cross-roads-commerce-and-culture-along-silk-roads
Hangzhou: Label Hangzhou on your map. Make a textbox with 2 facts about why this city was important. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/world-history/medievaltimes/development-of-new-trading-cities/a/development-of-new-trading-cities
Samarkand: Label Samarkand and make a text box with two facts about how the development of Samarkand was influenced by its role as a trade city. Hint: think about cultural diffusion!
https://en.unesco.org/silkroad/content/samarkand
Paper Money: Write PAPER MONEY on China. Make a textbox about how it worked. http://www.silkroadfoundation.org/artl/papermoney.shtml
Bills of Exchange: Make a textbox about Bills of Exchange. https://www.britannica.com/topic/bill-of-exchange
Gunpowder: Write GUNPOWDER on the place it originated. Make a symbol for gunpowder and put it on the map on the places to which it spread.
The diffusion of technology is a major theme of the networks of exchange of the post-classical era. An example is the story of gunpowder. Gunpowder consists of a mixture of sulfur (S),
charcoal (C), and saltpeter (KNO) and was originally invented by Taoist alchemists in China around 900 in a search for eternal life. Its Chinese name means “fire medicine.” Its military
applications were quickly figured out and the first documented use of gunpowder in war was by the Song Dynasty in an 1132 battle. The first true gun- the hand cannon- was built in China in
1287. It is unclear if gunpowder had spread to the Muslim world before or during the era of the Mongols. Although guns and cannons would eventually be decisive in war, in its earliest uses its
explosive capability was much less as the recipe and metal in the guns had not been perfected. As a result, gunpowder was rejected by many Muslim armies. It would be the Ottoman Turks in
the early 1400’s who adopted and improved the technology and enjoyed much wartime success as a result. Gunpowder was almost certainly introduced to Europe by the Mongols on a
battlefield in Hungary in 1241. The Mongols had acquired the weapons from the Chinese and introduced them to India and Japan. Improvements in the manufacture of gunpowder and the
building of guns occurred in Europe by the late 1300’s with major centers in Italy and Germany. The Battle of Castillion between France and England in 1453 was the first time gunpowder
played a decisive role on a European battlefield.
Paper: Write PAPER on the place it originated. Put a white square/rectangle on the places to which this technology spread.
The diffusion of technology is a major theme of the networks of exchange of the post-classical era. An example is the story of paper. Ever since the invention of writing in 3000 BCE,
societies sought a good surface to write on. Clay tablets, bone and bamboo were heavy and cumbersome. Papyrus made from leaves was widely used in the classical world but it was fragile
and provided a lumpy writing surface. Animal skins in the forms of parchment and vellum were better but much more expensive. Paper was first invented in China around 100 BCE. A court
official named Cai Lun is credited with creating a method of papermaking using rags and other plant fibers. This new paper was light and cheap to make. Later Chinese inventions of printing
made paper even more useful. Papyrus and parchment were transported in large bound scrolls but paper allowed for the creation of books and the art of bookmaking. A strong reading culture
and the spread of knowledge and ideas quickly followed and probably led to advancements in Chinese society. Of course, paper had more practical uses. An Arab traveler who visited China
wrote of the curious Chinese tradition of toilet paper in 851, writing: "... [the Chinese] do not wash themselves with water when they have done their necessities; but they only wipe themselves
with paper". Surprisingly, the methods of papermaking are complex and they were held in secret by the Chinese for centuries. According to legends, knowledgeable Chinese prisoners captured
in war in 751 were forced to teach the Muslim Abbasids the secrets of paper-making. Within a few decades, the Abbasid capital of Baghdad was producing quality paper. This led to an increase
in education, the transferal of knowledge, more efficient accounting, and the preservation of religion. From there papermaking was dispersed to India by 1050 and Europe by 1250.
Champa Rice: Write CHAMPA RICE on the region in which it originated and draw an arrow showing its spread. http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/songdynasty-module/tech-rice.html
Trade Goods: Write the following trade goods on the map to show what each region contributed to the Silk Road trade.
China: silk, tea, iron, steel, porcelain, paper, lacquerware, gunpowder
India: cotton textiles, gold, precious metals and gems
Middle East: textiles, glass, metals, perfumes and oils
Mongol Empire: Lightly shade or color the Mongol Empire and label this. The Mongol Empire controlled most of the Silk Road at its height which helped keep merchants safe from robbers and
facilitated trade.