The Silk Road
Networks of Communication and
Exchange
The Silk Road
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The Silk Road was an important overland trade route which stretched more than
5,000 miles and linked China with the Mediterranean coast of the Middle East and
Europe.(McCannon 82)
The Seleucid kings who succeeded Alexander the Greats empire focused on
Mesopotamia and Syria causing an Iranian nomadic leader to establish and
independent Kingdom in northeastern Iran. (Bulliet 175)
The Parthians had become important for the Silk Road because they were located
on the threshold of Central Asia and sharing customs with the steppe nomads of
the east. (Bulliet 175)
In 128 B.C.E a Chinese general named Zhang Jian reached the fertile valley of
Ferghana, where he encountered westward-flowing rivers and he found horse
breeders whose animals far outclassed any other horse he had seen. This
ultimately led to General Zhang, who led eighteen expeditions, being the
originator of overland trade with western lands. (Bulliet 175)
The cause for the Silk Road to form was the eagerness of the Chinese to have
western goods, such as horses, and on the western end the organized Parthian
state, which consisted of flourishing markets of Mesopotamia from the Seleucids.
(Bulliet 175)
The Silk Road
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General Zhang brought the alfalfa and wine grape plants to China. Chinese
culture has also adopted pistachios, walnuts, pomegranates, sesame, coriander,
spinach, and many more crops. Chinese artisans and physicians made good use of
the new products such as jasmine oil, oak galls, sal ammoniac, copper oxides, zinc,
and precious stones. (Bulliet 176)
Traders brought new fruits such as peaches and apricots, which were mistaken for
Persian Plums and Armenia plums. The also carried with them cinnamon, ginger,
and other spices that could not be grown west. (Bulliet 176)
By 100 B.C.E Greeks could buy Chinese silk from Parthian traders and caravans also
bought and sold goods along the way in prosperous Central Asia cities such as
Samarkand and Bukhara. (Bulliet 175)
The Spices the were being exchanged where important because they had
numerous purposes such as food preservation, flavoring, and pharmaceutical
reasons. (Lupinskie-Huvane 76)
Most importantly, the silk road facilitated the exchange of ideas and diseases.
Around the fourteenth century, The Bubonic Plague, also known as the Black
Death, killed around one third of Europe’s population. (Kanarek 146)
The Silk Road
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The main countries that traded in the Silk road were Southeastern Asia, China,
and India. They traded silk and spices west to consumers in Central Asia, Iran,
Arabia, and the Roman Empire. Central Asia traded Horses, jade, and magic
potions west. (Lupinskie-Haven 76)
The trade route connected the Han Dynasty and Roman Empire in classical times.
(Lupinskie-Haven 76)
After the fall of the Han and Roman empires, the route was revived first by the
Tang and Song and later by Mongols. (Lupinskie-Haven 76)
The rise of the Sasanid empire in Iran brought a continuation of the rivalry
between Rome and the Parthians and intensified trade along the Silk Road. (Bulliet
176)
Cities in Iran were small walled communities that were military strongpoint's
protect long-distance trade.
The Sasanid farmers pioneered in planting cotton, sugar cane, rice, citrus trees,
eggplants, and other crops adopted from India and China
The Silk Road
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The Sassanid's established Zoroastrian faith which meant that Christianity and
Zoroastrianism were both official faiths of that state.
Both of these religions practiced in tolerance yet a third century inscription boasts
of persecutions of Christians, Jews, and Buddhists carried out by Zoroastrian High
Priest.
A new religion spread along the silk road called Manichaeism. The founder, Mani,
was a preacher who believed in a dualist faith which was a struggle of good and
evil.
The politicization of religion greatly affected the culture of the Silk Road.
The Silk Road
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As the silk road became increasingly important in Central Asian life, Iranian-speaking peoples
started to settle down in trading cities and surrounding farm villages.
A group of nomads originally from the Altai Mountains farther east had spread along the
steppes and became dominant pastoral groups.
The Silk Road had spread many customs and beliefs on a wide range of people through
missionary influences.
Military technology helped caravans safely cross the silk road and trade with many cities
without having to fear of being ransacked by a group of bandits. An example of this consists
of Chariot Warfare and mounted bowmen.
Evidence of the stirrup comes first from the Kushan people which was a solid bar then a loop
of leather to support the rider’s big toe and a device of leather and metal or wood
supporting the instep. This gave rider’s greater statability in the saddle.
Stirrups allowed a mounted warrior to use a lance and not worry about being pushed of his
mount.
Multiple Choice Questions
1.
The trading demands for the formation of the silk road…
A. Was the eagerness of the Chinese to have western goods such as
horses.
B. The High demand of supplies during the rivalry of Rome and Parthian
empires.
C. The abundance of precious stones in mineral deposits located along
southeastern Asia.
D. Demand for materials needed to build and expand societies
E. The demand of silk by Greek societies.
Multiple Choice Questions
2.
What was the importance of the Silk Road?
A. The Silk Road allowed for military advancements along this route and
to restock and replenish the needs of soldiers in order to go into
battle and conquer other nations.
B. The Importance of the Silk road was for missionaries of Christianity
to convert the beliefs of many people and spread ideas.
C. The Silk Road allowed for important goods to be sold such as spices,
plants, and animals and the spread of ideas, culture, and disease.
D. The Silk Road allowed for merchants to sell goods along the route
and to travel safely without fear of being ambushed by bandits.
E. The importance of the Silk road was for the transfer of spices that
are used in food preservation, flavoring, and pharmaceutical
reasons.
Multiple Choice Questions
3.
How has the Sasanid Empire impacted the Silk Road?
A. The Sasanid Empire has impacted the Silk Road with the invention of the
stirrup which allowed for riders to have greater statability in their mounts
which in turn helped them guard the silk road stronger.
B. The Sasanid Empire has intensified trade along the Silk Road, pioneered in
planting new crops, and the politicization of religion within the empire has
greatly affected the culture of the Silk Road
C. The Sasanid Empire has intensified trade along the Silk Road, pioneered in
planting new crops, and established their dualistic faith with Manichaeism.
D. The Sasanid Empire allowed for safer travel along the Silk Road because
merchants were being ambushed, which helped the empire become
successful.
E.
The Sasanid Farmers needed new plants such as cotton, sugar cane, rice,
citrus trees, and eggplants adopted from Iran and Rome.
Map of the Silk Road
(OrexCA.com)
Ruins of the Han Dynasty
(Bear)
Woven Silk Textile
(drs2biz)
Model of Egyptian Maritime Trade
(Schengili-Roberts)
Bibliography
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Bear, The Real. Ruins of the Han Dynasty/ Summer Vacation 2007.
Bulliet, Richard W. Earth and its People AP edition. Boston: Houghton
Mifflin, 2004.
drs2biz. Silk from Mawangdui 2.
Kanarek, Abby. Cracking the AP World History Exam. New York:
Random House Inc., 2010.
Lupinskie-Huvane, Lorraine. Barron's AP World History Flash Cards.
Hauppauge: Barron's Educational Series, 2006.
OrexCA.com. Map of the Silk Road.
Schengili-Roberts, Keith. FuneraryPaddlingBoatW-TombOfMeketre.
Answer Key
1.
The trading demands for the formation of the silk road…
A. Was the eagerness of the Chinese to have western goods such as
horses.
The cause for the Silk Road to form was the eagerness of the Chinese to
have western goods, such as horses, and on the western end the
organized Parthian state, which consisted of flourishing markets of
Mesopotamia from the Seleucids. (Bulliet 175)
Answer Key
2.
What was the importance of the Silk Road?
C. The Silk Road allowed for important goods to be sold such as spices,
plants, and animals and the spread of ideas, culture, and disease.
Most importantly, the silk road facilitated the exchange of ideas and diseases.
Around the fourteenth century, The Bubonic Plague, also known as the Black
Death, killed around one third of Europe’s population. (Kanarek 146)
The Spices the were being exchanged where important because they had numerous
purposes such as food preservation, flavoring, and pharmaceutical
reasons. (Lupinskie-Huvane 76)
Answer Key
3.
How has the Sasanid Empire impacted the Silk Road?
B. The Sasanid Empire has intensified trade along the Silk Road, pioneered in
planting new crops, and the politicization of religion within the empire has
greatly affected the culture of the Silk Road.
The rise of the Sasanid empire in Iran brought a continuation of the rivalry
between Rome and the Parthians and intensified trade along the Silk Road.
(Bulliet 176)
The politicization of religion greatly affected the culture of the Silk Road.
The Sasanid farmers pioneered in planting cotton, sugar cane, rice, citrus trees,
eggplants, and other crops adopted from India and China