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Source N
Silk Road

ancient trade route

linking China with the West

carried goods and ideas

Going West: Silk

Going East: wools, gold, and silver

China: received Nestorian Christianity and Buddhism from India

Originating at Xi'an

4,000-mile (6,400-km) road

Safety

gradual loss of Roman territory in Asia + rise of Arabian power in the Levant

Silk Road became increasingly unsafe and untraveled

13th and 14th centuries: revived under the Mongols

mid-14th century: one of the ways plague bacteria responsible for the Black Death pandemic in Europe in the  moved westward from Asia.

Source G
Spreading Inventions

The Chinese invented paper during the Han Dynasty

Paper soon became the writing material of choice throughout China and East Asia

under the Mongols in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries: group of Chinese workmen set up a paper-making establishment in Samarkand

quickly spread by trade to most of western Eurasia

invention of paper stimulated the invention of printing

6th century CE: duplication of sacred texts was an act of religious merit (Buddhism)

Noria invented in Roman Syria

rapidly spread along the Silk Road and its tributaries

spread entirely across Eurasia

oranges went (via the maritime route) from China to the Mediterranean world

grapes went from the western reaches of the Silk Road to China

enriched merchants who carried and exchanged goods + people of countries and cultures all across Eurasia.

Problems

the Black Death plague that devastated Europe in the 14th century

believed to have come from Central Asia

Many other plagues spread via the silk road

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Source 2: https://asiasociety.org/geographical-setting-silk-roads

Overview

network of trails and trading posts

connecting east Asia to the Mediterranean

land and sea

terrain of the Silk Road was difficult

islands of greenery, watered by rivers and springs made the journey possible

Concept of Asia

Eurasia Landmass

the Atlantic, Arctic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans

the Red and Mediterranean Seas

islands and archipelagos east and south of the landmass

division of the land mass into “Europe” and “Asia"

Asia: collection of smaller entities

most of these regions have interacted

trade

religion

Eurasia's Subregions

Major subregions

the Intermontain Desert and the Oasis Belt

zone is bounded on the north and south by mountains

high, dry terrain, infrequent and irregular water supplies, absent or scarce forage for caravan animals

most clearly defined segment of the Silk Road: leading northwest from Chang’an through the Gansu Corridor

Passed through the Jade Gate of antiquity

routes converges again at Kashgar

northern routes that converged in the Ferghana Valley

several routes led onward to Samark and and Merv

Divergent trails led north of the Caspian to the Russian trade routes

the Trans-Eurasian Steppe Belt

China

the Mediterranean

the Middle East

South Asia

Northeast Asia

Northern Europe

Mainland Southeast Asia

Island Southeast Asia

the Boreal Forest

the Arctic Littoral

The Trans-Eurasian Steppe Belt

zone of rolling grassland

extends from eastern Mongolia west into Romania and Hungary

some of the Eurasian steppe can be turned to agricultural use

became a vast highway

language

populations

cultural traits

China

divided into North China and South China

strong geographical and agricultural differences between North China and South China

Some trade routes in China historically fed into the Silk Road or distributed goods from it

people were likely to look variously inland, toward Central Asia, or seaward for trade

North China

relatively dry climate

where crops such as wheat and millet grow

broad plains and terraced valleys

eroded hills and valleys of loess soil

South China

monsoonal climate

Its soils, leached by the heavy seasonal rains, require heavy fertilization, and the staple crop is rice.

Transportation by riverboat or canal barge.

The Mediterranean

united North Africa and southern Europe

western convergence point of the overland + the maritime trans-Eurasian trade routes

channeled widespread distribution of Silk Road goods throughout western Eurasia

1st millennium BCE: Trading ships criss-crossed in every direction, from at least the early

The Middle East

between the eastern Mediterranean and the western reaches of Persia

close ties to Silk Road networks of Persia and Central Asia

desert traversed by caravan routes linking scattered oasis cities

Middle East was an end-point for the Silk Road

South Asia

India has plowed up the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau

isolated South Asia from the rest of Eurasia behind a formidable barrier of mountains

direct overland contact between India and China extremely difficult

caravans used passes through the Himalayan escarpment

giving salt

bringing animal products, turquoise, and other local goods in return.

India’s principal route: through the Indus Valley of the northwest, then over the Khyber Pass or other passes into what is now Afghanistan.

Spices, pearls, gemstones, cotton cloth

Northeast Asia

Northeast Asia came under an expanding Chinese cultural zone

Buddhism spread to Korea and Japan by this route

Northern Europe

peninsula on the western tip of the great Eurasian continental landmass

trade routes within Europe connected the region to the Mediterranean and thus to the Silk Road

carried from the Black Sea, up the Danube, and down the Oder to the Baltic

around 1000 CE: the Viking route

from the Baltic through the trading settlement of Rus  and down the Volga to the Caspian Sea

distribution of political and economic power throughout the world

Mainland Southeast Asia

huge peninsula

includes Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and mainland Malaysia

Strait of Malacca: one of the few navigable routes between the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean

merchants brought Hinduism wherever they settled in trading communities

Island Southeast Asia

stretching from Taiwan through the Philippines to Indonesia

process of exploration and settlement that paved the way for interisland and long-distance maritime trade that conveyed goods between southern China and India

trade shifted to this maritime route when conditions made overland trade difficult

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Source A: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1boTOp_FCFPBQngI3PCHDdMi-01kf5ZREJdvLGPO9F_c/edit

The people of Tabriz traded for cloth, gold, silk, and more

merchants trading for jewels from foreign lands

Merchants from Indian ships selling goods such as elephant tusks

Travelers from Tenduc, China also sold and bought gold and silk

Ho-kien-fu is a city where people are left to die

gold, silk, and sandal were abundant

river flows through the city

irrigation and waterways

Source B:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1y4t9AvuTBI_WZxEW_OfnYNATptWC4XoIP22EkuhtT2A/edit

Xi'an:

Largest city in the world at the time of 750 CE

Population of a million people

Merchants, ambassadors, scholars, and more came to exotic goods

Silk was said to be created by Chinese empress Xi Ling around 5000 years ago

A cocoon falls into her tea and it unwinds into a thread

She submerges more cocoons into the water, making a silk cloth

Music from Xi'an filled the Silk Road

Drums, flutes, stringed instruments, and cymbals told stories

Turfan:

Turfan was located in the Taklimakan Desert

full of drinking water and irrigation

farmers growing fruits and vegetables

Luxury goods, such as hats and jewelry were sold in the market place

Merchants bought other goods such as skins, feathers, and gems

French wines and Japanese pears were edibles sold in the market

Samarkand:

Sogdian merchants from Samarkand sold a variety of goods

These traders controlled commerce in countries such as Persia all the way to China

Paper is derived from plant material and and the pulp is turned into a thin sheet

Baghdad:

Baghdad is the Islamic capital of the world

The City of Peace was founded in 762

filled with palaces and gardens

the city brought in scholars, philosophers, and other learners

A Baghdad library known as the House of Wisdom was the biggest learning center

Scholars could study mathematics, astronomy, and geography in the library

Astronomers used astrolabes, measuring the distances between the sun and stars

Islamic scholars take Greek ideas and refined them

Mathematicians in the 800s used Arabic numerals, which we use today (Al-Khwarizmi)

Zakariya al-Razi wrote 200 books on medicine

Glass was a considered as a rare jewel

each crystal sparkling in color

Sea Routes:

Routes stretched up to 6000 miles from China to Baghdad

traders sailed for six months, facing storms and pirates

851: Arab traveler accounted their journey from the Persian Gulf to Guangzhou

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Silk Road

First invented by the German geologist and explorer B.F.V.R

"Silk Road" - metaphor of European & Asian cultural interchange

Provided the vehicle for exchange between variety of people and cultures

Symbolic meaning: sharing and exchange

1.       Silk production hidden by ancient Chinese

2.        Led to Ottoman Turks vs Persians war

3.        Led to English and French competing to restrict its markets.

Chinese Silk Cultivation

Silk cultivation & production is very extraordinary process

What is silk?

- Keeps cool in the
summer
- Keeps warm in the
winter
- Much more efficient
than cotton, wool,
linen
- Strong enough to be
used for surgical
sutures
- Heavier than steel
and more flexible
than nylon

Silk on the Road

Growth of the silk as a trade item became very important.

Herbs, material arts, tile making, painting, astronomy and religion moved along the Silk Road

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Source 4: https://asiasociety.org/religions-silk-road

Named by Ferdinand von Richtofen (Early 19th Century)

Referred to a loose network of pre-modern trading routes

Stretched from Mediterranean to East Asia

No evidence that pre-modern Asians thought of the trade network as organised

Evidence of a Lingua Franca (common language)

Soghdian, Iranian language

During Islamic times, it became Persian

Islam on the Silk Road

Activities of Muslim merchants trading under the protection of local Muslim rulers

Muslim missionaries (Sufi Preachers) in rural areas

Archeological remains of Nestorianism and Manichaeism

Things resembling Baptism in inner Mongolian groups

Functioning Manichaeism shrine Southeastern coastal China

West to East

Movement was West to East

Chinese travelers went for the purpose of bringing back foreign influences

However non-Chinese influences were altered to fit Chinese needs

Cultural Influences from the Silk Road

Chinese acquired wheeled transportation, metallurgy from the West

Chinese technologies such as paper were also acquired by westerners

Strong influence of artistic traditions from the Chinese shown in Iran during Mongol period

Example: Iranian new year festival, which central Asia Muslims consider an 'Islamic' festival.

Silk Road towns are multicultural

Source E: (can be found in research doc)
The Silk Road

The ‘Silk Road’ was used as a metaphor of Euro/Asian cultural interchange and sharing and exchange

Largely commercial exchange

It also provided for all sorts of exchange (like creative exchange between diverse cultures/peoples)

Commodities

Silk was a huge commodity traded on the Silk Road

Chinese guarded the secret of silk production

Turks and Persians had a war over silk

Silk was a vehicle of cultural creativity wherever it went

Went all over the world very easily

Borrowing and choosing of techniques and patterns, discovery of uses

Every culture that used silk added to it (added to it's adornment of humanity

Silk is everywhere (commercialized)

Found on medieval Viking ships

Found as kerchiefs from India

Cowboys in America

Different styles of Silk based on different cultures that use it

In Syria, Damask silk

In Europe, Silk chinoiserie (imitation of Chinese style silk)

Silk Cultivation

Silk is very practical (fireproof, rot proof, strong, light, keeps warm and cold)

This is also why it was very desired and important for different cultures (like Japanese kimonos, Indian saris)

Important for religious rituals as well (Muslims)

This might show how religions were spread using the Silk Road and Silk

In ancient China, used for everything including generalized exchange (currency)

Silk on the Silk Road stimulated other trading exchanges

Silk and trading silk stimulated and characterized other exchanges

Curative herbs, astronomy, religion

Many arts like tile making, calligraphy, painting

People traveled all over Asia

Islam was carried by Sufis (missionaries) to different countries

Source C:
Silk Road

System of caravan routes crossing Eurasian continent

Influenced the emergence of trade and cultural ties between states and people

Transit road with 2 way movements

Goods, scientific ideas and achievements, and cultural/religious values

Many people assumed it was only for silk (China to Europe)

Findings show different goods produced in Europe were imported to China

Many animals were imported, as well as crops and spices

Channel for fashion and artistic style

Became widespread

Authors, contemporaries integrated into other cultures

The silk road was not only for goods, but for art dance and performances

Silk road played role in dissemination (spread) of religious ideas

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Source 1 : Silk road
Source K : Lost on The Silk Road

Positive examples :

Paper and printing

Invented in China in the Han dynasty

Spread to the middle east Europe thought the silk road

Irrigation waterwheel

Invented in Roman Syria

Spread from Syria to Toledo, Spain, to the Yellow River in China

Apples

From Kazakhstan

Spread west and south thought steppe belt

Oranges

From China thought the
maritime route to the
Mediterranean

Grapes

From the western part of the silk road to China

Negative affects :

The black plague was possibly transmitted thought the silk road from china to Europe

Source L :  The First Silk Roads

Making Connections

Silk Road started in the early Common Era

Trading and collective learning

Social, religious and philosophical ideas

languages and new technologies

Diseases

Physical Goods

2300 BCE Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Indus Valley trading goods

Warfare, conflict

Romans conquering to Afro-Eurasia

Muslims armies enforcing Islam from Europe to the Tang dynasty (central Asia)

The First Silk Roads

First Era (20BCE-250CE)

Between the Chinese, Indians, Kushan, Iranian, stereo nomadic and Mediterranean cultures

4 ruling dynasties controlling Eurasia from south china to atlantic by Roman, Parthian, Kushan, and Han empires

Order and stability established

Road networks constructed lead to advancements of:

metallurgy and transport technology

Agricultural production

Use of coinage

Large nomadic communities formed like the Scythians, Xiongnu, and Yuezh promoted travel through the silk road

Rome and Han traded silk, iron for glass, grapes, art, and horses

Second Era (700-1200)

Connecting China, India, Southeast Asia, the Islamic realm, and the Mediterranean

Web based overland and sea trade

Tang (618–907) and Song (960–1279) dynasties specialised in agriculture and manufacturing while cities grew and new ones sprung up and printed paper

Arab merchants benefiting from Abbasid administration in Baghdad (750–1228)

Stand Still (3rd century CE)

China and Rome withdrew from silk road because spread of smallpox, measles, and bubonic plagues

Rome lost 20 million people by 400

China fell by 15 million by 600

While the Parthian, Han, and Kushan empires fell (220 and 250 CE)

Revival (eight and ninth century)

Establishment of the Islamic realm

Tang dynast emerged in china

Both Eras

Commercial trade

Exchange of intellectual, social, and artistic ideas

Bactrian camel built for the desert transported trade through the silk road

Sea trade mainly between Egypt (Roman) and India

Summer - winds from africa to india

Winter - from india to africa

Traders would transport to central aisa and then pass on the nomadic communities

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Source 3: http://www.absolutechinatours.com/specialtopic/silkroad/Silk-Road-Cultural-Exchanges-Science-and-Technology.html

Science and Technology

China contributed a variety of products

compasses

dynamite

Chinese medicine

These products helped influence Western civilizations

compasses for ocean navigation

paper and printing      techniques allowed the sharing of culture and               knowledge

wells for irrigation

alchemy helped with the development of modern-day chemistry

The Chinese civilization grew from knowledge from the Western world

Indian ophthalmology (during the Tang dynasty)

Portugese cannons (Ming and Qing dynasties)

Western mathematics, ship building, and mechanics

map-making and astronomy

China transitions into its modern-day history due to influences from the Western world

Handicraft:

Chinese goods were traded via the Silk Road

Chinese silk, gold/silver/iron/
lacquer ware

European aristocrats wear silk (fourth century)

Koreans wore silk dresses

The advancement of Maritime routes helped with porcelain trade

Europeans, such as King Louis XIV, were drawn to Chinese lacquer ware and furniture

China received several different handicrafts from the rest of the world

Emperor Lingdi (Han Dynasty) was drawn to clothes, beds, and instruments

during the Southern & Northern Dynasties

Glass in the middle east during the Tang dynasty

Food, Spice, and Drug:

China introduces cuisine culture to the Western World

introduces walnuts, cucumbers, carrots, and more

other imports include tomatoes, spinach, potatoes

tea was a major Chinese export and Europe is now the most important market

spices were trading during the Han dynasty

Chinese medicines were traded during the Tang dynasty

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Source 2: Sea Routes

2 most favored courses

East China & South China Sea Routes

East China Sea Route

History of about 3000 years

Started during the Zhou Dynasty

Ji zi who was sent to East was navigating across the Yellow Sea,  which eventually ended up silk spinning into Korea

New skills and technologies introduced in Japan during Han Dynasty

Many Japanese envoys and monks traveling to Xian along sea route

South China Sea Route

Guangzhou - starting point

Extended across the Indian Ocean and variou countries

Types of goods in trade

-  Silk & Tea

Increased in popularity from the Three Kingdoms Period

Technologic advances led to the new sea-lanes to the Southeast Asia

Guangzhou - First Harbor

The Naval Expedition to the West showed the importance of silk road

The war between Ming and Qing Dynasties ended up to the destruction of the Sea Route.