The Silk Road

1. The Silk Road Ms. Taylor World History

2. A video opener… • http://youtu.be/LowP8zYHDYA

3. Definitions • “Silk Road" is shorthand for 1500 years of economic and cultural exchange across Eurasia • One of the world’s oldest and most important trade routes • Actually multiple routes, so should be “Silk Roads” • “Relay” route

4. Major Phases • Early Phase (2nd century BCE to 2nd century CE) • Middle Phase (7th-9th centuries CE) • Later Phase (13th-14 centuries CE) • Mongols • All coincide with periods of stability, control, strong empires

5. Origins • Alexander the Great from the West • Chinese in East trying to subdue nomadic Xiongnu people • Silk reaches West thus our story begins

6. Alexander’s Empire c.330 BCE(precursor to first flourishing of Silk Roads)

7. Zhang Qian: Emissary to the West (138 BCE) • Seeking allies vs. Xiongnu • Taken captive 10 years, but escapes and continues west • Finds “Ta-yuan “ in present day Uzbekisan, Parthia, and Bactria • Second expedition undertaken by Zhang Qian brings jade and tales of more civilizations • Begins era of great interest in West for China Picture source: http://www.the-silk-road.org/history/Zhang-Qian_7.html

8. Chinese and Xiongnu • We hear from the envoy [, the Chinese Emperor wrote,] the great merit you have acquired by your military enterprises, in subjugating the nations; and in recognition of your arduous achievements I now beg to present you with a light figured lining imperial embroidered robe, a light long embroidered tunic, and a light variegated gown; also a golden hair comb, a gold ornamented waist-belt, and a buffalo-horn belt fastening; also ten pieces of twilled silk, thirty pieces of variegated silk, and forty pieces each of carnation satin and green silk.

9. Primary Source: Zhang Qian • The people [of Ta-yuan] [he wrote] are permanent dwellers and given to agriculture; and in their fields they grow rice and wheat. They have wine made of grapes and many good horses. The horses sweat blood and come from the stock of the "heavenly horse." They have walled cities and houses; the large and small cities belonging to them, fully seventy in number, contain an aggregate population of several hundreds of thousands...

10. Physical Geography http://www.ess.uci.edu/~oliver/silk2.html

11. Different climate zones: • Outer Eurasia: relatively warm, well watered (China, India, Middle East, Mediterranean • Inner Eurasia: harsher, drier climate, much of it is pastoral (eastern Russia, Central Asia)

12. Source: globaled.org

13. Early Phase • Conditions encouraging trade: • Three major empires: • Roman (West) • Parthian (Mid-West_ • Han 206 BCE-220 CE (East) • Demand for Silk by Romans, brokered by middlemen in Central Inner Asia

14. Middle Phase • Tang Dynasty 618-906 • Bzyzantine Empire • Abbasid Dynasty

15. Later Phase • 13th and 14th century Mongol Empire

16. Source: globaled.org

17. Religious figures and ideas • Cultural transmission was more important than exchange of goods

18. Buddhism • Spread along Silk Roads through Central and East Asia

19. In China, was the religion of foreign merchants or rulers for centuries • Buddhism transformed during its spread • Appealed to merchants • Conversion was heavy in the oasis cities of Central Asia • Conversion was voluntary • Many of the Central Asian Cities became centers of learning and commerce

20. Impact of Trade on Society • Alters patterns of consumption • “Essentials” • Luxury items • Promotes specialization • Merchant class • Producers of specialty products • Diminishes self-sufficiency of local societies

21. Changes, cont’d • Elite class more defined: luxury goods, status of the exotic • Social mobility possible via trade for merchant class Changes in Political life Wealth from trade (taxes) leads to creation (of new) and continuation (of existing) of states