Unit 2: The Silk Roads

Unit 2: The Silk Roads

200BC-1300AD

—THERE WERE SEVERAL ROUTES THAT MADE UP SILK ROAD, BUT THEY ALL WENT FROM CHINA TO THE MIDEAST (& THEN INTO EUROPE)

—ROUGHLY 4,000-5,000 MILES

—NO MERCHANT TRAVELLED THE WHOLE ROUTE TO BUY AND SELL

—EACH STAYED IN THEIR OWN REGION OR WENT SLIGHTLY BEYOND

Different Land Routes

• —ALL ROUTES WERE DANGEROUS!!

  —DESERTS, MOUNTAINS, RIVERS, SNOW

  —BANDITS, CORRUPT OFFICIALS, WARS

  —WATER, FOOD, INJURIES, DEAD ANIMALS

Why it existed

• —ROMANS 1ST SAW SILK DURING A BATTLE AND IMMEDIATELY WANTED IT

  —WHEN MERCHANTS REALIZED ROMANS WANTED IT AND WOULD PAY GOLD FOR SILK, TRADING ROAD BEGAN

  —CHINESE WERE ONLY ONES WHO KNEW THE SECRET OF MAKING SILK AND GUARDED IT FOR A 1,000 YEARS

THE MAKING OF SILK

• —THIS WAS A IMPERIAL SECRET KEPT BY CHINESE EMPERORS:

  —SILK PRODUCTION WAS A LIFE AND DEATH MATTER FOR CHINA

  —HISTORY SAYS MONKS SENT BY JUSTINIAN HID SILKWORMS IN CANES AND BROUGHT THEM BACK

CAMELS, YAKS, AND HORSES

• —CAMELS PREFERRED IN DESERTS: CARRIED 400 POUNDS, BIG FEET DIDN’T SINK IN SAND, NEED LITTLE WATER, GO LONG DISTANCES

YAKS

• —GOOD IN MOUNTAINS, SLOPES, IN SNOW AND ICE

HORSES

—GOOD ON VARIABLE TERRAIN, CARRY DECENT LOADS, GOOD SPEED, EASIER TO MANAGE

GOODS TRADED

• SILK

PORCELAIN

—ONLY THE CHINESE COULD MAKE THIS FORM OF POTTERY: NEED FELDSPAR AND 2,500°F TEMPS

—BECAME SO FAMOUS WE STILL CALL DISHES AND CUPS “CHINA”

PAPER AND GUNPOWDER

—CHINESE INVENTIONS!

—PAPER ,AS WE KNOW IT, FROM HERE (EXISTED EARLIER IN OTHER FORMS)

—EUROPE MAKES PAPER ~ 1,100 A.D. AND GUNPOWDER ~ 1,300 A.D.

THE COMPASS

—GAVE CARDINAL COORDINATES (N,E,S,W): INVALUABLE FOR SAILORS, MERCHANTS, ARMIES

—W/ SEXTANT (ASTOLABE –from ARABS) COULD TELL HOW FAR NORTH/SOUTH OF EQUATOR

INDIA: SILK ROAD DESTINATION

• —GUPTAS ENCOURAGE TRADE AND A ROAD HEADS SOUTH INTO INDIA

  —COTTON

  —SPICES—LOTS AND LOTS

  —PRECIOUS GEMS & PEARLS

  —IVORY & ELEPHANTS

  —EXOTIC WOODS (TEAK, SANDALWOOD)

  —SLAVES

INDIA: SILK ROAD DESTINATION

• —MOVEMENT OF IDEAS:

  —BUDDHISM & HINDUISM

  —“ZERO”, DECIMAL SYSTEM, MODERN NUMERS, PI

  —SURGERY AND PLANT MEDICINES 

ABBASID EMPIRE: SILK ROAD DESTINATION

• —TRADE GOODS:

  —ARABIAN HORSES

  —METALS/WEAPONS

  —FOODS

  —PRECIOUS GEMS

  —SLAVES

  —CLOTH

  —SPICES AND INCENSE

ABBASID EMPIRE

• —ISLAM SPREADS ALONG SILK ROAD!

  —ALGEBRA: HELPS MAKE MODERN WORLD POSSIBLE

  —MUSLIM MEDICINE—VERY ADVANCED CATARACT SURGERY, SMALLPOX VAC.,

  —MUSLIM SCHOLARS KEEP GREEK ROMAN LEARNING ACTIVE

  —“IDEAL MAN”: SHOWS CULTRAL BLEND

BYZANTINE EMPIRE

• —CONSTANTINOPLE BECOMES AN IMPORTANT “END OF SILK ROAD” “GATEWAY INTO EUROPE”

  —GOOD HARBORS

  —SAFE: ENORMOUS & LONG WALLS

  —JUSTINIAN CODE: GOOD/FAIR LAWS

  —HOSPITALS & HIGHER LEARNING

  —ENTERTAINMENT: HIPPODROME!

BYZANTINE EMPIRE

• —TRADE GOODS:

  —WINE AND GRAPES

  —WOVEN GOODS

  —GLASSWARE

  —TIMBER (FROM BLACK SEA REGION)

  —ART (FROM HERE AND EUROPE)

  —FUR AND ANIMAL HIDES

  —CHRISTIANITY SPREAD FROM HERE 

OTHER SILK ROAD STOPS

• —PERSIA:

  —RUGS

  —DATES, FIGS, PEACH TREES, JASMINE

  —CENTRAL ASIA:

  —HORSES, LAP/HUNTING DOGS, CAMELS

  —ALMONDS, MELONS, FURS, SLAVES

  —PRECIOUS STONES & GLASS ITEMS

SEA ROUTES

• —WHILE ONLY THE NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN LAND ROUTES =“TRUE SILK ROAD”, TRADE BY SEA V. IMPORTANT

  —SHIPS CAN CARRY MORE GOODS

  —CAN VISIT MORE (& MORE DISTANT) PLACES EASIER

  —ONLY GOOD FOR CHINA, INDIA, M.E. UNTIL ~ 1400 A.D. WHEN SEA ROUTES START TO REPLACE LAND ROUTES

A FEW SEA ROUTE STOPS 

• —INDONESIA: SPICES, SPICES, TIMBER!

  —BURMA: AMBER & PEACOCK FEATHERS

  —INDIA: TIMBER EASIER TO CARRY

  —AFRICA: EASIER TO VISIT BY SEA: GOLD, GOLD, GOLD!; IVORY, ANIMAL SKINS, SLAVES (ONLY TRADE W/ EASTERN COAST UNTIL 1400)(SWAHILI TRADING AREA: SO IMP.= MAKE NEW LANGUAGE)

THE IMPACT OF THE SILK ROAD

• —THE SILK ROAD CHANGED WORLD IMMENSELY

  —LIVES WERE ENRICHED BY EXCHANGE OF :

  —MATERIAL GOODS AND ECONOMIC TRADE

  —RELIGIOUS BELIEFS

  —CULTURES: FOODS, CLOTHES, LANGUAGES

  —IDEAS AND WAYS TO DO & MAKE THINGS (SCIENCE, ART, MEDICINE, ARCHITECTURE, PHILOSOPHY, LITERATURE, LAWS, GOVT, ETC)

Multiple Choice

Which of the following was NOT used on the silk roads?

• Donkey

• Horses

• Yaks

• Camels

Multiple Choice

Which of the following countries kept the process of making silk a secret?

• India

• Rome

• Iran

• China

Multiple Choice

Why did the Silk Roads begin?

• Indians wanted baskets from Africa

• Romans wanted silk from China

• China wanted spices form India

• Parisians wanted tools from Indonesia

Multiple Choice

Which was more dangerous: traveling on land or traveling by boat?

• traveling on land

• traveling by boat

Open Ended

Why were the Silk Roads so important?