Silk Road TedED

How long has global exchange been happening?

• About 500 years

• Over 2000 years

• Only in the last 100 years

• Since the invention of the internet

What was the Silk Road?

• A single road where silk was traded

• A network of many trade routes

• A river used for transportation

• A mountain range that blocked travel

What helped early civilizations connect with each other across deserts and mountains?

• Large rivers

• Nomadic tribes

• Tall walls

• Deep valleys

Besides goods, what else did nomadic tribes help spread between different cultures?

• Only new types of food

• Only new weapons

• Ideas and technologies

• Only different languages

Who was responsible for completing the Persian Royal Road in the 5th century BCE?

• Alexander the Great

• Darius I

• Shang Qian

• A Roman Emperor

How did Alexander the Great's conquests affect trade routes?

• They made trade routes shorter.

• They closed many trade routes.

• They extended trade routes further east.

• They made trade routes less safe.

Which religion spread from India to China and Japan through the Silk Road?

• Islam

• Christianity

• Buddhism

• Sikhism

What was one major reason for the decline of the Silk Road?

• Frequent earthquakes

• The invention of new maritime technologies

• A shortage of goods to trade

• Too many wars along the routes

Based on what you have learned about the silk road and the passage of goods along trade routes, what could be a major negative side effect of the expansion of trade routes? Explain your reasoning.