The Silk Road

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The Silk Road

• Information super highway of its age

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Key Points

• One of the oldest and most historically important
  trade routes
• Linked the Roman Empire with China.
• Trade carried on by foreign traders
• Not common for traders to traverse the entire
  length

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Rise of the Silk Road

• 2nd century BCE
• From a desire for military and political purpose
  instead of for trade
• Han tried to create an alliance
• Failed
• Made people in each area desire goods produced in
  the other

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Rise Contd

• Silk Road was first established, silk was not the
  chief commodity
• Influenced by the political developments
• Stable state- smooth trade

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The Height of the Silk Road

• Many reasons for prosperity
• Tang- internal stability and economic development
• Spreading of various religions in the world
• Exchange of ideas

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Items up for Trade

• Chinese predominantly imported gold, gems, ivory,
  glass, perfumes, dyes, and textiles
• Chinese exported furs, ceramics, spices, jade,
  silk, bronze and iron

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Development of the Route

• Problems for Han rulers
• Bandits
• Policing became a problem
• Building forts and defensive walls helped, ie
  Great Wall
• Most significant commodity carried was religion
• Buddhism (Tang), Christianity and eventually
  Islam and Judaism

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Decline of the Silk Road

• Fall of the Tang in the early 10th
• Affected by the Crusades
• Trade declined sharply till in the 13th century,
  until Mongols picked it back up
• Isolationist policies of Ming dynasty (after
  Mongol)

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Decline Contd

• Discovery of a sea route from Europe to Asia in
  the late 15th century
• Less cost, harassment and danger
• Easier transportation of some items
• Less prosperous