The Silk Road Project - Essay Example

The Silk Road Project Introduction The Silk Road refers to a historical trade route that linked the South, Westand Eastern Asia to the European and Mediterranean world. It also involves some parts of the North and Eastern Africa. The land routes were later supplemented by the sea routes with the invention of sea technology. The area separating the China from the west is not a hospitable place as a majority of the land is occupied by the Taklimakan Desert (Franck 60). The desert is characterized by sand storms, little vegetation and rainfall. This terrain significantly separated China from the nations in the west. Furthermore, the terrain in the west together with the peace treaties amongst the Western Nations led to the development of the Western economies. This paper will elaborate on the historical aspects that pertain to the Silk Road. It will address the origin of the term Silk Road, and the goods and products traded along the route. It will also cover on the significant traders of the Silk Road, and the effects on the East and West. The History of the Silk Road, Naming and Fate The Central Asian sections of the trade were expanded during the reign of Han Wudi, the Emperor in 2006 BCE- 220 CE period. The emperor had sent Zhang Qian in a mission to establish political treaties with the Yeuzhi people. However, on return from a 13 year journey, Zhang Qian reported of the lucrative trade that was taking place in the Western nations (Franck 66). The Emperor on an attempt to develop peace treaties with the western nations not only led to political relationships but also economic and cultural developments. The trade led to a great civilization in Ancient Rome, China, India, Persia, Arabia and Ancient Egypt. The route was given the name due to the lucrative Chinese silk that was traded along the road. Although there were other goods traded along the route, silk was the main commodity. This was attributed to its light weight, enormous demand, compactness and high price that facilitated its transport for long distances. The demand for the material was mainly in the Ancient Rome where it was regarded to as the material of the rich. The Silk Road was first named by a Venetian merchant, Marco Polo, in the middle ages. Later on, in 1877, a German researcher, Ferdinand Richthefen, named the trade route as the Great Silk Road (Foltz 50). The overland trade route was divided into the Southern and Northern Routes by passing Lop Nur and the Taklimakan Desert. The Northern route started at Chang’an, which is the present day Xi’an. This was the capital city of the ancient Chinese Kingdom. Later on, Han expanded the route to Luoyang, a town in the east of China. This route travelled northwest through the Gansu from Shaanxi Province. It split into three routes where two routes followed the mountain ranges on the south and north of the Taklamakan Desert to join at Kashgar. The other route headed south to the Tian Shan Mountains through Almaty, Turpan and Talgar (Franck 71). Figure 1: The Silk Road The route then split at the West of Kashgar with a northern route travelling through Kokand, present day eastern Uzbekistan. It then progressed to the West to cross the Karakum Desert. The Southern branch headed towards the Alai valley toward Balkh, currently Afghanistan, and Termez, currently known as Uzbekistan (Xinru 34). The routes rejoined in the southern side before reaching Merv, which is currently known as Turkmenistan. On the other hand, the Southern route was a single route which started in China through the Karakoram. Today, this route is known as the Karakoram Highway, an international paved road that connects China to Pakistan. The route then branches westward but with southwards branches enabling the journey to be completed using the sea. This route crossed through the Northern Pakistan, across the Hindu Kush Mountains to the present day Afghanistan. The southern route then joined the northern route near Merv. From Merv, the route followed a straight route to the West where it went through Iran, Northern tip of Syrian Desert, Mesopotamia to Levant. At Levant, there were trading ships that regularly traversed through the Mediterranean Sea to Italy and other European Nations (Foltz 76). On land, the route proceeded as towards the north through Anatolia or towards North Africa on the South. A third branch to this route travelled through Heart and Susa toward the Persian Gulf. It also went across Petra and Alexandria heading towards the Mediterranean Sea where the trading ships carried goods towards the Roman Empire. In the following years, the land routes were supplemented by sea routes. This started in China during the Eastern Han Dynasty. This travelled through the Red River, Malacca Straits in the Southeast Asia, India and Sri Lanka. The route also travelled through the Persian Gulf, Red Sea and to end at the Roman Ports. Goods sold at the Red Sea were transported via the sea to Rome, Constantinople and other ports found along the Mediterranean Sea. They were also travelled through land over to the Nile. Today, the maritime Silk Road is located in the Southern China to the coastal regions of Thailand, Vietnam, India, Persia, Pakistan and Iraq. A second branch connects East and North Africa to Persia through the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea. Goods, Products and Ideas Traded Along the Northern route, goods were brought into China from Persia, Somalia, India, Egypt and other parts along the Mediterranean Sea. China received saffron powder, dates and pistachio nut from Persia. They also received sandalwood and glass bottles from India and Egypt respectively. In addition, China received aloes, frankincense and myrrh from Somalia. In exchange, China sent lacquer, silk brocade and porcelain. However, China mainly traded on silk as it was the only Kingdom with the knowledge on the production of silk. At the beginning of the trade, China received expensive horses, grapes and seeds of Lucerne. The Chinese envoy was attracted by the grapevine cultivated by the ancient western world. Later on, they discover other agricultural crops, for example, cucumbers, string beans, carrots, onions, figs and pomegranates (Franck 44). They also received woolen goods, rugs, carpet, blankets and curtains from East of the Mediterranean and Central Asia. Central Asia also exported camels, gold, silver and military equipment to China. In addition, they exported glass items and other semi-precious stones. Glass was highly valued due to its high quality and was regarded to as a luxurious good. Other products transported to China from Southeast Asia included dogs, cotton fabric, exotic fruits (water melons and peaches), lions, leopards and the fat tailed sheep. From China, caravans carried bowls, white vases and glasses with beautiful patterns (Xinru 24). The thin porcelains with patterns were expensive in the European markets. Others included herbal medicines, umbrellas, perfumes and bronze ornaments and mirrors. Later on, Chine invented paper which was highly valued by all nations in the west. Eastern Europe imported cotton, tea, rice and silk fabric from Central Asia. They exported fur, bark skin processing, cattle, skins and slaves. Northern Europe exported skins, honey, slaves and fur. They also received ivory, spices, glaze, ceramic and iron items, bronze weapons and mirrors. China invented gun powder, which was used by the European countries during wartimes. On the other hand, India was well known for its spices, fabric, dyes, ivory and semi-precious stones. Rome exported luxury goods and pictures to Europe while they received ivory, sugar, fragrances, jewels and spices. Although many goods were traded through this route, silk was the most expensive and valued product (Franck 69). This was because the Chinese were not willing to teach other nations about the production of silk. Therefore, China was the only country that produced and sold silk to other nations. Traders in the Silk Road Although the Silk Road implies an interrupted journey, only a few were able to traverse the route from end to end. Therefore, for a large part, goods were transported by agents on various routes. The agents were positioned in series, and most of the trading took place in markets of oasis towns. The main traders in the Antiquity included the Bactrian and Indian traders. In the 1st to 3rd century, the Bactria and Taxila became powerful merchants, following the unification of Northern India and Central Asia. From the fifth to the eight century AD, the Sogdian traders took over. The Sogdians were dominant in the East-West trade (Franck 72). They comprised the major merchants of Central Asia. Their dominance was cut short by a crisis in the Uighur Empire. Afterwards, the Persian and the Arab traders became predominant. During this time, the Nabateans of Yemen dominated the trade. These were Arab traders that exerted their influence on the Red Sea west coast. The rise of the Mongol Empire saw the eradication in the monopoly exerted by the Arab traders (Xinru 125). The trade from the South East Asia to the subcontinent of India was dominated by Chinese and Indian merchants. Products were consequently landed in Sri Lanka or south India, whereupon Arab traders transshipped the products using vessels. Arab traders can be seen as having an imperative role in linking the Eastern products with the European markets. They had a monopoly in their dealings and made huge profits, since Europe was unable to compete with the monopoly. The traders employed various modalities of transport. Beasts of burden were employed by the traders form most part of the Silk Road. The most important of these were the camels. Arab traders in Mesopotamia and Syria employed the dromedary camel (Single-humped). In the East, Central Asia and China, the traders employed the double-humped camel. The travelers and traders who penetrated the farthest to the East Nations were the Maes Titianus from the Mediterranean (Xinru 161). Silk Road effects on the East and West The Silk Road had various effects on the West and East. The Silk Road served as a conduit for material goods and a broad range of cultural achievements. It contributed greatly to the exchange in culture between the West and China. From the 2nd century AD, magnificent civilizations among India, Greece, China, Rome and Persia were exchanged along the Silk Road. This has made the route be referred to as the “cultural Bridge” between Europe and Asia (Franck 59). Religion was introduced into the Chinese world via the silk world. There was the introduction of the religions of the West into China. Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Nestorianism, Islam and Manichaeism were cultural treasures previously reserved for the Ancient West. These religions were bestowed upon China in these times. Buddhism was introduced in the 1st century BC in Hetian, upon which it spread to the western regions. In 25-220 AD, Buddhism infiltrated mainland China. The spread of religion was then facilitated by various monks. They travelled along the Silk Road to India so as to study the sutras, contributing further to Buddhism propagation (Foltz 12). Manichaeism, Zoroastrianism and Nestorianism, were referred to as the “3 Foreign Religions” during the Tang Dynasty. Zoroastrianism was a Persian state religion. It was forced to move into the east after the rise on the Arab Empire. From the 7 century AD, Muslim Arabs travelled to mainland China via the Silk Road or the sea (Foltz 23). Through the Silk Road, one can see the religious effects that were incurred on the East. This was significant in shaping the beliefs of the people. Along the Silk Road, Chinese technologies were introduced to the West. China’s four great inventions were transmitted to the West. This impacted the West significantly in terms of civilization. These four great inventions are the compass, gunpowder, paper making and printing. The skill of silk spinning as well as silkworm breeding was also transmitted to the West. This has an imperative impact on the textile industry in the West. Coupling of all these inventions sped up the development across the West and the entire world. It is worth noting that China had a monopoly when it came to the Silk trade and attempted to keep the technology a secret. The skilled workmen and the silk technology were smuggled into the West (Franck 62). There were also cultural effects on the West and East that were attributed to the Silk Road. Dance, music and acrobatics of the West found their way into the East. This has an imperative impact in terms of cultural practices in both sides. A 23-stringed instrument was introduced into the Chinese tradition along with Lute of Persia. Other effects that were observed during the Silk Road era were the spread of education and language. There was also an impact on the form of governance both in the West and East. Persian style cities were filled with structures seen in Thebes and Athens. Above all, there were economic effects on both the West and the East that were attributed to the Silk Road (Franck 67). The Seleucid Empire in the West garnered economic benefits from the Silk Road. The empire received goods in large quantities and then refined and distributed them. The Seleucids Empire impacted Greeks influence across the nations of the East. The culture of the Greeks was infused and transferred to cultures of Asiatic nations. Diseases were also transmitted along the Silk Road. This had an impact on the health indicators in both the West and the East. Diseases spread included bubonic plague (Black Death). Conclusion The Silk Road was a trade route that connected China to other nations during the Han Dynasty. However, this trade collapsed following the downfall of Tang Dynasty around the 12th century. In addition, the Ming Dynasty that succeeded delinked China off from the global picture. The collapse of the trade was because it significantly depended on the trade of silk from China. Various traders were involved in the Silk Road. The Indians and the Bactrians traders were the main traders at first. Then the Sogdian took over, before being outdone by the Arabs and Persian traders. The Silk Road had various effects on the West and East. It brought about Civilization in both factions, in addition to spread in religion. Cultural practices were also spread along the road. Works Cited Foltz, Richard. Religions of the Silk Road. NY: Macmillan, 2010. Print. Franck, Irene. The Silk Road: A History. New York: Facts on File, 1986. Print. Xinru, Liu. The Silk Road in World History. London: Oxford, 2010. Print. Read More