Silk Road

The Silk Road was a network of trade routes that extended from the Mediterranean to China. These trade routes nurtured the spread in religion, diseases, wealth, culture, and products. Buddhism became the dominant faith

Silk Roads - The Silk Roads were a network of trade routes, formally established during the Han Dynasty of China, which linked the regions of the ancient world in commerce.

During the time period 600 C.E. to 1450 C.E., trade networks were relied upon to transfer goods, ideas, and services. Both the Trans-Saharan and Silk Road trade routes depended on animals, luxury goods, and economic growth. However, the trade routes differed in animals, types of luxury goods, and success of economic growth.

1. Trade networks in the post-Classical era has seen a range variety of the established and new networks of people’s exchanges crossing several regions. Extraordinary amount of wealth and growth emerged through cultural exchanges. Advanced transportation, the many different governing policies and business practices led to the widespread connection of networks which also contributed to the cultural, biological and technological spread throughout societies.

Christian recognizes that the Silk Roads are ingrained into historiography of China, the Mediterranean world, inner and central Asia, and also play a vital role as “links between different regions of the Afro-Eurasian landmass.” As mentioned previously, this article observes that historiography focuses on the trade between trans-civilizational societies and credits them as important to expansion and success of empires and trans-civilizational regions. In later centuries, the historiography describes the flux and flow of the Silk Roads’ flourishing. Through the use of sources, Christian describes these successes to have been at peak from 100 CE to the first, second and third centuries.

The political stability during the hundred years of the Pax Mongolica led to more and safer trade on the Silk Roads. Under the protection of the Mongols, goods and ideas moved between China and the

| * Trade was very international. * Silk roads linked Eurasia, and goods traded hands many times along the roads.

The Silk Road was not a single road, it was an entire network of trade routes connecting China and many other countries throughout Asia and the Middle East. This network acquired its name from the beautiful, fine desired silk fabrics from China although it was not called the Silk Road till later in 1877 by Ferdinand von Richthofen. The Silk Road stenches 4000 miles from China to Europe although the path stenches that far people almost never make the whole trip for the road had varying paths to stop on and hidden dangers. The Silk Road was a major accomplishment for ancient China because it allowed the spread of culture, technologies, goods and customs to the Middle East even as far as Egypt. The same was true for customs and traditions coming

The Silk Road which started in 200 BCE and ended it in 1450 CE has its own changes and continuities. Trade flourished between the Asian and Europe at the time and as time went on its sole purpose of trading expanded to many other purposes and affect not only the area it contacted. Although there were many continuities during the time but it has more significant changes that occurred and also impact the world.

Study of the Silk Road has made it obvious that Eurasian history was more than isolated histories of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Europe, India, Southeast Asia, and China. In reality, for several thousand years, the Silk Road ensured that these regions were never

Long before there were trains, ships and airplanes to transport goods from one place to another, there was the Silk Road. Beginning in the sixth century, this route was formed and thus began the first major trade system. Although the term “Silk Road” would lead one that it was on road, this term actually refers to a number of different routes that covered a vast amount of land and were traveled by many different people. Along with silk, large varieties of goods were traded and traveled along this route both going to and from China. Material goods were not the only thing that passed along this path, but many religions were brought into China via the Silk Road. These topics will be discussed in detail in this paper.

The Silk Road played a vital role in aiding the interaction between India and China and multicultural transmissions, however, its purposes were primarily used to increase trade. Ferdinand Freiherr von Richthofen created the term “Silk Road” in 1877

During the outward-looking rule of China's Tang dynasty (seventh-ninth century C. E. ), sophisticated people in northeastern Iran developed such a taste for expensive, imported Chinese pottery that they began to imitate it in great quantity for sale to people who could not afford the real thing. And in northern China there was a vogue for beautiful pottery figurines of camels laden with caravan goods or ridden by obviously non-Chinese merchants, musicians, or entertainers. Non-Chinese camel figurines found in Mesopotamia carry loads that duplicate the distinctive appearance of the loads on the Chinese figurines. So it is clear that by the time of the rise of Islam in the seventh century, contact across the Silk

Many thousands of years ago, upon the earliest creations of civilization, there were two thriving civilizations. Both of which knew little to nothing about each other’s existence. In this ancient world, there was no connection of the two civilizations, no trade in commerce or culture. It was not until the second century BC that Europe and Eastern Asia interacted in a significant way. What is known as “The Silk Road” was established during the Han Dynasty of China, it was a network of trade routes that created a link between these two regions during this ancient world (ancient.eu). Though these routes have history prior to the Han Dynasty, this is when many historians see the routes in full practice. This time during the second century BC was crucial in the connection of these separately thriving civilizations, connecting them through commerce, religion, and exploration.

Long distance trading had made it possible for people from different cultures to interact. Silk roads were one of the famous trade routes that were used in the ancient time. It stretched from China to central Asia and westward. It merged into one big series of routes. Traders traveled segments of the route, passing their goods on to others who took them further along the road, and in turn, passed them on again. The effect of long-distance exchanges altered the political geography of Afro-Eurasia. The Middle East became a commercial middle ground between the Mediterranean and Indian. The horse-riding nomads of Inner Eurasia made long-distance trade possible. Kushan empire in Afghanistan and the Indus River basin embraced a large and diverse