From the view point of author James A. Millward, The Silk Road was more than caravans and tents, it was an ancient form of globalization, and it was more than just a one lane road. Millward brings up three points that solidify his point of view. Idea one is, "Yet the idea of the Silk Road-or silk roads-has come to mean many things beyond brocades and caravans, and in its broadest concept...it stands for the idea that humanity has thrived most when connected across its far-flung habits by the exchange of goods, ideas, art, and people." (Millward pg. 2) This brings to light the ideas that the Silk Road was more than just a one lane path of which silk fabric and pasta was traded along. Later in that same section Millward talks about when Hillary …show more content…
To say what lies or does not lie along it depends on how one approaches silk road history geographically and chronologically." (Millward pg. 3) Personally I like that comparison because as Americans, and well most of the first world we tend to see routes as A to Z only not seeing that J or V could also get you to Z. The idea of everywhere leading to another destination along the network of roads is also strengthened later in the book, When Millward states “"...not one road but rather a skein of routes linking many entrepots. Historians think of the silk road more as a network than as a linear route; to map it simply by drawing a couple of horizontal lines across the center of Eurasia and the Indian ocean, as textbooks tend to do gives a false impression." (Millward pg. …show more content…
Trautmann in his book, India: Brief History of a Civilization. Much like Millward, Trautmann’s thesis on the Silk Road is “we could say that civilizations cast a penumbra beyond them, like the half-shadow around an eclipsed moon or sun. It is a useful metaphor by which to think about the wider world beyond India proper, that was affected by India and that bears durable marks of its influences." (Trautmann pg. 128) The culture of India was impacted by the trading of the Silk Road, common Indian jewelry contained gold and red coral of which came from the Mediterranean as it was the only place the coral of that hue could be found. In exchange they received gemstones, pearls, ivory, steel sword blades, bronze vessels, and textiles. Textiles from India have been found in numerous countries including Egypt where an Indian block-print cotton fabric from Gujarat dating about the 11th century was found (pg. 139) Not only were material objects traded on the Silk Road but so were ideas and languages, "with Indian religions came the study of Sanskrit and Pali & the formations of scripts based on Indian ones, scripts that continue today in Burma, Thailand, and Cambodia."(pg. 136) It is seen that Buddhism and Hinduism, both polytheistic religions show many commonalities besides the worshipping of multiple higher entities. Also evident along other portions of the Silk Road, are Indian forms of Astronomy, calendar making and time
Have you ever wondered what it was like to travel across the country to get what you want? The Silk Road was a treacherous journey that spanned from Asia all the way to Rome. People carried their countries goods in large caravans to exchange them with other people across the country. The Silk Road helped people get what they want by traveling there. The Silk Road took a huge part in history because it helped a number of cultures get closer to each other and share part of them, for example traditions and beliefs. The Silk Road was a difficult and dangerous trek, eventually traders found out the Silk Road increased the kingdom’s economy and the wealth of an individual. In addition, it spread culture, ideas and goods.
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.
The Silk Road went through towns and lead straight to the town that they needed to go to. They had to go through mountains but it was easier than having to go through the desert and around the towns.
The Trans-Sahara and Silk Road trading networks from time period 3, were located in the Afro-asia region of the world, with some smaller trade routes that led to outlying european cities such as Constantinople. While both trading routes were important for the spread of religion, goods, and ideas, the Silk Road had more profound effects on the world.
Throughout early history, civilizations often sought to receive resources from afar to sustain their societies and keep themselves thriving, and to this end trade relations and eventually trade routes began to emerge. This aided civilizations in their discovery of foreign items that they may use to better their societies. These items traded ranged from complex technology to something as simple as nutmeg. The main trade routes that were utilized in East and South Asia were the silk road and the Indian Ocean Trade Network. In the 7th- 12th centuries, both the silk road and Indian ocean trade route had affected east and south Asia by the introduction of religions such as Buddhism changing government forms and altering the belief systems of society and changing how individuals live their daily lives, however differences were present in the impact that these routes had on daily lives, such as the Indian Ocean Trade Route giving rise to an entire new culture in Africa known as the Swahili and leading to the innovation of the sailing boat known as the Dhow, and the silk road led to the transmission of religion and resources throughout Eurasia and it led to utilization of caravans and animals as a means of trade.
19. The growth of cross cultural trade spread scientific and technological traditions influencing Greek philosophy and science throughout Europe, Greek and Indian math on Muslim followers, Eastern Asia’s gunpowder and printing technologies throughout Islam and Western
Imagine traveling into an area with burning summers, freezing winters, and limited resources. A time where the internet has not been invented, where traveling is long, hard, and often deadly. These are the circumstances that adventures dealt with when traveling throughout Asia on the famous Silk Road. It is often thought that the Silk Road consists of one main route when in fact it is various roads under a unified name. The Silk Road connected that time periods views regarding social class, gender roles, violence and religions. The book, Religions of the Silk Road, written by Richard Foltz brings these points to life.
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
During the period of time between 200 BCE to 1450 CE, the silk road underwent copious amounts of changes. The silk road was a network of trading routes that comprised of the trading of goods between many of the colonizations, cities, and kingdoms of Eurasia. It spanned from the Mediterranean all the way to China. The major commodities of this passage included gold, jade, tea, spices, and as expected, silk. It’s other products comprised of religion, ideas, and deadly diseases.
Susan Whitfield writes Life along the Silk Road based on character stories occurring between the eight and tenth century, all living at different times. She writes this history for several reasons. First, she writes it to change the negative perception of the history of Central Asia that we know through the annals of its neighbors. By explaining the history of the region through the eyes of its own occupants, it rids the history of any distorted views from neighboring civilizations. She uses the comparison of trying to examine the life of the Atlantic Ocean by studying the ecology of Europe. Another perception Whitfield attempts to overcome is that of the present day Silk Road. Today, it is largely Islam, and it is occupied by Turkic
David Christian proved his passion for digging deeper into history through use of writing the article “Silk Roads or Steppe Roads? The Silk Roads in World History," published in the eleventh edition of the Journal of World History, in the spring of 2000 by the University of Hawaii Press. Christian points out that trans-ecological exchanges are not fully appreciated and recognized in conventional historiography about the Silk Roads; he believes they should be—since they play an important role in the expansion of the roads in the North and were apart of the flourishing of the Silk Roads. In David’s article, he recognizes different interpretations of the Silk Roads throughout different regions and time periods and relies on a plethora of sources to do.
Life Along the Silk Road by Susan Whitfield elaborates on the idea of life and trade on the Silk Road from different perspectives. Each perspective sheds new light on what exactly the experience of the Silk Road is like and what it has to offer for different people. It is known that the Silk Road is not one physical road made of silk, but instead it is an idea of free trade and growth of many sorts. The Silk Road allows people to expand their physical living boundaries, their ideas of technology, and their economic standing. Physically many people have unspoken boundaries that limit their exploration of the land around them, but with the development of the Silk Road, those boundaries are being pushed in order to obtain valuable resources or goods to trade. With the expansion of the Silk Road, on land and on water, there is also many opportunities for technological advances. Many discoveries allow for faster and more efficient travel and trade on both land and water. With the rapid increase in trade due to the rise of the Silk Road, many city-states have the opportunity to grow economically. Mass exports and an increase in imports allows for the city-states to increase their financial earnings in a briefer time period. Throughout Whitfield’s book, she tells the stories of a merchant, a soldier, and a princess, as they all separately travel the Silk Road, years apart from one another. Each person has a different story and reason for traveling the silk road and yet all of
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 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