ORG - A Global World - The Silk Road (Lesson)

The Silk Road

According to Chinese tradition, Si Ling Chi (also known as Lei-Tzu) was drinking tea under a mulberry tree in 2700 BCE when a cocoon from a moth fell into her drink. She watched as the cocoon unraveled into a thin thread. This thread she developed into silk. The secret of sericulture, the science of silk production, was kept a Chinese secret for the next 3000 years. Which is why, if you lived anywhere outside of China and wanted silk, you would need to travel there to get it. In fact, so many travelers came to China to get the secret silk that they beat a clear path in the road. The " Silk Road " was an overland route used by merchants to carry goods for trade from the eastern Mediterranean area to central Asia and further east to China. China supplied the silk, jade, silver and iron; the Mediterranean area supplied the olive oil and wine; and India supplied the cotton and ivory along the route. The Han Dynasty understood the trade route's importance to making it a global empire and went to great lengths to protect it. They added to the Great Wall of China as a defensive maneuver to keep out those that would interfere with the trade, adding elaborate gates through which merchants could pass into safe areas. The Silk Road started out simply enough around 100 BCE (during the Chinese period of Pax Sinica) but expanded into a complex network of trade routes that connected East with West for the next several hundred years.

Map of The Silk Road

While the goods traveling back and forth on the Silk Road weren't that important to most of the people along the Silk Road- only the wealthy could actually afford them- the Silk Road had an impact on all of Eurasia.

 

Impact of the Silk Road

  • The nomadic people living along the trade route became much more important to history as they welcomed merchants to stay among them or attacked merchants along the way (depended on which nomads.)
  • Despite the fact that only the wealthy could partake in the use of the goods being transported along the trade route, many more people of Eurasia participated in the making and transporting of the goods. Therefore, the Silk Road had a wider economic impact than on just those who could purchase the goods.
  • Not only merchandise traveled along the Silk Road—many ideas spanned the distances. In fact, it was the primary method in which Buddhism spread to China and other areas throughout Asia.
  • Goods and ideas were pleasant things that made the journeys along the Silk Road, but they weren't the only thing being carried in the minds and wagons. The merchants of the Silk Road traded diseases too. Germs would spread from one population (perhaps a population that was immune to the germ) to a new population (probably not immune to the germ) and massive outbreaks of disease would follow.

These impacts mark the Silk Road as truly a global influence and helped propel the Han Dynasty as a "global empire."

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Recap Section

First Punic War - Rome and Carthage went to war over Sicily. Carthage had a huge army and a huge navy but Rome still had the advantage. Rome's army was large and it was more loyal than Carthage's army. Carthage used mercenaries in their army, whereas Rome used Roman citizens. This usually meant that the Romans were more loyal to their army. Rome also copied Carthage's ships and built a huge navy. Rome won this war. Second Punic War - Carthage invaded Rome led by Hannibal. They attacked Rome from the north, and they were able to destroy most of Italy. However, Rome was able to defend itself and not be destroyed. Rome sent an army to attack Carthage which meant Hannibal had to send some of his troops back to Carthage to defend the homeland. As a result, Rome won this war. Third Punic war - Rome attacked Carthage and destroyed the city. Results of the Punic Wars - Many soldiers dead, the homes of most soldiers had been destroyed in the Second Punic War and they could not afford to rebuild their homes. Most patricians/landowners chose to use slaves for workers rather than hire out of work soldiers because they didn't have to pay slaves anything. The new class of landless poor became known as the proletariat

Watch the videos below.

 

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