REBUILDING THE SILK ROAD

• The term Silk Road is commonly used. Why do some argue that the name is somewhat misleading?

  • The Silk Road was not a road. Most routes on the Silk Road were unmarked, shifting, informal paths, connecting oasis towns and cities across land and seas
  • Much of the Silk Road crossed deserts and mountains in central Asia, and travelers needed local guides to navigate it
  • The Silk Road wasn’t a single path. It was a network of routes going in different directions across Afro-Eurasia
• 1. What were some of the commonly traded items on the Silk Road?

  • silk & porcelain
  • ammonium chloride
  • chemicals
  • spices
  • metals
  • saddles
  • leather goods
  • precious stones
  • glass
  • paper
• How did the Han Dynasty "manage" the Silk Road? What were the economic impacts of this management?

  • As the Hans moved westward, they sought to protect valuable trading routes
  • they even extended the great wall to cover parts of it
  • established settlements, puchased goods, and stationed tropps in the Central Asian segments of the Silk Road
  • Han Dynasty created stability and ensured that the flow of goods was uninterrupted by raids and conflicts. As a result, trades thrived and increased, as many in Eurasia began to rapidly demand for luxury goods. 
• What was the impact of the fall of the Han Dynasty on the Silk Road?

  • In China, devasting famines and natural disasters disrupted the flow of goods, but parts of the Silk Road still continued to thrive
  • Most people continued to travel between their hometowns and the next oasis. Goods were usually exchanged for other goode, not currency
  • Merchants & other Empires carried out Silk Road thru Asia
• What is the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative and how does it relate to the Tang "golden age"?

  • The Chinese Belt and Road initiative is a strategy to create and reinforce trade routes to and from China
  • This relates to the Tang “golden age” because it exerts the Tang’s investment in the Silk Road and exerts about 100+ countries to influence
• Describe the causes and effects of growth of networks of exchange after 1200?

  • Causes: Technological advancements like the compass and improved ship designs, increased demand for luxury goods, growth of empires facilitating trade
  • Effects: Cultural diffusion, economic prosperity, spread of ideas and innovations
• The video in Khan Academy says the Tang Dynasty created a golden age across the Silk Road, starting in 626 CE. But the Tang Dynasty gained power in 618 CE. What’s going on here? What does this suggest about the effects of collapse and recovery on large networks?

  • It suggests that the Tang Dynasty's power consolidation took time, and its peak coincided with the golden age along the Silk Road. Collapse and recovery of empires can disrupt and then reinvigorate trade routes, leading to fluctuations in prosperity along those routes
• Collapse of political states

  Affects networks and cultural interactions
• Expansion of networks

  • Can lead to economic growth through increased trade and access to resources
• Rise and fall of political states

  Can disrupt trade routes and cultural exchanges