Silk Road free essay sample

The Silk Road’s main purpose form the beginning was to connect trade between Europe and Asia. This continued until the end of the Silk Road. Asian goods were traded to the European merchants. The Asians economy relied on the goods traded by Europeans, and vice versa. Another example continuity along the Silk Road is the spread of religious and cultural values. Islam, Christianity, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, and many other beliefs never ceased to expand their missionary outreach to various parts of the world. Missionaries spread along the Silk Road to inspire people to convert to the faith. Christian, Islamic, and Buddhist missionaries traveled along the silk rode continuously. Hinduism was never a missionary religion due to its strict society and inequality, and never traveled along the road. Changes that occurred throughout this time period were mostly due to the rise of the Mongols. They made the trade route safer. Due to this, trade became more efficient and more trade was occurring. We will write a custom essay sample on Silk Road or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Merchants could travel from cities to city without any of their goods being stolen. Trade cities also rose during this time. The Mongols were the group that spread the Bubonic Plague throughout Europe that killed about one third of the population at the time. While this was a devastating event, it was also good for the economy because it created more jobs for others. Workers could demand higher wages, and would be able to receive them due to the lack of people working. The road made it easier for cultural diffusion to occur, and for religions to spread. The Silk Road not only allowed for the diffusion of ideas, but also disease. The Bubonic Plague is a good example of how regional interaction can have devastating effects on a society. Although, as horrible and the Black Death was, the Silk Road allowed for the advancement and development of numerous cultures around the world. Silk Road free essay sample The problem for Zhang Qian was that to communicate with potential allies against the Xiongnu, he had to pass directly through lands they controlled. When Zhang Qian left Han territory, Xiongnu forcers captured him. For ten years the Xiongnu held him in comfortable captivity: they allowed him to keep his personal servant, and they provided him with a wife, with whom he had a son. However, he escaped with his family and servant. He even kept the yak tail that Han Wudi had given him as a sign of his ambassadorial status. He fled to the west, but didnt succeed in lining up allies against the Xiongnu. While returning to China, Zhang Qian again fell into Xiongnu hands but managed to escape after one years detention when the death of the Xiongnu leader led to a period of turmoil. Although his diplomatic efforts did not succeed, Zhang Qians mission had far-reaching consequences. We will write a custom essay sample on Silk Road or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Zhang Qian had brought back information of immense commercial value. While in Bactria about 128 B. C. E. , he noticed Chinese goods-textiles and bamboo articles-offered for sale in local markets. He found out that the the articles had come by way of Bengal. From this information he deduced the possibility of establishing trade relations between China and Bactria through India. The intelligence that Zhang Qian gathered during his travels thus contributed to the opening of the silk roads-the network of trade routes that linked lands as distant as China and the Roman empire and more generally to the establishment of relations between China and lands to the west. China and other classical societies imposed political and military control over vast territories. They promoted trade and communication within their own empires, bringing regions that had previously been self-sufficient into a larger economy and society. The influence of the classical societies did not stop at the imperial boundaries. Nearby peoples regarded their powerful neighbors with a mixture of envy and suspicion, and they sought to share teh wealth that those neighbors generated. Beyond their relations with neighboring peoples, the classical societies established a broad zone of communication and exchange throughout much of the earths eastern hemisphere. Trade networks crossed the deserts of central Asia and the depths of the Indian Ocean. Long-distance trade passed through much of eurasia and north Africa, from China to the Mediterranean basin, and to parts of sub-Saharan Africa as well. This long-distance trade profoundly influenced the experiences of peoples and the development of societies throughout the easter hemisphere. It brought wealth and access to foreign products, and it enabled peoples to concentrate their efforts on economic activities best suited to their regions. It facilitated the spread of religious traditions beyond their original homelands, since merchants carried their beliefs and sometimes attracted converts in the lands they visited. Long-Distance Trade and the Silk Roads Network ?Human communities have traded with one another, sometimes over long distances. Before classical times, long-distance trade was a risky venture. Ancient societies often policed their own realms effectively, but since they were relatively small and compact, extensive regions lay beyond their control. Trade passing between societies was therefore liable to interception by bandits or pirates. This risk increased the costs of long-distance transactions in ancient times. During the classical era, two developments reduced the risks associated with travel and stimulated long-distance trade. Rulers invested heavily in the construction of roads and bridges. They undertook expensive projects primarily for military and administrative reasons, but roads also had the effect of encouraging trade within individual societies and facilitating exchanges between different societies. Classical societies built large imperial states that sometimes expanded to the point that they bordered on one another: the campaigns of Alexander of Macedon, brought Hellenistic and Indian societies into direct contact, and only small buffer states separated the Roman and Parthian empires. Trade Networks of the Hellenistic Era Long-distance trades tempo noticeably increased during the Hellenistic era, partly because of the many colonies established by Alexander of Macedon and the Seleucid rulers in Persia and Bactria. Though originally populated by military forces and administrators, these settlements soon attracted Greed merchants and bankers who linked the recently conquered lands to the Mediterranean basin. The Seleucid rulers worked to promote trade. They controlled land routes linking Bactria, which offered access to Indian markets, to Mediterranean ports in Syria and Palestine. Like the Seleucids, the Ptolemies maintained land routes-in their case, routes going south from Egypt to the kingdom of Nubia and Meroe in east Africa-but they also paid close attention to sea lanes and maritime trade. The ousted pirates from sea lanes linking the Red Sea to the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean. They also built several new ports, the most important being Berenice on the Red Sea, while Alexandria served as their principal window on the Mediterranean. Mariners from Ptolemaic Egypt learned about the monsoon winds that governed sailing and shipping in the Indian Ocean. During the summer the winds blow regularly from the southwest, whereas in the winter they come from the northeast. Knowledge of these winds enabled mariners to sail safely and reliably to all parts of the Indian Ocean basin. During the second century B. C. E. Hellenistic mariners learned the rhythm of these winds from Arab and Indian seamen whose ancestors had sailed before the monsoons for centuries. Merchants then established regular links by way of the Red Sea between India and Arabia in the east and Egypt and the mediterranean basin in the west. Establishment and maintenance of these trade routes were very expensive and called for substantial investment in military forces, construction, and bureaucracies to administer the commerce that passed over the routes. Long-distance trade stimulated economic development within the Hellenistic realms themselves, bringing benefits to local economies. With official encouragement, a substantial trade developed throughout the Hellenistic world, from Bactria and India in the east to the Mediterranean basin in the west. Spices, pepper, cosmetics, gems, and pearls from India traveled by caravan and ship to Hellenistic cities and ports. Grain from Persia and Egypt fed urban population in distant lands. Mediterranean wine, olive oil, jewelry, and works of art made their way to Persia and Bactria. Maritime trade networks through the Indian Ocean linked not only the large classical societies of Eurasia and north Africa, but also smaller societies in east Africa. During the late centuries B. C. E. , the port of Rhapta emerged as the central center on the east African coast. With increasing trade, groups of professional merchants and entrepreneurs emerged at Rhapta, and coins came into general use on the east African coast. Merchants of Rhapta imported iron goods(spears, axes, and knives) from southern Arabia and the easter Mediterranean region in exchange for ivory, rhinoceros horn, tortoise shell, and slaves obtained from interior regions. the Hellenistic era fostered economic organization and the emergence of states in the distant lands that they brought into interaction. The Silk Road ? When classical empires were established, the scope of long-distance trade expanded. As it became more popular, merchants and travelers began to construct trade routes. (MU) These were referred to as the silk roads and connected much of Eurasia. From the Han capital of Changan, the main road went west until it arrived at the Taklamakan desert. One of the most dangerous and inhospitable regions of the earth, the desert would cause problems for trade, so the silk road split into two main branches that skirted the desert and passed through oasis towns around it to the north and south. MU) The silk roads included many roads and sea lanes that sometimes broke into separate branches. The silk road got its name because silk was a popular good traded over it, mainly exchanged by China. On the positive side, people could trade goods and ideas, but negatively, communicable diseases were spread. Religions like Buddhism,(MU) Hinduism, and Christianity were also spread throughout t he silk roads sharing their culture and architecture. Spices were another popular exchanged good. Cloves, nutmeg, mace, and cardamom came from southeast Asia. (MU) Spices were mainly for food preservation, flavoring, and medicines. India exported cotton textiles and exotic items such as pearls, coral, and ivory. (MU) Central Asia traded jade and horses while the Roman empire traded glassware, jewlery, artwork, perfume, and textiles. Some people made very long trips to the silk road to trade goods. The Romans were said to have traveled as far east as India overseas. Although, individuals typically would deal with long-distance trade in stages. Sometimes, caravans would transport the goods. Between China and Bactria the Chinese and central Asian nomadic peoples dominated trade in these caravans. MU) The Romans began to often trade between India and the Mediterranean and supposedly departed 120 ships to travel there. After the end of the Roman and Han empire, the road was restored by the Tang, Song, and Mongols. (M. M. ) The Spread of Buddhism and Hinduism Buddhism had become well established in northern India by the third century B. C. E. It attracted(MU) lots of merchants who then spread Buddhism to Iran, centra l Asia, China, and southeast Asia. Buddhism was first established in oasis towns located along the silk roads. Buddhism then spread to the steppes in central Asia and to China.