The Silk Road

The Gold RoadThe Trade Highway between

Asia and Europe and Africa

Essential Vocabulary

1.Globalization

2.Silk Road

3.Han Dynasty

4.Merchant

5.Cultural Diffusion

6.Gold Road

7.Sahara

8.Traders

WHAT DO WE GET FROM THE INTERNET?

INTERNET

Buy & sell goods on EBAY, AMAZON, etc.

Entertainment: video games, music, movies, Youtube, etc.

E-mail anyone in the world

Research to gain more knowledge & information about a topic

Meet people / online dating

Online banking $$$$$$

Google Earth / Mapquest

#1 GLOBALIZATION-

described as a process by which the people of the world are unified into a single society and functioning together.

The internet promotes globalization in the world today.

1. What do you see?

2. How can we compare this to the internet of today?

3. Why was this important to global history?

#2 SILK ROAD - a 5,000 mile trade route that stretched from China to the Fertile Crescent in southwestern Asia (opened up by the Han Dynasty)

THE HAN DYNASTY, LED BY A PEASANT NAMED GAO ZU, OVERTHREW THE QIN DYNASTY IN 206 B.C.

WHY DID THE HAN FAMILY OPENED UP THIS TRADE ROUTE?

THE CHINESE WANTED TO MAKE A PROFIT ($) FROM SELLING SILK.

ITEMS TRADED ALONG THE SILK ROADOUD

BACTRIAN CAMELS

GLASS

CARPETS

METAL WORK

PORCELAIN

JADE SPICES

SILK

CULTURAL DIFFUSION - the exchanging of goods and ideas from one culture to another usually done through trade and war.

THE SILK ROAD IS AN EXCELLENT EXAMPLE OF CULTURAL DIFFUSION.

WHY?

#3 MERCHANT - a person whose job is to buy, sell & trade goods. (salesman or businessman)

WHAT WAS LIFE LIKE TRAVELING ON THE SILK ROAD?

• It was more than one road - actually a network of caravan routes that stretched across the continent.

• Developed over time by many traders and groups.

• Almost no one traveled the whole route. Most people bought and sold goods on either end of one segment of the route.

The highest elevations are

purpleand dark gray.

Pamir Mountains: Between Kashgar (#10) and

Tashkent (#13),caravans climbed the

“Trail of Bones” throughthe high, steep Pamirs.

Pamir Mountains: Elevations are above 10,000 feet.

It is extremely cold, and there is no food.

The highest elevations are

purpleand dark gray.

Why cross the Pamirs?

Tyre (#27): Goodsare loaded onto ships in this port city on theMediterranean Sea.

In Baghdad (#24),ivory, gold, and spices

from Africaand pearls from the

Persian Gulfare exchanged for silk.In Byzantium (#28),

few people know where China is,

but wealthy people want the silk that has traveled

along the Silk Roads.

Gold Road

GOLD ROAD

Sahara – the largest and most dry desert in the world that stretches from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea

Traders – people who

exchanged one good

or item for another

- Fertile Crescent

Connected the Silk

and Gold Roads

Silk and Gold Road Accomplishments

1. Dissemination of ideas, inventions, and technologies

2. Trade of goods, rise of business(merchants)

3. Spread of religion – Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism

The Fertile Crescent - Arabia

The Story of Nanivandak

The Story of Nanivandak

What type of journey is Nanivandak on?

Who is he traveling with?

What type of transportation does he use?

What types of trade goods does he use and carry?

What are some of the dangers he encounters?

I am Nanivandak, a merchant from Samarkand. I travel for many months from my hometown to Chang’an to buy and sell goods. Along the route I meet many different people. Yet, although we all come from various places, we all speak the language of the Silk Road - Arabic. Ever since I was a young man, I have traveled to Chang’an. I even remember my first trip with my uncle. We had to take the Northern Silk Road, rather than the Southern. Other merchants and travelers warned us about the Tibetan troops near Kashgar.

The journey is dangerous. The mountains are full of pit falls and freezing temperatures. As we move closer into China, the terrain (land) and climate once again changes. In the spring the melting snows causes avalanches. The journey is not only hard for us, but also our animals. We need to collect fresh horses every so often. Soon we will be exchanging our horses for camels. Camels are the only animals that can carry the goods and us across the desert. Yet , they are expensive , and we need to provide for their care on top of paying 14 bolts of silk for each animal. We are held responsible for any injury or death that occurs to our camels. I have seen my uncle willing to sacrifice a man or woman if it meant saving a camel.

My uncle and I whenever possible, travel with other merchants. Safety is my uncle’s main concern. We hear enough horror stories about the lack of water, sudden windstorms and even sandstorms. Sometimes we come across bones of small groups who broke away or decided to take a less traveled road. The greatest threat is the bandits (thieves).

The trip is worthwhile if we survive. We take home the profits and more goods to be sold back to our homeland. We brought with us glass, carpets and brass to sell in Chang’an. The Buddhists monks need the brass for their statues. Chang’an is a merchant’s paradise. The market place has 3000 stalls representing 200 merchant guilds in the city. The city is beautiful. Soon with the help of Allah, I will be there in the comfort and beauty of the city.

Silk Road Map ActivityLocate and Label each of the following locations on your Silk Road Trade

Map – Utilize WH Atlas pages 30,42,43,44, and 126-127

1.Arabian Sea

2.Black Sea

3.Aegean Sea

4.Caspian Sea

5.Indian Ocean

6.Pacific Ocean

7.Mediterranean Sea

8. Persian Gulf

9. Bay of Bengal

10. Himalayan Mountains

11. Sahara Desert