The Silk Road

3020 Words7 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Analyze the responses of Buddhism in China

The four hundred years between the collapse of the Han dynasty (206 B.C.E.- C.E. 220) and the establishment of the Tang dynasty (618-906) mark a division in the history of China. During this period, foreign invasion, transcontinental trade, and missionary ambition opened the region to an unprecedented wealth of foreign cultural influences. These influences were both secular and sacred. Nomads, merchants, emissaries and missionaries flooded into China, bringing new customs, providing exotic wares, and generating new religious beliefs. Foremost among these beliefs was Buddhism, born in India, but which now took root in China. These new influences entered China by a vast network of overland routes, popularly known as the Silk Road The term Silk Road does not refer to a single, clearly defined road or highway, but rather denotes a network of trails and trading posts, oasis and markets scattered all across Central Asia. All along the way, branch routes led to destinations off to the side of the main route, with one especially important branch leading to northwestern India, and thus to other routes throughout the subcontinent. The Silk Road network is generally thought of as stretching from an eastern station at the old Chinese capital city of Chang'an to westward stations at Byzantium (Constantinople), Antioch, Damascus, and other Middle Eastern cities. But beyond those end points, other trade networks distributed Silk Road goods throughout the Mediterranean world and Europe, on one end, and throughout eastern Asia on the other end. It is not possible to think clearly about the Silk Road without taking into consideration the whole of Eurasia as its geographical context. Trade along the Silk Road flourished or diminished according to the conditions in China, Byzantium, Persia, and other countries along the way. There was also competition for alternative routes, by land and sea, to absorb long-distance 1 Eurasian trade when conditions along the Silk Road were unfavorable. For this reason, the geographical context of the Silk Road must be thought of in the broadest possible terms, including sea rout... ... middle of paper ... ... 9 Works Cited Beers, Burton F. (1988). World History Patterns of Civilization. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Clyde, Paul H., Beers, Burton F. (1971) The Far East: A History of the Western Impact and the Eastern Response. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall. Goodrich, L. Carrington (1959). A Short History Of The Chinese People. New York: Harper & Row. The Great Silk Road. (Retrieved November 11, 2004) from http://www.lotossutra.at/english/seidentstr.ht. The Silk Road (Retrieved November 10, 2004) from http://www.imperialtours.net/silk_road.htm The Silk Road. (Retrieved November 11, 2004) from http://www.ess.uci.edu/%7Eoliver/silk.htm Welcome to the Silk Road (Retrieved November 12, 2004) from http://www.silkroad.com

Show More
Related

  • Innovations In Eurasia

    972 Words  | 2 Pages

    As new ideas traveled main trade routes, such as the Silk Road and the Mediterranean, the effects of such were felt through an influx of contact between countries due to increased desire for new information and countries gaining a larger presence on the world stage. This phenomenon can also be seen through the lens of cultural exchange that took place during this same time period in Eurasia. A major component of the Eurasian trade networks, such as the Silk Road and Indian Ocean, was that they fostered interregional contacts that had ceased to previously exist. When a country had a desire for study or technology, they earned more respect on the global stage. This can be further examined by looking at Marco Polo’s voyage into Asia.

    Read More

  • What Are The Effects Of The Europeans To The Asian Sea Trading System

    638 Words  | 2 Pages

    2.) The Asian sea trading network was traditionally divided into three distinct sections that each handled certain types of goods. With the arrival of the Europeans, these zones became blurred as there was an increase of trade between each zone and Europeans bolstered the textile and spice trade with their efforts in joining the trade system. Due to large amounts of trade, trading factories and ports were established all throughout Southeast Asia, establishing permanent points of trade, widening the area that the network influenced.

    Read More

  • The History of China's and Japan's Western Influence

    1442 Words  | 3 Pages

    Lockwood, William W. Japan's Response to the West: The Contrast with China .. New Haven: n.p., 1956. Print.

    Read More

  • Privateering Presentation

    1332 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...maritime trade and monopoly of state trade and routes, and was used as a means in war.

    Read More

  • Iran-Iraq War Research Paper

    730 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Silk Road was a series of trade and cultural transmission routes that were central to cultural interaction through regions of the Asian continent connecting the West and East by linking traders, merchants, pilgrims, monks, and soldiers from China to the Mediterranean Sea during various periods of time. It was the most important trade route at the time, and was very important to both empires.

    Read More

  • Silk Road Dbq

    187 Words  | 1 Pages

    The Silk Road did not begin trade, but the Silk Road did end up expanding its extent and the connections that were made were by mostly merchants who ended up changing the world more than the political or religious leaders in that time period. The Silk Road was actually made up of two routes: one that connected the Eastern Mediterranean to Central Asia and the other one that went from Central Asia to China. The Silk Road also involved sea routes: Some of the goods reached Rome through the Mediterranean Sea, and goods that came from Central Asia were sent across the Pacific to Japan .For a very long time in the world, silk was only produced in China because only the Chinese could make it. But silk was not the only good that was traded on the

    Read More

  • Dbq Buddhism In China Essay

    810 Words  | 2 Pages

    After the fall of the Han Dynasty in 220 C.E., China faced a time period of political disunity, when various economic and social factors began to break down the Chinese complex bureaucracy. During this time, Buddhism, which has already reached China in the first century C.E, suddenly became popular among the Chinese people as a refuge for political and social problems after each dynastic cycle. However, after 570 C.E., when the imperial structure and social order were restored, there were mixed responses to the spread of Buddhism in China, which contain neutral, positive and negative undertones.

    Read More

  • How Did The Indian Ocean Basin Change Over Time

    536 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Indian Ocean Basin was a series of trade routes that went all the way from Southeast Asia to Eastern Africa. From 600 - 1450 CE there were changes, but also continuities. The Indian Ocean Basin changed economically and culturally. The Indian Ocean Basin changes included the the spread of Islam and the fact the China’s government was “revived” during this time period. Though there were changes, there were continuities as well. One major continuity during this time was the trade routes themselves; they had not changed while the Indian Ocean Basin was around.

    Read More

  • Impact of Trade Routes in the Ancient World

    1183 Words  | 3 Pages

    The trade routes were the communications highways of the ancient world. New goods and raw materials, were transmitted by people moving from one place to another to conduct business (“"Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History”). When the Ottoman Empire took control of Constantinople in 1453, it blocked European access to the area, severely limiting trade. In addition, it also blocked access to North Africa and the Red Sea; two very important trade routes to the Far East (“Begin Exploring the Age of Exploration with This Handy Overview”). The need of goods and resources was a major concern after the Crusade Wars. Europe was slowly starting to become urbanized. Villages were turning into cities and the population was growing rapidly (Cole). The need

    Read More

  • Han China Essay

    862 Words  | 2 Pages

    Explain the spread of the following terms along the silk roads: Buddhism, Christianity, Manichaeism, Epidemic Diseases

    Read More

  • The Red Guards

    1799 Words  | 4 Pages

    Fairbank, John King. The Great Chinese Revolution 1800-1985. New York, NY: Harper & Row, 1986.

    Read More

  • Silk Road Assignment

    570 Words  | 2 Pages

    The silk road, in it’s time, was a huge advancement to the trade and communication of many different kingdoms and empires. It stretched from China to Eastern Europe. The routes followed the northern borders of India, Persia, and China and ended up in Eastern Europe near modern day Turkey and the Mediterranean Sea. It was given the name the silk road because one of the main products traded along the route was silk from China. Merchants and Tradesmen traveled by relatively large caravans and typically brought along guards. The reason for big groups and guards was to help defend from bandits. The silk road carried not only silk, but other goods such as woolen goods, blankets, rugs, gold and silver, glass items, watermelons, peaches, spices, fragrances, jewels, ivory, and sugar. The silk road also spread diseases such as smallpox and the bubonic plague.

    Read More

  • The Byzantine Empire

    728 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...e harvesting family would have enough to see them through as well. This led to little agricultural trading outside of Europe while the Byzantines through, Constantinople’s prime location on the Silk Road and outside trade aided by its diverse population, became Europe's wealthiest empire.

    Read More

  • Does Geography control your destiny?

    651 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout the history of the earth we have seen many countries leave their homeland. Most of these countries however, are those that are not landlocked. Countries which were not landlocked organized themselves and set sail for new territories to explore. Boat technology allowed for travel, resulting in the whole world becoming more accessible and allowing people to overcome what was thought to be indestructible geography. Obviously access to the sea lowers transport costs and aids economic growth. Yet this mattered less in earlier centuries. Even in some ancient civilizations, they learned to overcome the problem of not having technology. The original silk route from China to Europe used the camel rather than the ship. Only when ship design became advanced from the 15th century onwards did sea-borne trade gain centre-stage.

    Read More

  • The Development of Silk Road and International Trade Market

    1204 Words  | 3 Pages

    In conclusion, the Silk Road was an important landmark as it connected the west and the east which created an international trade system. Even after its disappearance due to the fall of Constantinople, its success was so huge that its existence in history still inspired and encouraged others to find ways to repeat its achievement. Although Christopher Columbus eventually failed to discover another path that links the east and the west, his endeavors that were inspired by the Silk Road led to the rise of maritime exploration, and even more importantly the discovery of the New World. Therefore, the Silk Road has demonstrated itself to be a significant aspect of the human experience, as from it, we are able to experience globalization, record the rise of some of the greatest civilizations, and also oversee the rise of maritime exploration.

    Read More

More about The Silk Road

Open Document