"The Silk Road (Chinese: 絲綢之路) was a network of Eurasian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century."
Trace the historical routes of the famous trade network that connected East and West for centuries, exchanging goods, ideas, and cultures. Study the different types of goods transported, the role of merchants, and the impact of the Silk Road on world history.
Geography of the Silk Road: Understanding the physical features, terrain, and climate of the Silk Road region, including Central Asia, Iran, India, and China, to better comprehend the difficulties faced by Silk Road traders.
The Origin and Development of the Silk Road: Tracing the beginnings of the Silk Road trade route back to the Han Dynasty in China, outlining the different phases of its evolution and expansion, and studying its extension into both the Far East and the West.
The Silk Road Trade Network: Exploring the goods that were traded along the Silk Road, such as spices, textiles, precious metals, and exotic animals, and the various cultural exchanges that took place between different civilizations.
The Role of Silk in the Silk Road: Examining how silk, a key commodity traded along the Silk Road, became patronised and spread throughout the world, thereby transforming the economies of regions.
The Religion and Philosophy of the Silk Road: Analyzing the spread of Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Manichaeism, and other belief systems along the Silk Road, along with earlier religions such as Confucianism and Taoism, and studying the impacts of these faiths on the societies and cultures along the route.
The Life of Silk Road Merchants: Investigating the day-to-day lives of Silk Road traders, their preferred routes, trading practices, and mode of transport, and the risks and opportunities that they encountered while travelling along the route.
Silk Road Art and Architecture: Examining the artistic and architectural styles that emerged along the Silk Road, such as the Gandhara art of Pakistan and Afghanistan, and the Dunhuang murals of China, and how they reflected cross-cultural influences.
The Decline and Legacy of the Silk Road: Tracing the decline of the Silk Road following the arrival of the seafaring era and newer trade routes in the 15th century, and assessing its lasting impact on world economies and civilisations, particularly on the diverse cultural fusion and legacies that it bequeathed.
Overland Silk Road: The most famous trade route which connects China to Italy, it was used to transport goods like silk, spices, and other luxury items.
Maritime Silk Road: This route connected China to Southwest Asia, South Asia, and Africa through sea routes. It facilitated trade in commodities like spices, tea, porcelain, silk, and other items.
Northern Silk Road: The northern route of the Silk Road started from the city of Xi'an in China and passed through Central Asia, the Pamir Plateau, and the Ferghana Valley.
Southern Silk Road: It started from Chengdu in China and went through Yunnan, Myanmar, India, and further to Middle East and Europe.
Tibetan Silk Road: This trade route connected Tibet to the Silk Road.
Tea Horse Road: This route was named after the horses that carried tea from Yunnan province of China to Tibet.
Steppe Silk Road: The Steppe Silk Road was the land route of the Silk Road that passed through the northern regions of Central Asia.
Incense Road: This route was used to transport incense from Southeast Asia to the Middle East and Rome.
Spice Route: Spice Route was a maritime trade route that connected the South Asian subcontinent to the Mediterranean world.
Persian Royal Road: The Persian Royal Road was a network of roads used by the Persians for trade and communication within their kingdom.
Trans-Saharan Trade Route: This route was used to transport goods like gold, salt, and slaves across the Sahara Desert.
Maritime Southeast Asia: This route connected the Indian Ocean trade routes to China.
Silk Road of the Steppes: This route focuses on the Central Asian region.
Silk Road of the Three Kingdoms: This trade route connected the ancient Korean Kingdoms of Baekje, Goguryeo, and Silla with China.
Silk Road of the Sea: A Chinese maritime expedition led by Zheng He that commenced travel through the Indian Ocean and South Asia.
Hanseatic League: An association of merchant towns in North and Central Europe that functioned as a trading monopoly.
Bactrian Camel Caravan: The Bactrian Camel Caravan was an ancient trade route that connected China and the Mediterranean through Central Asia.
Maritime Southern Passage of the Spice Route: This route focused on the southern Indian Ocean trade routes.
"Spanning over 6,400 kilometers (4,000 miles)..."
"...it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and religious interactions between the East and West."
"The name 'Silk Road', first coined in the late 19th century, has fallen into disuse among some modern historians in favor of Silk Routes..."
"Chinese silk textiles... tea, dyes, perfumes, porcelain... horses, camels, honey, wine, and gold."
"The network began with the Han dynasty's expansion into Central Asia around 114 BCE... The Parthian Empire provided a bridge to East Africa and the Mediterranean."
"By the early first century CE, Chinese silk was widely sought-after in Rome, Egypt, and Greece."
"Aside from generating substantial wealth for emerging mercantile classes, the proliferation of goods such as paper and gunpowder greatly altered the trajectory of various realms, if not world history."
"Travelers faced constant threats of banditry and nomadic raiders, and long expanses of inhospitable terrain."
"Few individuals crossed the entirety of the Silk Road, instead relying on a succession of middlemen based at various stopping points along the way."
"In addition to goods, the network facilitated an unprecedented exchange of ideas, religions (especially Buddhism), philosophies, and scientific discoveries..."
"Diseases such as plague also spread along the Silk Road, possibly contributing to the Black Death."
"...the Silk Road abruptly lost its importance with the rise of the Ottoman Empire in 1453, which almost immediately severed trade between East and West."
"This prompted European efforts to seek alternative routes to Eastern riches, thereby ushering the Age of Discovery, European colonialism, and a more intensified process of globalization..."
"...the name 'New Silk Road' is used to describe several large infrastructure projects along many of the historic trade routes; among the best known include the Eurasian Land Bridge and the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)."
"In June 2014, UNESCO designated the Chang'an-Tianshan corridor of the Silk Road as a World Heritage Site..." Study question 17: Which portion of the Silk Road remains on the tentative site list? "While the Indian portion remains on the tentative site list."
"[The Silk Road] endured the rise and fall of numerous empires and major events such as the Black Death and the Mongol conquests."
"...on the grounds that it more accurately describes the intricate web of land and sea routes connecting Central, East, South, and Southeast Asia, the Middle East, East Africa, and Southern Europe."
"During its roughly 1,500 years of existence, the Silk Road..."