"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."
Study of ancient trade routes and the exchange of goods.
Maritime trade: It refers to the movement of goods and people via sea routes in ancient times, which played a crucial role in shaping the economies of several ancient civilizations, including Greeks and Romans.
Trade routes: These were essential paths used in the transportation of commodities between different locations, which facilitated trade and commerce between different ancient civilizations.
Archaeological evidence of trade: By examining ancient artifacts and other remains, archaeologists can identify various trade links between different civilizations, allowing us to have a better understanding of ancient trade and commerce.
Production and distribution of goods: The production and distribution of various goods, such as pottery and metalwork, played a significant role in ancient economies, and studying these processes can provide insights into the dynamics of ancient trade and commerce.
Economic systems: Different ancient civilizations had distinct economic systems, like the market economy of ancient Rome, which was based on the exchange of goods for currency.
Trade networks: The formation of trade networks enabled the exchange of goods, ideas, and technologies between different ancient civilizations, contributing to their development and growth.
Transportation technologies: The development of transportation technologies, such as ships and carts, played a significant role in the growth of ancient trade and commerce.
International trade: International trade allowed different civilizations to interact with each other, exchange goods, and gain knowledge about each other’s cultures, contributing to their development as well.
Trade organizations: Different ancient civilizations developed trade organizations, like the Roman merchant guilds, to regulate trade and commerce, provide security to traders and facilitate trade within the region.
Economic policies: The introduction of economic policies, like taxation and regulation, played a significant role in shaping the economies of ancient civilizations, impacting trade and commerce.
Barter trade: The exchange of goods and services without the use of money.
Gift exchange: Giving and receiving gifts as a form of trade.
Market trade: The buying and selling of goods and services in a central location.
Mercantilism: Economic policy aimed at accumulating wealth through trade and commerce.
Silk Road trade: Trade routes connecting East Asia to the Mediterranean world, facilitating the exchange of goods and ideas.
Maritime trade: Trade conducted by sea routes, including the transport of goods and materials.
Triangular trade: Trade between Europe, Africa, and the Americas, with a focus on slave trade.
Columbian exchange: The exchange of plants, animals, and ideas between the New and Old Worlds.
Cottage industry: A system of production in which goods are produced by individuals or small groups in their homes.
Commerce raiding: The act of attacking and seizing enemy vessels in wartime to disrupt trade.
International trade: Trade between countries, often facilitated by trade agreements.
Capitalism: Economic system based on private ownership of the means of production, with a focus on profit and market competition.
Guilds: Associations of skilled workers in the middle ages, regulating the production and sale of goods.
Plantation economy: Economic system based on large-scale agriculture, often using slave labor.
Industrialization: The shift from manual labor to machine-based manufacturing, resulting in greater efficiency and increased production.
"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..."