OPENING THE SILK ROADMade because of the Han
EmpireMilitary of the Han didn’t allow people in Northwestern China
Allowed trade routes to the West to be opened
ZHANG QIANKnown as “Father of the Silk Road”
138 B.C.E. a Han emperor sent Zhang west with 100 men
Goal was to form an alliance with Western menAlliance against Northern enemy, The Hun
ZHANG QIANZhang Qian traveled all the way to present day IranTaken as a prisoner 2 times
Able to escape both times!Was not able to form an alliance
The trips were still successful though
ZHANG QIANHelped Chinese learn about Western cultures
Discovered places like, Persia, Syria, India, & Rome
Went on a second journey to the West
ZHANG QIANDiscovered a horse, much more powerful for warAlso discovered grapesAble to develop trade relationships with central Asian peopleOvertime, many trade routes developed, traders mostly valued Chinese silk
SILK!Silk is a fiber used to make cloth
Silk is strong, warm, light, & soft
Very valuable for trade, for a while Chinese were the only ones to know how to make it
Fibers come from cocoon of a silk worm!
SILK!Chinese tried to keep the way to make silk a secret
Under Han Dynasty, the release of the secret was punishable by…DEATH!
TRADE WITH ROME!Many other cultures wanted silk
Romans were the most intrigued by silk
First time Romans saw silk was during a battleEnemy waved a silk banner, Romans lost the war
TRADE WITH ROME!Chinese silk was a luxury item
Very expensive item, status symbolRichest Romans could only afford one patch of silk on their togas
TRADE WITH ROME!Silk was so highly valued, traders went on the dangerous trip eastward to get silkRomans would trade gold and glassware for silkRomans could blow glass into all shapes
Glassware was new to the Chinese
THE EASTERN SILK ROADSilk road was NOT
one continuous route
Network of shorter trade routes between stopsGoods would change hands many times before reaching their final destination
THE EASTERN SILK ROADTwo major parts of the
route: Eastern and Western Silk Road
Eastern Road: Luoyang- Kashgar in the Western part of the Taklimakan Desert
Western Road:Kashgar- Antioch and other Mediterranean ports
THE EASTERN SILK ROADSeveral dangers
faced travelers
Bandits would attack Encounter severe sand storms while crossing the desertTravelers would even get buried in the sand on the Northern route
THE EASTERN SILK ROADTravelers were lured
off the main path to their death by miragesAn image of something that is not really there such as waterBefore entering the desert, travelers formed long camel caravans for protection
THE EASTERN SILK ROADCertain types of camels
survive better in the desertBactrian camels have double eyelids, and nostrils they can close to keep sand outCarry enough food & water for the traveler to make it until next stop
GOODS EXCHANGED Very expensive for travelers to carry goods over the silk roadTravelers to profit: goods had to be valuable & easy to carrySilk was perfect: light, valuable
Silk eventually reached the Mediterranean Sea
GOODS EXCHANGED Chinese also traded fine dishware (China)
Ornaments, jewelry, cast-iron products, decorative boxes
Chinese would receive: (Central Asia) horses, jade, furs, & gold
WESTERN SILK ROADJourney from Kashgar began with a difficult path across Pamir MountainsTravelers suffered headaches, dizziness, & ringing ears
Mountain trails were narrow and dangerous (trail of bones)
WESTERN SILK ROADPeople and animals were known to slip off cliffsAfter Pamir Mountains, trail took travelers through present day AfghanistanMajor stop: Modern day Iraq, eastern bank of Tigris river
WESTERN SILK ROAD
From Iraq, trail went North to Syrian DesertTravelers threatened by tigers, lions, scorpions, and flies everywhere
Goods were finally shipped throughout the Mediterranean Ports
GOODS EXCHANGED Traders: Egypt, Arabia, and Persia
Perfumes, cosmetics, carpets, metal items, dyes, even slaves to ChinaRome greatly valued silk so they traded glass products, vases, necklaces, small bottles
GOODS EXCHANGED
Romans traded a lot of gold for silk
So much gold traded, Roman emperor Tiberius banned gold from leaving
Tiberius believed wearing too much silk would make people too soft or weak
CULTURAL EXCHANGESTrade between East & West changed cultures
Learned how to make products themselves, trade slowed downBy 500 C.E. Chinese learned to make glass & west learned to make silk
CULTURAL EXCHANGESDiets, gardening, & agriculture changed
China started to grow grapes, alalfa, cucumbers, figs, walnuts, chives, sesameWest imported roses, camellias, oranges, peaches, and pears