Silk Roads:

Exchange and Goods

Alexis Ruiz, Darby Miller, Kiara Melendez, Liam Fick

History

❖ Ancient road from China to Rome ➢ The Silk Road was actually a connection of

several routes that lead to the main road

➢ When the Silk Road was first opened/established,

the Han Dynasty was in control and their leader was Emperor Wudi (Liu Che)

❖ Began in Xi’an, China, and ended in the western Mediterranean (a.k.a. Levant)➢ The main route followed the Great Wall of China,

passed the Taklamakan Desert, went up and over the Pamir Mountains, crossed Afghanistan, and ended in Levant. From there, some merchants would mount their goods onto a boat and sail across the Mediterranean Sea and sell or trade in cities in Italy. Emperor Wudi

History (cont.)

❖ More protection meant more prosperity➢ More people traveled back and forth on the

Silk Road when the big empires provided

protection for them on their journey.

➢ When the Arabians took over Rome, less

merchants traveled because Arabians began

to jump the travelers and steal their goods,

leaving the merchants helpless.

Routes

❖ The Silk Road was divided into three main roads:➢ An eastern route; ran from China to the Pamir Mountains➢ A Central Asia route; ran from the Pamir Mountains to Central Asia➢ A western route; ran from Persia to the Mediterranean

http://www.chinadiscovery.com/assets/images/silk-road/maps/world-silk-routes-full.jpg

Main Route

Exchange

-Goods were exchanged and sold in markets

-The silk road was mostly consisted of “relay trade”

-Goods were either bought with currency or bartered of other goods

-Goods of higher value went do different markets than the general necessities

Goods

-Goods were often carried in large camel caravans

-Luxurious products were often in high demand (such as

salt, sugar, porcelain and spices)

- Goods heading towards China were loaded with gold,

silver, ivory, gems, and glass

-Goods from Central Asia carried blankets, curtains,

carpets, and woolen goods

-Silk was the most commonly traded item, hence the

name ‘The Silk Road’

The New Silk Road

The New Silk Road(Purposes)

❖ Development of Overland Infrastructure ➢ Xi’s wants to construct vasts networks running

westward and southward. These networks will consist of railways, energy pipelines, highways, and streamlined border crossing.

❖ Expansion of Maritime Shipping Routes➢ Xi would also like to invest in the development of

ports throughout the Indian Ocean. Including Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, The Maldives, and Pakistan

The New Silk Road

-Expansion of the international use

of Chinese currency. If Chinese

currency is spread more, they will

likely become an even more

powerful economic force.

Advantages:

-Destruction of the ‘bottleneck’ in

Asian connectivity. China would like

to broaden up their options for

future vendors and expand from

their limited trading routes

Roadblocks:

-Converting war-footed countries

(such as Afghanistan and Pakistan)

into centers of commerce and trade

-Russia is also trying to come up

with their own regional integration

projects to take control of the

Eastern part of the globe

-Local people (within the cities where

construction will take place) are not

happy because they never knew about

the plan and don’t want the railways

going through their communities.

-The total cost for the railway will be

about $20 billion

The New Silk Road-(Video)

Sources“Ancient China.” Ducksters Educational Site, www.ducksters.com/history/china/silk_road.php.

“Ancient Silk Road Route.” Ancient Silk Road Routes and Maps ,

www.chinadiscovery.com/china-silk-road-tours/silk-road-routes.html.

“Building the New Silk Road.” Council on Foreign Relations, Council on Foreign Relations,

www.cfr.org/backgrounder/building-new-silk-road.

The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. “Silk Road.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia

Britannica, Inc., 8 Sept. 2017, www.britannica.com/topic/Silk-Road-trade-route.

More Sources“Silk Road.” Ancient History Encyclopedia, www.ancient.eu/Silk_Road/.

“ SILK ROAD Dialogue, Diversity & Development.” UNESCO,

en.unesco.org/silkroad/about-silk-road.

“Silk Road Project.” Tes Teach with Blendspace,

www.tes.com/lessons/K6k4skK4TxHUNA/silk-road-project.

TEDEducation. “The Silk Road.” YouTube, YouTube, 3 June 2014,

www.youtube.com/watch?v=vn3e37VWc0k.

TestTubeNetwork. “How China Is Reviving The Silk Road.” YouTube, YouTube, 7 Apr. 2016,

www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhdtvLpL9Hg.