Download APWH Silk Roads

Karen Fernandez
AP World History
Period 2
December 1, 2014
The Silk Roads: Changes and Continuities in Patterns of Interactions From 200 B.C.E. to
1450 C.E.
Between 200 B.C.E. and 1450 C.E., the eastern hemisphere saw the collapse of classical
empires such as the Han and Roman empires, and the foundation of new empires such as the
Mongol Khanates that by the end of this period had already collapsed. Throughout this time
period, the Silk Roads, a network of trade routes which had been established since the Han
dynasty, linked the Eurasian landmass in commerce. At their height, the Han and Roman empires
encompassed most of Eurasia which facilitated and secured trade on the Silk Roads between
merchants from all regions and encouraged the diffusion of cultural traditions and technology.
From 200 B.C.E. and 1450 C.E., the Silk Roads underwent economic transformations as the
amount of trade on the Silk Roads constantly changed due to the fall of empires that secured
these routes, and the type of currency used to barter changed but the same luxury items were
traded on these networks. Cultural continuities on the Silk Roads were the spread of religion and
belief systems through missionary activity and the spread of architectural styles but religious
doctrines changed as a result of missionaries trying to appeal to converters’ interests.
Furthermore, people continuously used camels to travel through the deserts of Central Asia and
interaction between people on the Silk Road facilitated the spread of diseases throughout this
time period but a change was the spread of gunpowder after it was developed by the Chinese in
the tenth century.
From the mid-Classical era to the Post-Classical era, the Silk Roads faced economic
changes since the volume of interaction and trade was inconsistent, currencies changed with new
developments, but throughout this period, the same luxury goods were traded. The mass of
interaction and trade along these exchange networks would change from time to time due to the
spread of diseases or lack of security on the trade routes. The Silk Roads flourished during the
height of the Han and Roman empires since they provided a basis for commerce at the opposite
ends of Eurasia. As the Chinese kept the production of silk a state secret, people in the Roman
Empire demanded luxurious yet expensive silk which fueled long-distance trade. The volume of
trade increased during the seventh and eighth centuries as empires in the Mediterranean, Middle
East, and East Asia encompassed the Eurasian landmass and provided safe trade routes for
merchants to travel by yielding bestowing policing and inns along the Silk Roads. However,
when the Mongol empire fell in the fourteenth century, there was a lack of security on the trade
routes and banditry along with crime increased which made travel less safe for people and led to
a decrease in the volume of interaction and trade along the Silk Roads. In addition, the spread of
the bubonic plague in the mid-fourteenth century further declined commerce on the Silk Roads
due to the demographic toll it levied in most of the eastern hemisphere. Also, currencies varied
throughout the Silk Roads. A range of different commodities served as money during this time
period, such as grain which would be weighed and measured but the most prominent product
used by the Chinese as currency was silk. Later, empires developed their own currencies, for
example Byzantium established the bezant, a gold coin, as their standard currency similar to the
Chinese people who used copper coins. However, with an increase in trade during the Tang and
Song dynasties, there was a shortage of copper coins that led to the development of flying cash,
promissory notes, and checks. Further searches for alternatives to coins led to the invention of
paper money that although caused serious problems to the government, it was later placed under
government control. Although the Silk Roads faced economic transformations, there was
continuity since the luxury goods bartered on these trade routes remained the same throughout
this time period. Each region in Eurasia demanded goods that were not available where they
lived, which fueled trade throughout the eastern hemisphere. China’s main export was
gunpowder, lacquerware, and silk which was in highest demand in most of Eurasia. Although the
knowledge and technology used to make silk was unknown to other regions besides China, by
the sixth century, the production of silk spread to other regions. India provided spices, precious
stones and gems while states in the Mediterranean exchanged glassware, jewelry, olive oil, and
textiles. These products were the main exports of these regions and they remained the most
prominent goods bartered on the Silk Roads.
From 200 B.C.E. and 1450 C.E., cultural continuities on the Silk Roads were the spread
of religion and belief systems and the spread of architectural styles while religious doctrines
changed as they adapted to the interests of the people being converted. Throughout the Classical
and Post-Classical periods, there was a constant spread of religious beliefs. From India,
Buddhism spread widely to Central and East Asia mostly through the activity of merchants along
the Silk Roads. Buddhist monks as well as Indian traders were sometimes supported by Indian
rulers to spread Buddhism along trans-Eurasian exchange networks. Buddhism was readily
accepted by merchants since it has a universal message and unlike Hinduism, it did not enforce
the caste system. Other religions that widely traveled along the Silk Roads were Christianity and
Islam. Missionaries of both religions readily traveled across Eurasia in search of new converts.
Furthermore, religious communities settled away from their home, would sometimes appeal to
people in their area and this would ensure more followers. Islamic Sufi mystics were the most
effective missionaries since they emphasized only important doctrine and devotion to Allah
while allowing new converts to follow their traditional beliefs. Another cultural continuity along
the trans-Eurasian networks was the spread of architectural styles. Besides goods and religions,
merchants and missionaries took their architectural traditions along with them in their travels.
Early Buddhist sculptures reflected Mediterranean and Greek artistic styles the same way that
Buddhist architecture was erected in China after it had been forced out of India and brought to
China by merchants. A change along the Silk Roads was that as missionaries sought new
followers, newly converted lands synthesized their new religion with their own traditional
beliefs. For example, as Buddhism spread outside of India, merchants readily adopted the faith
but disagreed with the belief of refusal of a materialistic world since they greatly profited from
trade. Also, new innovations in Buddhist doctrine such as salvation by offering gifts to
monasteries led to Mahayana Buddhism which was more readily accepted by merchants as they
traveled the Silk Roads.
Furthermore, throughout this time period, people extensively used camels to travel
through the deserts of Central Asia and interaction between people on the Silk Road facilitated
the spread of diseases but a change was the spread of gunpowder after its invention in the tenth
century. As merchants sought to profit from the Silk Roads, they carried luxury goods that they
could take in big quantities but wouldn’t weigh a great deal. Also, they needed certain animals
that could travel across the harsh conditions of the steppes, deserts, and oases of Central Asia.
The best suited animal was the camel, which could carry heavy loads, and travel among the
dangerous conditions of Central Asia. With these animals, merchants were ensured that they
would reach their destination and would successfully profit from their journey. Each region had
been witness to deadly diseases but within their regions, people had become immune to some
diseases. However, as people traded and came into frequent contact with each other, the Silk
Roads became a conduit for the spread of diseases throughout Eurasia. Although smallpox and
measles were hostile diseases that could kill many people, the bubonic plague was the most
deadly disease that was spread among these trade routes. As the Silk Roads were secured by
large empires, this facilitated interaction among different people from all over the eastern
hemisphere that had not grown immune to certain diseases that other places had knowledge of.
The bubonic plague caused major destruction, especially demographically since it killed about
two-thirds of its human victims. Eventually, the bubonic plague disrupted societies, led to
worker’s demands that were not met by landlords, and rebellions that caused even more
casualties. It also disrupted economies in Eurasia and North Africa. However, it was not until the
tenth century that Chinese alchemists had accidentally discovered how to make gunpowder.
Military officials used gunpowder in bamboo fire lances, a kind of flamethrower, and by the
eleventh century, they had developed primitive bombs. Although early weapons were ineffective,
refinements enhanced their potential. The connection between states through the trans-Eurasian
trade routes eased the diffusion of gunpowder technology. The Mongols quickly spread this new
technology and by the thirteenth century, people of Southwest Asia and Europe were
experimenting with metal-barreled cannons. This would lead to the inescapable change of
warfare.
From 200 B.C.E. and 1450 C.E., the Silk Roads experienced economic transitions such as
the constant change in the volume of trade on the Silk Roads due to the fall of empires that
secured these routes, and currencies used to trade changed but the same luxury goods were
traded on these exchange networks. Cultural continuities on the Silk Roads were the spread of
religions and belief systems through missionaries and merchants and the spread of architectural
styles, yet religious doctrines changed as missionaries tried to appeal to converters’ interests.
Furthermore, merchants used camels to travel through the deserts of Central Asia and interaction
between people on the Silk Road facilitated the spread of diseases throughout this time period,
but a change was the spread of gunpowder after its development in the tenth century. From the
mid-Classical era to the Post-Classical era, the Silk Roads connected people throughout Eurasia
and encouraged the diffusion environmental interactions, cultural, and economic traditions.