Silk Road Interactive Map

China's Goods

China's Goods

China produced a variety of goods like:

- Silk

- Paper

- Gun Powder

- Porcelain

Non-goods Traded

- Bubonic Plague

China wanted to import:

- Ivory

- Silver & Gold

- Olive Oil

Silk

Silk

Silk gives the “Silk Road” its name and is

representative of the extensive trade that existed at the time. After developing silk more than 5,000 years ago, China kept the secret of its creation. Producers carefully guarded the silk worms that spun the fibers. Silk fabric was so popular in Rome.

Gun Powder

Gun Powder

The invention of gunpowder is regularly attributed to China. Soon, the Chinese military adapted gunpowder for use in war, making rockets, cannons and other types

of bombs to defend against attacks from northern tribes, like the Mongols.

Merchants

The domestication of pack animals,

including camels, enabled groups of traders to travel long distances. Camels were well-suited to cross China’s Taklaman Desert.

Horses fared well along the grasslands of the steppes, and donkeys helped crossing mountainous regions. Much of the Silk Road wasn’t more than the path made by caravan tracks in the sand.

Nomadic merchants served as intermediaries

between cultures of many different languages.

Nomadic Tribes

(Mongols)

Many nomadic tribes worked together

to make the Silk Road work. Even tribes previously known for raiding and conquering, like the Mongols, put their weapons down to support steady and profitable trade across the continent.

Nomadic Tribes

Oasis Towns

It was rare that a single merchant would travel the entire length of the Silk Road. Instead, merchants ran regular routes between large commercial cities, where goods were produced, to the oasis towns along the route. Many of the cultural and material exchanges we imagine happening on the Silk Road

happened in the cities along the way

Oasis Towns

Marco Polo

Westerner who traveled on the Silk Road. He excelled all the other travelers in his determination, his writing, and his influence. His journey through Asia lasted 24 years. He reached further than any of his predecessors, beyond Mongolia to China.

Marco Polo

Xuanzang

Made a historic pilgrimage to India along the Silk Road, one of the longest and oldest trade routes known to mankind. Along with silk and less glamorous articles of trade, the great trans-Asian roads carried ideas and religions which were to prove far more significant than silk. The gentle creed of Buddhism was to revolutionize art and thought not only in China but in Japan and Korea as well.

Xuanzang

Textiles

India exported silk woven into textiles.

This tradition continues to the present day.

India follows just behind China as the second

largest producer of silk worldwide.

Buddhism

Traders along the Silk Road didn’t set out with the purpose of sharing religions in other parts of the world, but as more people interacted and shared ideas, it was natural for belief systems to spread. Buddhism is one of

many faith traditions that spread as a result of cultural exchanges along the Silk Road.

Buddhism

Incense

Catholic Church uses incense as a holy symbol.

Incense became a central part of spiritual practice across the Eurasian continent. Lighting fragrant incense was seen as a way of making an offering to gods in many different religions, and its use is still common in faith traditions today.

In the video, Mulan is burning incense as she prays to her ancestors for advice.

Spices

A variety of spices, including cinnamon,

cardamom, ginger, pepper, and turmeric,

traveled the Silk Road and became the

foundation of many of the foods we love

today. Though these spices did not originate in the Middle East, they frequently traveled through this territory because of the number of powerful trading settlements there.

Islam

Traders along the Silk Road didn’t set out

with the purpose of sharing religions in other parts of the world, but as more people interacted and shared ideas, it was natural for belief systems to spread. Islam is one of many faith traditions that spread as a result of cultural exchanges along the Silk Road.

Islam

Ivory

Many societies have prized ivory, which

comes from the tusks of animals like

elephants, and used it for art, jewelry,

musical instruments, and religious objects.

Ivory continues to be a valuable and

controversial item. Many countries have banned ivory sales because endangered animals are often illegally killed by poachers who harvest and sell their ivory.

Glass

Romans mastered the art of blown

glass, made from melted sand. Glass

shaped by blowing was thinner, and

glassworkers were able to make bowls,

cups, and decorative vases.

Olive Oil

Mediterranean civilizations traded olive

oil long before the Silk Road. It was

particularly popular in Ancient Egypt,

and used across the continent for

food and religious ceremonies.

Black Plague

Scholars believe that the Bubonic Plague,

which is also known as the “Black Death” and

resulted in the largest mass death in human

history, spread from China to Europe along

the Silk Road. Bubonic Plague was carried by

rodents along the trail, and killed both traders

as well as people in the various towns along

the way. Other diseases, like measles and

smallpox also spread along trade routes.

Black Plague