The Silk Road extended from Asia to the Mediterranean Sea for more than two thousand years, making it the longest system of trade routes in the ancient world.
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| 00c-silk-road-map Image source:- flickr.com |
Silk Road - Introduction
The Silk Road was an ancient network of trade routes that connected China, the Far East, the Middle East, and Europe. It all started when the Han Dynasty of China opened up trade with the West back in 130 BC. The Silk Road routes stayed in use until 1453 when the Ottoman Empire banned trade with China and shut them down. It's almost 600 years later, but the Silk Road's influence on commerce, culture, and history is still felt today.
History of Silk Road
The Silk Road was a trade route that opened up between Greece and China in the early and mid-thirteenth century. It was also used by the Roman Empire and Kushan Empire, which ruled over parts of what is now India. It's interesting to note that the Greek word for China was "Seres," which literally means "the land of silk".
It's clear that Silk Road has a connection to it, but it wasn't until 1877 that the term was used to describe these trade routes. It was first used by a German geographer, historian, and jurist named Ferdinand von Rinckofen. Nowadays, historians prefer to use the term Silk Routes, which is more accurate since there was more than one main street on Silk Road.
Silk Road Economic Belt
Although the Silk Road got its name from the Chinese silk used by traders in the Roman Empire and other parts of Europe, silk wasn’t the only important product exported from the East to the West. Along the Silk Road’s economic belt, goods traded included: Fruits and vegetables Livestock Wheat Grain Leather and hides Tools Religious artifacts Artwork Jewelry Jewelry and precious stones Metal Perhaps most importantly, Language Culture Religion Philosophy and science.
Paper and gunpowder were among the most traded commodities between East and West. Both were invented by China during the Han Dynasty and had a lasting and significant impact on Western culture and history.
Paper originated in China in the 3rd century BC. Its use spread through the Silk Road, first appearing in Samarkand around 700 A.D., before spreading to Europe via the then-Islamic ports of Sicilia and Spain.
Paper's arrival in Europe brought about a lot of industrial changes, and it was the first time that the written word became a major part of mass communication. Eventually, Gutenberg's printing press made it possible to make books and later newspapers, which helped spread news and information more widely.
Silk Road Spices
In addition, the exotic spices from the East quickly spread to the West, changing the food habits of much of Europe. Glass-making techniques from the Islamic world also made their way east to China.
The origin of gunpowder is less well-known. Fireworks and firearms can be found in China as far back as the 6th century. According to historians, gunpowder was actually transported along the Silk Road to Europe where it was further developed for use in cannon in England, France, and elsewhere in the 13th century.
The access to gunpowder by the nation-states gave them a clear advantage in war, which is why gunpowder export had a significant influence on political history in Europe.
Overland routes
The Silk Road was divided into several routes. The main overland routes were the Northern, Southern and Southwest routes.
The Northern Route
The most northerly point of the route was Chang'an, which was a major city in the middle of China. It was the capital of more than 10 different dynasties. The northern route started to become popular in the first century BC when Emperor Wu of Han used his army to stop nomadic tribes from raiding travellers in his area. From Chang'an, the route went northwest through Shaanxi, Gansu, and then split into three different paths.
The Southern Route
The southern route out of China went through the Karakorum mountains, which is why it was called the Karakorum. The Karakorum mountains stretch from the Pakistan-India-China border all the way to the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border in the northwest. Once you got west of the Karakorum, there were lots of spurs that led south towards the sea, since a lot of people wanted to go by boat instead of going by land.
The Southwestern Route
The southwest route led from China to India via the Ganges Delta, which was a major trade route. Archaeological excavations have uncovered an incredible amount of goods from all over the world, including Roman beads and gems from Thailand and Java.
The Ancient Silk Road in India
The main Silk Road sites in India are located in the seven main states of India: Bharatnagar (present-day Bihar), Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra, Puducherry, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh (now Uttarakhand), Ruins of ancient Vaishali in Bihar, Remains of the Vikramshila ancient University in Uttar Pradesh, Kushinagar Buddhist remains in Uttar Pradesh, Sravasti Buddhist remains in UP, Kaushambi in Uttar Pradesh, Ahichhatra in Uttar Pradesh, Ancient site and Buddhist stupa in Punjab, Arikamedu in Puducherry. Excavated remains of Kaveripatinam in Tamil Nadu, Harwan in Jammu and Kashmir. Burud Kot in Maharashtra, Indraprastha in Delhi. All these sites are listed as tentative UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The Silk Route also played an important role in the cultural exchanges between India and the rest of the world. For example, Buddhism spread to the countries of Central Asia and China via the Silk Route. Today, many of the Silk Route cities and towns still retain their historical importance and draw tourists from all over the world.
Ladakh is an example of this kind of cultural exchange. It was a key point on the Silk Route, which ran from India to Central Asia. It went through the Indus Valley and the town of Leh was a major hub for trading along the route. It was also a major center for Buddhism, and today you can still find lots of Buddhist temples and places that were linked to the Silk Route.
