Ccot the Silk Road free essay sample

Hence the name, â€Å"Silk Road†, the trade of silk remained constant through time between the East and West. Silk also contributed to social status in many societies. Silk was expensive; therefore, many peasants could not afford it. It became a fashion statement, where people who had silk, were wealthy. It was similar to the way foot binding was in China; small feet were a sign of wealth. The impact of silk trade was that it connected Europe with Asia and that it made the economy of many regions, especially China, prosperous. The Silk Road was not always a safe trading network. After the fall of the Tang Dynasty, the Silk Road declined and the Silk Road fell into the hands of Islamic control. Asia’s nomads were divided into tribes that were not necessarily friendly to each other and usually pillaged each other. The were 2 routes on the Silk Road; one was the steppe route, where nomads were common, making it unsafe and the other route was in the desert, that was still very much dangerous, but many merchants preferred to travel on. China was not as strong as it used to be and couldn’t take over other territories where the Silk Road went through nor protect the caravans traveling though the routes. The Silk Road was revived during the Mongol conquest in the 1300’s where the Mongols united Asia and its nomads. The Mongols promoted and ensured safe conditions for traveling and trading on the Silk Road. Trading between the Mediterranean and Asia flourished and this allowed more cultural diffusion among the trading. The Silk Road was an ancient trade route between Persia and China. Between these two societies, they would trade many things, such as gems, livestock, and gun powder. Gun powder had a very big impact on Western Europe. The Arabs experimented with the gun powder and used it as a weapon against Europeans when they invaded Arabia in the 11th century, which made Europeans curious about the secret weapon they were using. Then after the Crusades, when trade flourished, the Europeans obtained gun powder from trade on the Silk Road. The gun powder took away the need of chivalry and replaced it with cannons and guns. The Silk Road helped gunpowder get to the Europeans and this ended the era of nomadic herders due to the technological advancements of settled societies. The Silk Road was created during Han China, when agriculture, commerce, and population flourished. The Silk Road always had the same purpose throughout history. Its purpose was to exchange commodities or luxury goods easier between Eastern and Western worlds. This purpose maintained the same throughout time due to the developing interest of items the East and the West have never had, such as silk and paper. The impact of the Silk Road is huge on both the East and West. While trading increases, so does the cultural diffusion rate. Cultural diffusion on the Silk Road remained stable. Marco Polo is an example of cultural diffusion. He wrote a diary, while traveling from Europe to China, using the Silk Road. When he traveled back to Europe, he inspired other explorers and increased trade on the Silk Road by sharing his diary and experiences. The East and West obtained knowledge and items that would greatly help them improve their technology that they might have not ever got/known if trading on the Silk Road didn’t exist. Trading has many positive impacts, but it also has its negative ones, too. Diffusion of diseases is something that was always spread while trading on the Silk Road. Trading is at its apex when a society has its Golden Age, which is political stability and flourished trading. While trading, diseases are also exchanged to societies that are not immune to it, which eventually evolves into epidemics. Diseases that were spread by the Silk Road include Smallpox, Measles, and the Bubonic Plague, the most effecting one. The Bubonic Plague, also known as the Black Death, was spread to humans by fleas and rats. It first hit and spread in Central Asia, specifically the Mongols in the 1400s. The Mongols spread the disease into the Silk Road, where it was further spread into the West. Populations in both Asia and Europe decreased immensely. The spreading of diseases remained unchanged throughout time due to non-immune societies and the contact between humans and infected animals. The epidemics impacted places socially, religiously, and economically. It put people into a state of shock and they thought the disease was a punishment from God because back then, doctors didn’t have the knowledge to understand diseases and to make advanced medicines. The Silk Road has changed religions, mostly Islam and Buddhism, as well. Religions got stronger throughout time by trade. Islam was often spread by merchants and missionaries. In the 8th century, Muslims controlled the western half of the Silk Road and any merchants converted to Islam to be able to trade easier with Muslim merchants. When trade flourished, merchants spread Islamic beliefs to distant lands outside the Islamic World (Asia, Europe, and Africa). This helped Islam become a world religion. Ibn Battuta was a Muslim explorer from India and like Marco Polo, he traveled to China by using the Silk Road. Throughout his journey in the 14th century, he spread Islam to other societies. The Silk Road had a big impact on religions, because not only did it help it spread, but it also helped it develop and adapt into different societies. Buddhism that originated from India also was spread by merchants on the Silk Road. The Silk Road was pioneered during Han China. The exchange of silk and gun powder greatly impacted the world into what it is now. Diffusion of religions and diseases also impacted the world. If there was no trading of the Silk Road, the world would have been different today: Europe would never have guns and Islam would have never become a world religion. The Silk Road maintained much continuity and also, changed throughout time. Annotated Bibliography Konkolewski, Nancy. Introduction to The Silk Road.   Cerritos College. Cerritos College, n. d. Web. 03 Mar. 2013. I used this source to find information about the Europeans and how they discovered silk. Zhou, Ruru. History of the Silk Road.   China Highlights. China Highlights, 4 July 2012. Web. 03 Mar. 2013. I used this source to find information about the Silk Road in different dynasties and the history behind it. Wild, Oliver. The Silk Road.   Department of Earth Science System. The Regents of the University of California, 1992. Web. 03 Mar. 2013. I used this source to find information about how the Silk Road came to be and what they traded on it. History of Silk Road.   Trave China Guide. Trave China Guide, 1998-2013. Web. 03 Mar. 2013. I used this source to find information about silk and how it contributed to trade on the Silk Road. I also used this source to find out why silk was so important to people in Europe. Silk Road Trade: History Of Gunpowder.   Essortment. Demand Media, 2011. Web. 17 Mar. 2013. I used this source to find information about the finding of gunpowder in Europe and how t got there. Waugh, Daniel C. The Pax Mongolica.   The Silk Road Foundation. Silkroad Foundation, 2000. Web. 17 Mar. 2013. I used this source to find information about the Silk Road during the times of Mongol control. Smith, John Masson. The Mongols And The Silk Road.   The Silk Road Foundation. Silkroad Foundation, 2000. Web. 17 Mar. 2013. I used this source t o find information about the Silk Road during the times of Mongol control and how it made it safer. Rossabi, Morris. The Silk Roads.   The Association for Asian Studies. Association for Asian Studies, Inc. , n. d. Web. 17 Mar. 2013. I used this source to find information about the Silk Road during the times of Mongol control and how it made trading flourish. Cross Cultural Exchanges On The Silk Roads.   Slideshare. SlideShare Inc, 2013. Web. 30 Mar. 2013. I used this source to find information about the spread of diseases by the trading on the Silk Road and how it created an epidemic. Han Dynasty (206 B. C. -A. D. 220) and the Silk Road  China. org. cn. China Internet Information Center, n. d. Web. 30 Mar. 2013. I used this source to find information about how the Silk Road was created, when it was, and why it was created. Cassel, Seth. The Silk Road Linking Asia, the Middle East, Northern Africa, and Europe As Evident by the Spread of the Black Death.   Flamingnet. Flamingnet LLC, Jan. 2006. Web. 30 Mar. 2013. I used this source to find information about the Bubonic Plague and how it affected different parts of the world. Bubonic Plague.   Loyola University Chicago. Loyola University Chicago, 2014. Web. 30 Mar. 2013. I used this source to find information about the Bubonic Plague and how it got spread to different societies by the Silk Road. Marco Polo.   TravelChinaGuide. com. Travel China Guide, 2013. Web. 31 Mar. 2013. I used this source to find information about the experiences that Marco Polo had and how it affected Europe and the Silk Road. Strickman, Tim. Spread of Islam Through the Silk Road.   Prezi. Prezi Inc. , 2013. Web. 31 Mar. 2013. I used this source to find information about how Islam was spread on the Silk Road and the Silk Road’s effect on the religion. I also used this source to find information about Ibn Battuta’s journey on the Silk Road and how he spread Islam. Szostak, John D. The Spread of Islam Along the Silk Route.   University of Washington. University of Washington, 2013. Web. 31 Mar. 2013. I used this source to find information about Islam’s spread on the Silk Road. DInnocenzi, Tom. Silk Road – Trade Route and Cultural Bridge between East and West. Tom DInnocenzi. Word Press, n. d. Web. 31 Mar. 2013. I used this source to find information about the spread of Buddhism and Islam on the Silk Road and how it affected both religions. Religion.   Silk Road. Silk Road Study Group. , 2000. Web. 31 Mar. 2013. I used this source to find information about