HIS102Y1 Lecture : Lecture Notes for the Meaning of the Silk Roads
Document Summary
Not just a single road, but a network of roads, comes from a german word; the name has an exotic outlook as it covers a variety of topography (mountains, valleys, deserts, except dense rainforest). Kashgar + samarkand: cities which developed to their locations near an oasis; first became trade posts then cities. Arabian camel (1 hump, suited for desert) = hybrid: strong, perfectly suited for silk road(s). The roads were built by empires for multiple purposes (such as for military transportation), but then monks and merchants were the middle men who travelled along it. The rome and han empire had almost no direct contact; the city of palmyra connected rome to the silk road(s). Nomads allowed trade to come about as they were accustomed to travelling; built-up immunity, spoke various languages, good warriors as they learnt to defend themselves. Best things to trade were light things that had a high value; such as silk and not grain!
