Long Distance Trade in the Classical Era: The Silk, Sand, and Sea Roads Period 2: 600 BCE – 600 CE

I Causes and Consequences of Classical Long Distance Trade A) Causes: 1. Classical empires (Rome, Han, Gupta, Maya) undertook massive construction projects to improve transportation and infrastructure 2. The expanding size of the empires brought them within close proximity to or even bordering on each other B) Consequences: 1. Brought wealth and access to foreign products 2. Facilitated the spread of religions and belief systems beyond their original homelands 3. Facilitated the transmission of disease

II The Secret of Silk A) Sericulture (the production of silk) is a lengthy process. The silkworms feed until they enter the cocoon stage. Silkworms spend three or four days spinning a cocoon. After eight or nine days the cocoons are ready to be unwound. They are steamed to kill the worms, or pupas. The cocoons are then dipped into hot water to loosen the tightly woven filaments, which are then unwound onto a spool. Between five and eight of these super-fine filaments are twisted together to make one thread. Finally the silk threads are woven into cloth. Clothes made from silk are not only beautiful and lightweight, they are also warm in cool weather and cool in hot weather.

The Secret of Silk Continued… B) Anyone who revealed the secrets or smuggled the silkworm eggs or cocoons outside of China would be punished by death! C) It is said that Byzantine Emperor Justinian I persuaded two Persian monks who had lived in China to return there and smuggle silkworms to Constantinople in 550 CE.

III The Silk Roads A) From the 2 nd century BCE to the end of the 14th century CE, a great trade route originated from Chang'an (now Xian) in the east and ended at the Mediterranean in the west, linking China with the Roman Empire. B) The Overland Route began in Chang’an in East Asia and went west to the Taklamakan Desert. After the Taklamakan Desert, the branches reunited at Kashgar and continued west to Bactria. There one branch forked off to northern India while the main branch continued across northern Iran…

The Silk Roads Continued… C) In northern Iran, the route joined with roads to ports on the Caspian Sea and the Persian Gulf and proceeded to Palmyra (modern Syria). There it met roads coming from Arabia and ports on the Red Sea. It continued west and terminated at the Mediterranean ports of Antioch (in modern Turkey) and Tyre (in modern Lebanon). The overland route linked China and the Roman Empire! An oasis town in the Taklimakan Desert

The Silk Roads Continued… A woman selling fabric in Kashgar, western China Palmyra, Syria

The Silk Roads Continued… The Church of St. Peter is regarded by tradition as the spot where St. Peter first preached the Gospel in Antioch, Turkey. The oldest surviving parts of the church building date from at least the 4th or 5th century.

The Silk Roads Continued… Roman Ruins at Tyre, Lebanon

The Silk Roads Continued… D) The Silk Roads also provided access at ports like Guangzhou in southern China that led to maritime routes to India and Ceylon (modern-day Sri Lanka). Don’t forget about the most important classical port city of Alexandria, Egypt! Ceylon was and still is famous for its cinnamon. Cinnamon is actually the inner bark of a tree!

The Silk Roads Continued… Recall that Alexandria, Egypt was founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BCE. It was famous for its Lighthouse and Library. The Romans imported wheat. Unfortunately today the ancient city is underwater.

IV Indian Ocean Trade in the Classical Era A) The monsoon winds were crucial. B) Lateen Sails allowed sailors to sail across the Indian ocean, by sailing into the wind current. East African GoodsIndian GoodsArabian Goods Ivory Frankincense GoldCotton TextilesMyrrh SlavesSpicesPerfumes Leopard Skins

V Trans-Sahara Trade A) The Trans- Saharan trade route ( also known as the sand road) linked North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Mediterranean. B) Trans-Saharan trade would not have been possible without the domesticated camel. Caravans were large, organized groups of traders that consisted of hundreds of people and as many as 5,000 camels. C) African ivory, gold, salt, and slaves were some of the items that were traded across the Sahara and into the Mediterranean. In return, the people of Sudan would get horses, dates, cloth and salt, along with other goods, from the Sahara.

VI New Technologies Facilitated Long- Distance Exchange A) Saddles and stirrups B) Horses and especially camels (could go for 10 days without water) C) Lateen sail and dhow ships

VII The Spread of Buddhism A) By the 3 rd Century BCE, Buddhism was well-established in northern India. B) Merchants carried Buddhism along the Silk Roads. C) King Asoka of the Mauryan Empire in India sent out missionaries to southeast Asia. D) Hinduism also spread along the Silk Roads, primarily by sea. Dunhuang, a Buddhist Community established in the 4 th Century CE on the edge of the Gobi Desert. Buddhist Temples were built inside of caves.

VIII Spread of Christianity Christianity began in Jerusalem. Being a part of the Roman empire provided opportunities for Christian expansion along Roman trade routes. The Gospel of Luke tells us of three missionary journeys of St. Paul in the Roman Empire, from Antioch in Syria, west through (modern day) Turkey and Greece, and finally back to Jerusalem. St. Paul

IX The Spread of Disease A) The Silk Roads made it easier for diseases to spread throughout the classical world. During the second and third centuries C.E. the Han and Roman empires experienced outbreaks of diseases. B) The three most deadly were probably smallpox, measles, and bubonic plagues. The population in the Chinese and Roman empires declined sharply. C) Trade within empires declined and economies shrunk. Epidemic diseases contributed to the instability in China after the fall of the Han dynasty, the weakening of Mediterranean society, and the decline and fall of the western Roman empire.

HW Questions 1. What allowed for long distance trade in the Classical period (600 BCE – 600 CE)? 1. Make a chart listing the positive and negative consequences of long distance trade in the Classical period (600 BCE – 600 CE). 1. Which empire or region do you think benefitted the most from classical trade? Explain your answer. 2. Heron, a Greek scientist and inventor from Alexandria, invented steam power. However, it was used mostly as a novelty, as Greek and Roman society was largely slave based. How would the Classical world have changed if Heron’s steam power was adapted to aid transportation?

Key Vocabulary Alexandria Antioch Ceylon Chang’an Dhow ships Dunhuang Guangzhou Heron Kashgar Lateen sail Maritime Silk Roads Overland Silk Roads Palmyra Sericulture St. Paul Taklimakan Desert Trans-Sahara Trade Routes