Discovery EDUCATION SOCIAL STUDIES TECHBOOK. The Silk Road Connection to Current Times If you have ever played the game Marco Polo, you know that it is very much like the game of tag. In this version, however, the person who is "it" shouts "Marco!" and, with his or her eyes closed, tries to catch one of the other players. The other players must give clues about where they are by shouting back, "Polo!" The real Marco Polo was a European who traveled to China in the late 1200s along a series of trade routes called the Silk Road. The game is a reference to the fact that Marco Polo did not really know where he was going, so he had to call out for help along the way. Incredibly, after four This ancient camel sculpture shows the large amount of goods and materials that could be attached to camels. years of travel, he made it! Marco Polo is one of the few people who actually traveled the entire length of the Silk Road from Italy to China. Along the way, he exchanged European goods and ideas with traders from distant parts of the world. As a result, Eastern and Western cultures began to blend and incorporate foreign customs into their civilizations. For this reason, the Silk Road was important then, as it is now. A Road to the Past The Silk Road was not one road, but a number of trade routes. These routes connected China with western Asia and the continent of Europe. In ancient times, the route connected traders from the Han dynasty with traders buying and selling in the Roman Empire. The road began in the ancient Chinese capital of Chang'an, which was located near present-day Xi'an. The road ended in a number of places, the farthest being the Mediterranean Sea. At some places, the route stretched over 4,000 miles long. Along the way, travelers stopped at cities or at locations that had been established for overnight rest. There they found food, water, and places to sleep. These travelers often rode in camel caravans, which are groups of traveling traders. Trade goods would be packaged and attached to the camels, and the merchants would guide these pack animals along the route. Depending on the distance, merchants would sometimes also ride the camels. The Silk Road was busiest between 100 BCE and 1500 CE. During that time period, more than just silk was traded. The road allowed for goods such as gold, porcelain, tea, and gunpowder to be traded from China. India sold animals, furs, wood, and precious stones. Persia offered silver, dyes, and incense. Discovery Education Techbook c Discovery Communications, LLC 1
Discovery EDUCATION SOCIAL STUDIES TECHBOOK. The Silk Road Connection to Current Times However, these examples of trade goods weren't the only things being exchanged. Ideas were also shared along the Silk Road. Because different civilizations would interact along the Silk Road, the knowledge of algebra, medicine, and architecture was spread across continents. New religions were