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The Silk Road
The Silk Road, or Silk Routes, is what we call an ancient, and very important trade network. From around 130 BC caravans and ships would cross the Middle East bringing goods and trade to the Euorpeans and the Chinese. Officially opened by the mighty Han dynasty in Henan, China they fuelled the economies of many countries for nearly 1500 years, until the Ottoman Empire (Modern Turkey and much of the middle east) closed the land routes in 1453 CE as they cut of trade with the West.
What was traded on the silk road?
Caravans and ships from the East would bring things like bronze and gold items, china, colored dyes, elephant ivory, gunpowder, medicine, paper, perfumes, precious stones, rice, silk, spices and tea.
Western countries brought over animal furs and skins, camels, dogs and other animals, glassware, gold and silver, honey, horses, plants - like grapes and other fruits, fabrics - carpet, rugs, curtains made from things like wool and linen, saddles and riding tack, as well as slaves, weapons and armor.
Why was the silk road important?
The greatest value of the Silk Road was the exchange of culture. Art, religion, philosophy, technology, language, science, architecture, and every other element of civilization, including the plague, were exchanged from country to country with the merchants.
When the Ottoman stopped trade the Europeans were desperate for the goods, like tea and spices, that they were cut off from. This lead to the Age of Discovery (1453-1660 CE) where Europeans took to the seas to find other ways to India and China.
This exploration had many consequences for many many cultures and countries. English, French and Spanish became world spoken languages as Europeans invaded new lands, pushing European culture and religion on those they found while taking back amazing discoveries, weird creature and unheard of plants; sugar, corn, tomatoes, tobacco, chocolate. This lead to the Dutch golden age, the Spanish, Portuguese and later English empires. It is hard to overstate how important the Silk road was to Eurasia and how widespread the effects of it's closure are on modern times.
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