Caroline+R


 * The Silk Road**

Dusty Trails is a travel writer for //Explore// magazine and keenly interested in the Silk Road. A self-proclaimed renaissance man, Mr. Trails enjoys outdoor activities, photography, and attending cultural events. To help Mr. Trails decide which features of the Silk Road he should travel back in time to visit, you'll need to research the Silk Road and present your key findings on the following questions:

= **Key Questions:** =


 * 1) What was the Silk Road? How was the Silk Road created? How was it protected? How were cities and territories connected?
 * 2) What type of goods or ideas- physical, intellectual, or religious- crossed the Silk Road?
 * 3) Why is the Silk Road important to World History? What is the relationship between the Silk Road and the Han Dynasty and Roman Empire?

=Resources= Your research will be confined to the following web resources and library databases. If you wish to use a resource not on this list you must seek approval from your teacher.

**The Silk Road**
 * []
 * []
 * [|http://www.ess.uci.edu/~oliver/silk.html]
 * [|http://www.ess.uci.edu/~oliver/silk2.html]
 * []


 * Library Databases **
 * @http://www.micdslibrary.com/databases.html

Scroll down to the History/Social Studies menu; the ABCCLIO Ancient World History database is particularly helpful.

=Research and Citations= Use the space below to record your research for each question. Remember that you will need to cite your sources using the format found on the MICDS Library resource page.

What was the Silk Road?
=== The silk road was a dirt road made in China for trading and transportation. It stretched from China to the Mediterranean and connected different cultures and people. The silk road was one central place where lots of people could come together. Merchants, armies, and adventurers used the silk road as an important form of communication between different cultures and economies. Some even consider this five-thousand mile trade route "the world's first internet". Silk was one of the most popular items sold, but other traded goods included perfumes, ivory, animals, plants, and more. The silk road lasted from the second century BCE to the seventeenth century CE during the Han Dynasty of China. Trade eventually died down on the silk road because of other forms of travel and trade.===

How was the Silk Road created?
=== Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty heard of riches and other interesting discoveries in far away lands. He was so interested in these discoveries that he sent people out to look for them. This opened a direct line of communication between inner China and Central Asia. Although trade and travel was very popular on the silk road, it didn't just happen. People in other lands heard of a road where trade and travel were very popular and where they could hear and spread news of other places. This interested lots of people, so they started to bring goods and stories little by little, and eventually, word of the silk road spread across most of the known world.===

How was it protected?
=== Burglars found out that the goods that were being traded and transported on the silk road sometimes weren't protected. The bandits started to steal goods and it made a negative impact on trade along the road. The Chinese people had to find a way to stop these burglars because people were starting to get frustrated about their items being stolen. The Chinese started to build walls to protect their trade routes from bandits. Eventually, the single walls the Chinese built came together as one to form what historians now know as the Great Wall of China. Members of the army would stand near the walls to ensure that there would be no burglars to steal goods from the traders. If a bandit tried to smuggle an item by climbing the walls, there would be a soldier waiting for them. Trade on the silk road was protected by monstrous walls and the military to ensure smooth travel and trade.===

How were cities and territories connected?
===Different cultures were connected mainly through news, people, and traded goods on the silk road. People from all different places talked with other traders along the silk road. They discussed news about their homeland as well as what they had heard about other countries. The chain of gossip went on and on which lead to news that spread very rapidly in the ancient world. Cultures and languages even spread across the road beacuse of the diverse trading community. Another way trade spread was when a person traded goods to a fellow trader. The trader would bring the item back home and lots of people would want to try and duplicate or buy it. Many new discoveries were made on the road including new food types, ideas, and more. Cities and territories who traded along the silk road were connected through news as well as languages, traded goods, and much more.=== === What type of goods or ideas- physical, intellectual, or religious- crossed the Silk Road? === === Many items crossed the silk road which helped spread ideas in the ancient world. The Chinese traded gold and ivory with the Romans, who in return, gave the Chinese animals and plants. The Chinese brought many new items to the silk road including bronze mirrors, lacquer, farming and smelting technology, bamboo wares, animal furs, medical herbs, drugs, platinum, ceramics, and Chinese inventions of gun powder and papermaking. People from a more western region also contributed to trade along the silk road. They brought jewels, alfalfa, grapes, ivory, glassware, pomegranates, sesame, cucumbers, walnuts, carrots, wine, spices, lions, peacocks, elephats, camels, and horses. Religious ideas crossed the silk road as well. Some religions included Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity which were the main religions. Many new items and discoveries were exposed during this time which lead to overall growth of the silk road. === === Why is the Silk Road important to World History? What is the relationship between the Silk Road and the Han Dynasty and Roman Empire? === === The slik road is important to world history because it was the first direct line of communication between inner China, Central Asia, and the Mediterranean which lead to news spreading all across the world. The silk road was the largest and longest trading route in Asia. It connected different cultures because there were so many different religions and customs along this famous road that were shared with fellow traders. Lots of religions were spread on the silk road including Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity. Many traders were interested in different items that other travelers had which lead to conersation and new friends. When conversation started, travelers would tell tales, stories, and news about their homeland and other places. The relationship between the silk road and the Han Dynasty is that the Han came up with this idea for a road where people could come together, travel, and trade. Rome and its empire were part of this because the Chinese people would trade with the Romans. The Chinese would trade gold and ivory with the Romans and in return, the Romans would give the Chinese animals and plants. The Romans were a big part of trade on the silk road because they contributed to silk trade as their empire grew. Rome and the Han Dynasty were linked to the silk road and contributed significantly to making the silk road grow. Without these two empires, the silk road might not have existed or become as popular as it once was. ===

Similarities and Differences
Before deciding which dynasty your client should visit, you may wish to create a simple Venn Diagram to compare/contrast the two empires. You may use [|this template] or create one online at Read-Write-Think.

Which empire should Mr. Trails, a travel writer, visit? Why?
= **Travel Poster Components:** =

The travel poster should be attractive, persuasive, and highlight the major features of the Silk Road as they relate to each empire. You will create the poster using Glogster.edu (instructions will be provided in class) and it should contain the following components:

__**Travel Poster Components**__
 * 1) One Glogster.edu poster for the Silk Road
 * 2) At least six "must see" tourist destinations/features with detailed text and relevant images
 * 3) At least two audio recordings

//Note: For the Silk Road, "destinations/features" may be physical, intellectual, or religious.//

The **[|Poster Rubric]** will be used to evaluate your work; you should refer to it before handing in your final product. When you have completed the poster, embed it below the "Travel Poster" heading below:

Travel Poster
//embed your poster here by copying the embed code from Glogster and adding an HTML widget//

= **Oral Presentation Guidelines** = The presentation is your opportunity to explain why the Silk Road is an ideal tourist destination and should follow these guidelines:


 * 1) Less than 3 minutes in length
 * 2) Should address/explain the "must see" features of the Silk Road
 * 3) Should explain why the client should visit these features

This presentation is about speaking skills and the use of your poster. You will be permitted to use notecards but are NOT to simply read your notes to the audience. The **[|Presentation Rubric]** will be used to evaluate your work; you should refer to it before giving your final presentation.