Sarah+F


 * 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**
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 * 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 trading route from China to the Mediterranean that started in the han Dynasty. It started in the second century BCE and lasted until the seventeenth century. The route extended all the way into south Asia, central Asia, and north of the Caspian Sea all the way to the Black Sea. The silk road was an important communication link between cultures and economies. It was a 5,000 mile stretch of trade routes during the Han Dynasty in China and considered the world's first internet. The silk road was the most well known trading route in China. It connected lots of different cultures and people. Silk was the most common thing traded but Jade, gold, silver, medicines, perfumes, slaves, etc. were also traded along the silk road. ===

How was the Silk Road created?
=== A man named Chan Ch'ien from the Han Dynasty came up with an idea to expand silk trade. He wanted to include lesser tribes and forge alliances with central Asia nomads. This is how the silk road was born. The route also grew with the Roman Empire. When the Greek Empire was taken over by the Romans, goods from China, mostly silk, started reaching the west. Despite the danger and political situation, traders set out in search of new markets. The Chinese traded silk with the Romans and gave it to the government officials as gifts. ===

How was it protected?
===Bandits found out that valuable goods were being carried and traded along the silk road and were not protected. They took advantage of this and started stealing the goods for themselves. The traders had to come up with an idea to protect their goods and keep them safe so that no one would steal them. They built gigantic walls around the the route for protection from bandits. This is how the great wall of China started. All of the different walls built around the silk road were connected to make the great wall. Also, the army or soldiers would stand along the routes and monitor them to make sure everyone and their goods were safe and taken care of. This is how the silk road was protected from bandits.===

How were cities and territories connected?
===Cities and territories were connected by the people and traded goods. Traders would go along the silk road and meet different people from different cultures. They would share their own culture with the others. Then they would return home and share the cultures with their family members and friends. The traders would also trade items from their own culture to people from different cultures and spread different ideas. This is how all of the cities and territories were connected by the silk road.=== === What type of goods or ideas- physical, intellectual, or religious- crossed the Silk Road? === ===The silk road expressed new ideas, food, cultures, religions, etc. Gold and ivory were traded with the Romans for animals and plants. Other items traded by the Chinese were platinum, bronze mirrors, ceramics, lacquer, bamboo wares, furs, medical herbs, drugs, farming and smelting technology, as well as Chinese inventions of gun powder and paper making. Items brought by the westerners were perfumes, ivory, jewels, glassware, Alfalfa, grapes, sesame, pomegranates, walnuts, cucumbers, carrots, lions, peacocks, elephants, camels, horses, wine, and spices. Also, religions were traded. The main religions that spread were Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity. These were the items and religions traded along 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 Empir e? === ===The silk road is important to World History because it united China with the mediterranean. It was the first and largest trading route in Asia. Also, religions such as buddhism, Islam, and Chritianity spread along the silk road. The silk road also helped to spread culture, inventions, and goods that other people didn't have. The silk road, the Han Dynasty, and the Roman Empire are all related because their cultures were shared and taken to different countries and places. Also, the silk road expanded with the Roman Empire because the Romans were a big contribution to the silk trade.===

= **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.