Joseph+M


 * The Silk Road**

Happy 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= "The Silk Road: Linking Europe and Asia Through Trade." May 6th, 2010. [] "The Silk Road." May 6th, 2010. [] "The Silk Road." May 4th, 2010. [|http://www.ess.uci.edu/~oliver/silk.html] "The Silk Road: Pictures." May 4th, 2010. [|http://www.ess.uci.edu/~oliver/silk2.html] "The Silk Road Seattle." May 7th, 2010. [] "East Meets West: The Silk Road (Overview)." //World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras//. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 13 May 2010. . The Silk Road is the first trade route that connected China with the Mediterranean World. It's routes were 4000-7000 miles long and crossed all places throughout China. From dry and desert-like terrain to snowy and mountainous regions. Not only commodities were spread along this road but 3 religions; Islam, Buddhism, and Christianity were also spread from country to country. The physical trade occured with caravans while the intellectual occured by new people meeting other people. This 1-2 year route throughout the ancient world brought wealth, new ideas, and commodities unknown, before this route.
 * What was the Silk Road?**

How was the Silk Road created?
The Silk Road was created because a Chinese general, while in Western Asia was captured by the enemy, and remained kidnapped for 10 years. While in his enemies land he saw heavenly military horses that he wanted for his army. He reported back after he was freed to his emperor and he wanted to trade for the horses. The name comes from the silk the Chinese traded along the road to get the horses from Western Asia. Thus, the Silk road was born.

How was it protected?
To protect the Silk Road travelers form bandits and malevolent tribes the government of China placed military forces throughout the road, especially near cities. Also in some of the more isolated parts of the road the caravans were a perfect target so the people had to have protection with them. Many people died because of bandits in the region which is one of the reasons the Silk Road declined. The only other way the road was protected is by some parts of the Great Wall. The wall protected or made it harder for bandits to attack. Although the road was protected in some ways it was still very dangerous for the merchants that traveled along it.

How were cities and territories connected?
The Silk Road was connected by multiple trading communities or posts along the way. The merchants could stop and rest or even trade. Without these posts the merchants would not have been able to survive. Also these small established communities were the homes of foreigners and created huge diversity. These outposts were purposely placed every 100 or so miles so and that is about how long the merchants could last before having to get more foods. The outposts overall significance is that they brought together all different types of people and made travel more possible.

What type of goods or ideas- physical, intellectual, or religious- crossed the Silk Road?
Commodities, religion, and intellectual ideas/inventions all traveled along the Silk Road. First off, the commodities that crossed the Silk Road from China to the west include: silk, herbs, paper, spices, tea, and jade carvings. From the west to China horses, raw jade, gold, silver, wool, glass, ivory, grapes, and bamboo. The intellectual ideas that crossed the road are: Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism. The main teachings of Confucianism is to promote peace and justice with respect to elders and others above you. Daoism created peace and inner happiness by coexisting in harmony with nature. This also has the reference to the yin and yang which are supposed to be the two forces of nature. The last philosophy that traveled along the road was that of Legalism. Legalism consisted of strict laws and harsh punishments to stop the selfishness that is naturally born in everyone. There were also three religions that crossed the Silk Road. The most prominent one was Buddhism which now is the main religion of China. Across the Chinese vast empire temples started popping up. Also Islam was passed into China. The last religion is Christianity, which came from Rome and traveled into China. Some inventions also traveled along this road. For example the compass and seismograph came from China and went into the western world. All of these ideas and religions came from the foreign merchants that started settling in the larger trading posts. The reasons that the Silk Road is important to history is the fact that religions, ideas, and inventions that traveled are still used and practiced today. The compass and seismograph are still used today and Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity are some of the most prominent religions in the modern world. Also the road created allies and friendships that shaped wars and borders across the world. Without the road, China could possibly have stayed isolated for hundreds of more years.
 * Why is the Silk Road important to World History? What is the relationship between the Silk Road and the Han Dynasty and Roman Empire?**

1. Buddhist art 2. Changan, start of road. (extreme diversity) 3. Silk wheel/silk **4. Great wall (protected travelers) 5. Chinese caravan 6. Zhang Qian 7. Picture of varying terrain 8. Central Asia
 * What 6 tourist destinations will Mr. Trails visit?

= **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.