Bridget+C


 * 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= 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 many different routes that expanded around 4,000-8,000 miles. It was the first trade route to connect Eastern, Western and Southern Asia with the Mediterranean World. Some of the routes of the Silk Road traveled through deserts and mountains, which made travel very difficult and dangerous. The Chinese journeyed in caravans that carried the goods. The Silk Road grew and decreased depending on the conditions in the numerous regions through which it passed. Although the Silk Road implies a continuous journey, very few travelers would travel from end to end. The Silk Road is the most well known trading route of the Ancient Chinese civilization. The Silk Road had extreme weather. In the summer the temperatures could reach 40-50 degrees celcius; and in the winter they could be lower than -20 degrees. The Silk Road was used for about 200 years.

How was the Silk Road created?
=== There are many theories on how the Silk Road was created. One theory is that the Silk Road might have begun when nomadic groups of people were trading with each other. Eventually the nomadic tribes and people started trading with territories and cities that were farther away. It is believed that the Western end of the trade route is believed to have developed earlier than the Eastern end. This happened due to development in the West and how the development in the East was not as fast. The West was developing more because they were becoming more populated and were trading with more far out territories and cities. Another theory is that the "father" of the Silk Road, Zhang Qian, helped start it. Zhang Qian's travels paved the way for trade with China and its Western neighbors. Zhang Qian's travels taught China about the world that was out there. His travels taught China about new ways to travel more efficiently in war by traveling on horse; he also brought grapes, which were, up until a certain point in China's history, undiscovered. Overtime Chinese traders explored and traveled more west, smaller trade routes were connected that eventually formed larger trade networks. The most famous trade road and routes were known as the Silk Road, named after China's most valued trade item: Chinese Silk. ===

How was it protected?
The Silk Road was protected by soldiers; these soldiers were stationed along the Silk Road at posts or forts. But it wasn't always that safe. The Han Dynasty realized that so many traveler's items were being stolen either by bandits or nomadic tribes; as a result the Han Dynasty extended it's military defenses further into Central Asia. These bandits and nomadic tribes would attack caravans and steal precious goods. Sometimes the bandits and nomadic tribes would even kill or capture travelers. The Great Wall of China also protected some parts of The Silk Road. Many travelers depended on locals to be guides and get them through that territory.

How were cities and territories connected?
All of the trade routes started from the capital Chang-an. The Silk Road had numerous routes: the Northern route and the Southern route were the main routes, others routes were used but to a lesser extent. The Northern route passed the Jade Gate Pass, crossed the Gobi desert, then followed the Tianshan mountains. It stopped at Kashgar. The Southern route branched off at Dunhuang, passing through the Yang Guan, finally turning north and ending at Kasgar. Kashgar would become the new crossroads of Asia. The roads divided from here and headed outwards to many different destinations. The Silk Road spanned from China, Central Asia, Northern India, and the Parthian and Roman Empires. It connected the Yellow River Valley to the Mediterranean Sea. The Silk Road established trade with territories such as Persia, Arabia, Java (Indonesia), Somalia, Egypt and India; these trade routes were established either by ocean or land routes.

What type of goods or ideas- physical, intellectual, or religious- crossed the Silk Road?
Many things were passed on through the Silk Road. Some of the many things traded on the Silk Road were silks, satins, musk (perfume substance), rubies, diamonds, pearls, rhubarb, gold and platinum, bronze mirrors, medicinal herbs and drugs and Chinese inventions of gunpowder, paper making and printing. These were not the only things passed through the Silk Road. Many things that cannot be seen were passed on too; such as farming and smelting techniques. Also, religions and cultures were passed on through the Silk Road. Religions such as Buddhism and Islam. The items that were being sought out from Buddhists, were the "seven jewels". People were intrigued by the way that Buddhist people used these items in rituals; this standardized the "seven jewels" and increased their religous value. Buddhist values created and sustained the demand for valuable items between China and India. The spread of Islam on the Silk Road did not start until around 8 C.E.. Muslim traders traveled as far as the capital, Chang-an and other cities in the Chinese Empire even further East. After Muslims finished their trade most would return back to their homes, while others would settle down. Muslim men could marry Chinese women, but their children had to be raised Muslim. This spread the Islamic faith. These were the main religions that were spread, but there were other religions, too. Disease also spread along the SIlk Road. Viral diseases spread rapidly because of the many people coming in contact with each other on 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 significant to World History because it was the first trading route that connected China to the Mediterranean World. The Silk Road spread religions such as Islam, Buddhism and many other religions. It spread goods, new customs and cultures. Some relationships between the Silk Road and the Roman Empire are that the Silk Road grew with the rise of the Roman Empire because the Chinese gave silk to Roman and Asian governments as gifts. Also, India and China would trade: China giving India its coveted silk and India giving China its precious stones of jade, gold and silver. The Indians would then trade silk with the Roman Empire, connecting the Roman Empire with China at one period in time.

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.