Ben+E


 * 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. "The Silk Road: Linking Europe and Asia Through Trade." May 4th, 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 6th, 2010. [|http://www.ess.uci.edu/~oliver/silk2.html] "The Silk Road Seattle." May 6th, 2010. []

What was the Silk Road?
The Silk Road was a trading system that went from China to the Mediterranean region. It was about 4000 to 7000 miles long. It covered most parts of Asia and many places in Europe. People wanted silk from the Chinese so they traded many of their goods for it, thus giving it the name, "the Silk Road". The Silk Road flourished from about 300 B.C. to about 1400 A.D. The Silk Road's climate varied from snowy mountains to rocky deserts. People would use caravans to travel on the Silk Road. Many things other than silk were traded on the silk road. Even religions and philosophies were used among it. The silk road was a way of trading and interacting with different civilizations to make an empire stronger.

How was the Silk Road created?
The Silk Road started when a Han Dynasty general named Zhang Qian was captured in Western Asia. When he was there, he saw many beautiful military horses. Ten years after he was let free in Western Asia, he returned to China and told his people about the beautiful creatures he had seen. When they were thinking of things to trade for these horses, they thought of elegant silk that could be used to make many different things. The Western Asian's agreed to trade their horses for the silk, and then and there the silk road had begun.

How was it protected?
During the earlier years of the Silk Road, many bandits and nomads would rob the caravans carrying precious supplies to different civilizations. These terrible things constently kept happening and the Han Dynasty needed to think of a way to fix it. All of these robberies kept happening because there were hardly any military guards on duty on the outskirts of the Han. They finally came up with the idea of extending their military defenses further into Central Asia. This change for the Silk Road happened from about 135-90 B.C. This method kept travelers and caravans much more safe and it helped the Han and other civilizations safely communicate with eachother by trading.

How were cities and territories connected?
The Silk Road always began in Changan in China, and from there, it spread around in many different routes. Cities and territories were connected by little stops and villages along the Silk Road. Around every one hundred miles, travelers could rest and collect food at these stops and villages, and, they could fix their caravans if they were damaged. Also, parts of the Great Wall were built to keep out robbers on the Silk Road. With all of the travelers coming through these towns, these villages became very diverse which let different cultured people interact with eachother.

What type of goods or ideas- physical, intellectual, or religious- crossed the Silk Road?
Not only were commodoties traded among the Silk Road, but also religions and intellectual ideas were used among it. Commodoties that the Han Dynasty traded were things like silk, paper, jade, tea, gunpowder, etc. For these things that the Han gave, they received things like gold, silver, horses, ivory, bamboo, etc. The Han also traded three different religions among the Silk Road. First, the Han Dynasty traded Buddhism to many other civilizations to help spread their religion. In modern day, Buddhism is the most practiced religion in China. Secondly, Southern Asian's traded Islam among the Silk Road. Lastly, Christianity was used among the Silk Road. The Roman Catholics would use this religion in Europe. Also, the three philosophies were used on the Silk Road over time. They were called Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism. First, Confucianism was started by Kongfuzi who later changed his name to Confucious. He believed that people should put others ahead of themselves and he inspired justice and most of all, peace. Daoism was somewhat similar to Confucianism. But, Daoism inspired peace more with nature and love. Lastly, there was Legalism. Legalism was used by Emperor Qin, a more harsh ruler. Legalism consisted of very strict laws that had very hard punishments if broken. But, this philosophy made civilizations safer and free of crime. The three main things used among the Silk Road were commodoties, religions, and intellectual teachings.

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 allowed far away civilizations to communicate with eachother through trade. The Silk Road ended isolation of different civilizations and it helped people share their culture with one another. The Silk Road also made civilizations stronger because it allowed people to bring supplies that others lacked in their town. The relationship between the Silk Road, the Han Dynasty, and the Roman Empire is that both of these civilizations had things to give, and they also lacked many neat things that other places had. But, when the Silk Road began and grew to Europe, the things that they lacked, they finally received. Such as silk for the Romans or advanced aqueducts for the Chinese. Also, the Roman Empire and the Han Dynasty were both the leading civilizations of their continent. And, when the Silk Road had begun, Rome and China could interact with eachother, even though they were close to seven thousand miles apart with bumpy terrain in between them. The Silk Road is important because it brought many far away civilizations together, and, it allowed them to communicate through an advanced trading system.

7. Emperor Qin
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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.