Mac+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.

THE SILK ROAD ​

The Silk Road was very important to the Chinese and especially during the Han Dynasty in China, which lasted about from __202 B.C to A.D__
In the beginning silk was traded locally in Han China, then fights broke out over the resources. A traveler (Chan Ch'ein) decided that if traders expanded their good trade to the lesser Asian cultures, then there could be an alliance and the Silk Road was born.

Map of Silk Road

The road didn't just bring silk but the very important gold and precious metals and stones, ceramics, jade, fur, glass and other metals like iron. Here is the video link for the silk road --> [|The Chinese Silk Road]
 * Spanning Two Continents**

The map shows the trade routes. These changed over time, which was confusing. When the routes changed, homes were moved and som resources were used up quickly. The concept of the Silk Road existed longer than any other trade route.

How was the Silk Road created?
==== Chinese people kept silk to themselves for nearly 2000 years. The silk was hrvested from silk worms and turned into rare fabric. The fact that China had silk exclusively caused wars for the silk and formula. Over time, the silk got moved around China and into India and Persia, soon traveling to the whole Mediterranean Area. The silk exports gave peace and alliances to the nations. The process of the creation of the Silk Road took a long time; it didn't happen overnight.====

The Silk Road began with the Han dynasty. First, the trade was very localized, starting with inner China then slowly moving along the same paths. It didn't move to Rome in a day; first silk was brought to nearby areas like Western China, then India or the Mongolian area, then into Mesopotamia, next Persia, then Africa and Greece and finally, Rome. Since silk was China's main export, the trade route started by Han China is called "The Silk Road," but other things were transported. Metalworkers had skilled use with iron so that went too. Some things were better than others for trade. It started like this... First the Han Dynasty grew, the road with it. When I say road, I mean homes, forts and roads. This expansion led to a more ensured safety in travel. Later, a man named Zhang Qian was sent to form an alliance with the Huns. He didn't get the alliance, but he did discover stronger horses than the small Chinese horses. Zhang Qian also discovered grapes; this was very interesting, because the Chinese wanted nice goods. Soon the people slowly went out and tried trading silk for glass, grapes, gold, silver and many other goods. Travelling the Silk Road wasn't all one trip; traders took short trips from fort to fort. The road was divided into the eastern and western silk roads. The western portion crossed mountains and the eastern section went through deserts.

=
The Silk Road was the world's most reliable and regular trade route; that being said, bandits were common, going after the beautiful silver or smooth silk. Sometimes, if a small group of traders was running out of food, they might have to turn around and go back, which wasn't effective. So people couldn't just go about safely, there had to be precautions. That meant the people had to be ready to defend themselves and protect the goods. With long trips and little resources, going through terrain that consisted of desert or mountain, fatigue was common. If lots was lost, the trip would be useless and a waste of time.======

How were cities and territories connected?
This road connected all the known world - from Rome to Africa to China to India and even to Mesopotamia. This was like a highway. Not only were the cities were connected but ideas, culture and religions. This road wasn't always the same, in the map it had to weave around, sometimes village sites had to be moved because the resources locally were low; as a result, the road got moved to where there was much more resources. Although there were differences between the people, the culture of the world progressed at a steady pace. For instance, Greek arts could be found all the way in China. Also, the road traveled along rivers, so cities like Egypt and the Mesopotamian City States became part of the trade route. === What type of goods or ideas- physical, intellectual, or religious- crossed the Silk Road? === Few bad things happened; the Silk Road brought progress and positive change. There was a spread of religions that traveled with the silk. Actual roads came into being; these were travelled. Architectural ideas spread too; soon other nations had arches from Rome and Greece. Also, some Northern Mediterranean style of the arts, like vases, could be seen in other areas. This was very helpful to the flourish of the world coming together. The Chinese offered new technology like abacuses, which were the first known calculators. Also medical care with antibiotics from common items like wine and simple treatments like acupuncture for headaches or arthritis spread. Even body studies like finding health levels from pulse and an understanding of the anatomy of the body became known, although it wasn't documented until the 1800s. === 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 Silk Road developed the idea of travel to other nations. It helped people learn about culture of others and gave appeal to those cultures.
China is the world's most effictive trading group, even in the present day. 2000 years ago, China developed the Silk Road for trading locally, then it expanded. That shows the power of China then and China today. The Silk Road brought together two nations- Han China and the Roman Empire. It brought ideas like acupuncture treatments and inventions like the use of the kite for wars, the wheelbarrow for farming and Greek's games like gladiators and chariot races. If the Silk Road hadn't connect these teritorries, then the world would have stayed localized. The Silk Road made it possible for ideas, foods, cultures and peace to spread.

Similarities and Differences
The cultures were different and had different exports, not that Rome bothered to export much. China was glad to take the beautiful silver for the expanding Roman empire, which meant more silk for the Romans. But Romans weren't the only ones that wanted silk, Africa wanted lots of silk for the ivory it had to trade. China eventually used ivory to make figurines and other items. Being near a port helped make tastes similar for the cultures. Some food itms were difficult to trade, such as fresh fish. Another difficulty was that religious differences existed, despite changes and there was no common or central language.

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.

Dear Mr. Trails,
Although the two empires had pros and cons. The better empire to visit for Silk Road research was the Han Dynasty. The Silk Road began in Han China and there are many more trading related places to visit in China, like the Great Wall Of China. That is because the road met in China. I think that if you travel to the Han Dynasty then you will be able to write many articles and enjoy yourself!

From, Mac Rouse 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
=media type="custom" key="6216065"=

media type="custom" key="6216071" = 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.