Saturday, October 17, 2009

On the Silk Road

One of the most famous trading routes in history, the Silk Road connected Asia with their western counterparts. Starting around 100 B.C, the trade of silk flourished in China. The trade soon spread as merchants from China and areas such as Rome and India soon begin trading items such a pepper, spices, porcelain, gun powder, paper, precious stones and furs on the Silk Road. Ideas and philosophies was also traded on the silk road. Being that the road started from the trade of silk, the name Silk Road stuck. The name is misleading though. There was not just one road that the merchants used, but a network of roads.

Trade on the Silk Road particularly flourished during the Han Dynasty, in which the demand of silk increased. Countries such as Rome had a huge demand for silk. In the beginning China was the only country to know how to create silk. It is said silk and the process of making silk was discovered by Leizu, wife of Huangdi. Soon other countries such a Rome found out how to create silk which was around the decline of the silk road. The decline of the Silk Road came with the popularity of trade among sea. There has yet to be another trading route as popular and influential than that of the silk road.

Information came from:
http://www.silkroad-hotels.com/history.html
http://www.the-silk-road.com/journal1.html#a02
http://library.thinkquest.org/13406/sr/
http://www.the-silk-road.com/journal1.html#a02

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