In the history of human beings, there has always been a culture of humans moving from place to place and exchanging goods, skills, ideas, and services. Due to the high demand, trade came and the desire to have a route that could connect China to the West for the prime exchange of commerce, ideas, and cultures. From Chang'an, there was a significant road that originated from there to link East Asia to the west most probably the Roman Empire. In the year I877, it was named the Silk Road because silk was majorly the product that traveled on the same road ( Stokstad, & Cothren, 2012 ). The road not only served the purpose of circulation of goods but also offered a better platform for the exchange of cultures from India, China, Persia, Rome, and Greek.
Silk has an ancient Chinese origin, and it is made from protein fiber produced by the silkworm to specifically make its cocoon. Due to the high value attached to the product, it remained preserved for making banners, drapes, clothes in the Chinese imperial court. It was one of the significant outcomes that catalyzed the opening up of trade between China and the west, and due to solidified networks and connections of business, there was the need for more road networks to be built to connect the trading countries ( Stokstad, & Cothren, 2012 ). At this point is when the Silk Road came into place connecting China and the west and to the Mediterranean Sea in Roman Empire who were the most prominent customers of silk and its products.
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One of the most significant functions and effects of the Silk Road was the role it played in bringing cultures and people together and facilitation of exchange among them. Aforementioned has since served as a lasting legacy of the Silk Road. The merchants and the businessmen had to keep in touch and learn the languages of the specific countries they traveled through for them to negotiate deals successfully. The vital aspect of material exchange was the notion of cultural interaction which was realized in the cities and trade towns that were along the Silk Road. Knowledge of arts, literature, technologies, and sciences shared among different groups of people along the Silk Road ( Stokstad, & Cothren, 2012 ). One significant discovery that was as a result of the interaction of cultures along the Silk Road was the emergence of the printing press and the technique of making paper. Irrigation skills and systems in the central parts of Asia draw their attachment to the travelers who shared their ideas on farming as well as learning the specific cultures of the people in different regions.
The routes played a fundamental role in the dissemination of the religions across the trading regions. A perfect example is Buddhism. Shrines and Buddhist arts are widespread across many areas as far as the Borobudur in Indonesia and Bamiyan in Afghanistan. Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity they also spread through the same channels and models. The technique behind the spread of cultures was that travelers and merchants learned and absorbed the cultures of various parts of the regions and went back home to introduce the same practices and customs into their systems and methods.
The cities and infrastructure along the Silk Road realized tremendous growth due to the silk trade ( Stokstad, & Cothren, 2012 ). Many cities along the silk roads have remained to be the biggest tourist attraction centers because of the many monuments and beautiful cultural structures that were built by merchants and traders in those cities. There was a significant commercial exchange realized due to the Silk Road as well as the cultural exchange amongst the regions
References
Stokstad, M., & Cothren, M. W. (2012). Art: A brief history . Boston: Pearson.
