Question 1
What Roles did the Silk Road play in connecting different regions of the world?
The Silk Road referred to trade networks that connected Europe, the Middle East, the Far East, and China. The network routes were built during China's Han Dynasty. According to Winter (2016) t he network was established over 600 years ago and was primarily for international trade. The road linked Susa (present-day Iran) to over 1500 miles to the west of Sardis (modern Turkey) and was put up during the Achaemenid Empire. Li, Chen, Wang and Li (2016) maintain that i t was further expanded by the Persians to include small road connecting regions around Mesopotamia to the broader areas of Africa and Indian subcontinent.
Despite the Silk Road deriving its name from the Silk from Chinese, it promoted trade beyond silk, and it promoted trade in products such as artwork, livestock, hides, vegetables, precious stones, metals, and fruits. Products such as gunpowder and paper that were invented by the Chinese found their way far beyond China further promoting the integration of history and culture (Winter, 2016). Trade along the Silk Road expanded vast economic activity in addition to the spread of science, philosophy, religious beliefs, culture, and language. The arrival of paper in Europe from China promoted and increased industrial change in addition to mass communication.
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Mass communication, the industrial revolution, trade, the spread of culture, and the continued interaction of different people from different regions fostered connectivity and increased integration. As Europe continued on its reliance on paper from China, regional relationship and trade agreements increased further connecting the areas. Suocheng, Zehong, Yu, Guangyi, Huilu, Juanle and Yongbin (2015) state that The Gutenberg Press was a direct result of the good relationship between the two regions. Gutenberg Press produced newspapers, books, and a wide array of information materials that circulated all over the connected areas via the Silk Road.
As different techniques such as glass-making and gun powder spread to other regions, countries such as France and England refined it further. Winter (2016) argues that n umerous countries bought the product, a situation that also increased trade interactions and mutual agreements. These had an immense impact on the political history of the European countries. At the same time, Li et al., (2016) observe that explorers spread culture and language that played a crucial role in harnessing connectivity and association among the various states along the Silk Road. For example, Marco Polo's book, "The Travels of Marco Polo" provided the majority of the European countries a comprehension of culture and commerce in Asia. Through trade interaction, exploration, innovations, and culture exchange, the Silk Road connected different regions of the world, from Asia to Europe to Africa.
Question 2
In what ways did this contribute to the development of distinct, different, and otherwise distant civilizations that were thus connected?
Ever since the concept of the road took shape, the term "Silk Road" has been used to denote to a form of cultural exchange that gave rise to distinct and distant civilization in many nations. Suocheng et al., (2015) observe that the Silk Road provided for increased cultural and commercial exchanged that helped regions diversify and specialize in different areas of expertise, leading to intensified civilization. With the increased demand of the silk, the Chinese guarded its secret, an aspect that made them remain distinctive in trade. Increased trade in silk, fruits, and gunpowder empowered China economically leading to increased social stratification, urban development, and political stability (Winter, 2016). Silk formed unique cultural creativity in all the nations it passed influencing and strengthening economic stability among nations. Countries and regions stabilized politically, different political leadership arose, in addition to patterns of discovery and invention. Every part that came across unique products from the different areas invented and improved on it differently further harnessing distinct civilization.
As people moved from one region to another, with different products, cultural integration increased. These played a crucial role in improving the quest to harness trade goods into useful products. Europe used gun power in cannons, a move that would later have an immense impact on the historical journey of Europe. According to Li et al., (2016) as more goods and increased cultural integration spread to Europe, each product found its unique application in each country. Thus, each country developed differently from another depending on how it harnessed the goods traveling along the Silk Road. For example, the tang Rulers traded with the Turkic Uyghurs who specialized in horses. The Tang Chinese harnessed their weaving and embroidery, a feat that elevated their civilization and growth above the Europeans and Indians.
The Assyrian's specialized in designs, conch shells, and gold-wrapped threads and as their development increased, regional rules also specialized in their expertise. For example, the Egyptians drew loom, the Japanese specialized in weaving, while the Byzantines specialized in unique eagle designs ( Suocheng et al., 2015) . As the Indians moved to China, Asians to Iran, Chinese to Asia, and the Buddhists into Western Asia, they took back home unique developments (Li et al., 2016). These played a crucial role in setting each region apart and furthering development. For example, Chang'an was developed to a cosmopolitan city, and it was considered the biggest where traders were having diverse investment and different business prospects. Increased development and political stability brought forth stiff religious commercial and political competition in the markets. Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, and Christians vied for institutional and adherent support (Winter, 2016). Such only played a role in promoting difference among various nations along the Silk Road. They competed in building mosques, churches, and temples a feature that improved the development of distinct development lines. As each region developed differently, so did increase trade and cultural contact that took a new life. Different techniques and methodologies were adopted to grow princely states, guilds, and cities.
References
Li, Z., Chen, Y., Wang, Y., & Li, W. (2016). Drought promoted the disappearance of civilizations along the ancient Silk Road. Environmental Earth Sciences , 75 (14), 1116.
Suocheng, D., Zehong, L., Yu, L., Guangyi, S., Huilu, Y., Juanle, W., ... & Yongbin, H. (2015). Resources, environment and economic patterns and sustainable development modes of the Silk Road Economic Belt. Journal of resources and ecology , 6 (2), 65-73.
Winter, T. (2016). One belt, one road, one heritage: Cultural diplomacy and the Silk Road. The Diplomat , 29 , 1-5. https://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/44318360/One_Belt__One_Road__One_Heritage.pdf?response-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3DOne_Belt_One_Road_One_Heritage_Cultural.pdf&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=AKIAIWOWYYGZ2Y53UL3A%2F20190915%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20190915T144312Z&X-Amz-Expires=3600&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Signature=1c20f07eb8ea2cd897273421fa83791ec62be8c8bf7d4fa9c525466e8e312907
