1. Long Distance Trade in the Classical Era: The Silk, Sand, and Sea Roads Period 2: 600 BCE – 600 CE

2. I Causes and Consequences of Classical Long Distance Trade A) Causes: 1. Classical empires (Rome, Han, Gupta, Maya) undertook massive construction projects to improve transportation and infrastructure 2. The expanding size of the empires brought them within close proximity to or even bordering on each other B) Consequences: 1. Brought wealth and access to foreign products 2. Facilitated the spread of religious traditions beyond their original homelands 3. Facilitated the transmission of disease

3. II The Secret of Silk A) Sericulture (the production of silk) is a lengthy process and demands constant close attention. The silkworms feed until they enter the cocoon stage. While they are growing they have to be protected from loud noises, drafts, strong smells such as those of fish and meat and even the odor of sweat. When it is time to build their cocoons, the worms produce a jelly-like substance in their silk glands, which hardens when it comes into contact with air. Silkworms spend three or four days spinning a cocoon around themselves until they look like puffy, white balls. After eight or nine days in a warm, dry place the cocoons are ready to be unwound. First they are steamed or baked to kill the worms, or pupas. The cocoons are then dipped into hot water to loosen the tightly woven filaments. These filaments are unwound onto a spool. Each cocoon is made up of a filament between 600 and 900 meters long! Between five and eight of these super-fine filaments are twisted together to make one thread. Finally the silk threads are woven into cloth or used for embroidery work. Clothes made from silk are not only beautiful and lightweight, they are also warm in cool weather and cool in hot weather.

4. The Secret of Silk Continued… B) The technique and process of sericulture were guarded secrets and closely controlled by Chinese authorities. Anyone who revealed the secrets or smuggled the silkworm eggs or cocoons outside of China would be punished by death! C) It is said that Byzantine Emperor Justinian I (from 527 to 565 CE) persuaded two Persian monks who had lived in China to return there and smuggle silkworms to Constantinople (now Istanbul) in the hollows of their bamboo canes (c. 550 CE).

5. III The Silk Roads A) From the second century BCE to the end of the fourteenth century CE, a great trade route originated from Chang'an (now Xian) in the east and ended at the Mediterranean in the west, linking China with the Roman Empire. Because silk was the major trade product which traveled on this road, it was named the Silk Road in 1877 by Ferdinand von Richthofen – a well-known German geographer. B) This ancient route not only circulated goods, but also exchanged the splendid cultures of China, India, Persia, Arabia, Greek and Rome.

7. The Silk Roads Continued… C) The Overland Route began in the Han capital of Chang’an in East Asia and went west to the Taklamakan Desert. There the road split into 2 main branches that skirted the desert to the north and south…

8. The Silk Roads Continued… The overland Silk Roads avoided the Taklamakan Desert and passed through the oasis towns on its outskirts.

9. The Silk Roads Continued… …After the Taklamakan Desert, the branches reunited at Kashgar and continued west to Bactria. There one branch forked off to northern India while the main branch continued across northern Iran. In northern Iran, the route joined with roads to ports on the Caspian Sea and the Persian Gulf and proceeded to Palmyra (modern Syria). There it met roads coming from Arabia and ports on the Red Sea. It continued west and terminated at the Mediterranean ports of Antioch (in modern Turkey) and Tyre (in modern Lebanon). The overland route linked China and the Roman Empire!

10. The Silk Roads Continued… A woman selling fabric in Kashgar, western China

11. The Silk Roads Continued… Palmyra, Syria

12. The Silk Roads Continued… The Church of St. Peter is regarded by tradition as the spot where St. Peter first preached the Gospel in Antioch, Turkey. The oldest surviving parts of the church building date from at least the 4th or 5th century.

13. The Silk Roads Continued… Roman Ruins at Tyre, Lebanon

14. The Silk Roads Continued… D) The Silk Roads also provided access at ports like Guangzhou in southern China that led to maritime routes to India and Ceylon (modern-day Sri Lanka). Don’t forget about the most important classical port city of Alexandria, Egypt! Ceylon was and still is famous for its cinnamon. Cinnamon is actually the inner bark of a tree!

15. The Silk Roads Continued… Recall that Alexandria, Egypt was founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BCE. It was famous for its Lighthouse and Library. The Romans imported wheat. Unfortunately today the ancient city is underwater.

16. The Silk Roads Continued… E) Trade from East to West along the Silk Roads: Silk and spices traveled west from southeast Asia, China, and India. As we already saw, China was the only country in classical times that produced silk due to the punishment of death! Spices served not just to season food but also as drugs, anesthetics, aphrodisiacs, and perfumes. F) Trade from West to East along the Silk Roads: The Roman empire traded glassware, jewelry, bronze goods, wool and linen textiles, pottery, iron tools, olive oil, wine, and gold and silver.

18. IV Indian Ocean Trade in the Classical Era A) The monsoon winds were crucial. B) Lateen Sails allowed sailors to sail across the Indian ocean, by sailing into the wind current. East African GoodsIndian GoodsArabian Goods Ivory Frankincense GoldCotton TextilesMyrrh SlavesSpicesPerfumes Leopard Skins

20. V Trans-Sahara Trade A) The Trans- Saharan trade route ( also known as the sand road) linked North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Mediterranean. B) Trans-Saharan trade would not have been possible without the domesticated camel. Caravans were large, organized groups of traders that consisted of hundreds of people and as many as 5,000 camels. C) African ivory, gold, salt, and slaves were some of the items that were traded across the Sahara and into the Mediterranean. In return, the people of Sudan would get horses, dates, cloth and salt, along with other goods, from the Sahara.

21. VI New Technologies Facilitated Long- Distance Exchange A) Saddles and stirrups B) Horses and especially camels (could go for 10 days without water) C) Lateen sail and dhow ships

22. VII The Spread of Buddhism A) Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) first announced his doctrine publicly in India in 528 BCE. By the 3 rd Century BCE, Buddhism was well- established in northern India. B) Merchants carried Buddhism along the Silk Roads where it first established a presence in the oasis towns where merchants and their caravans stopped for food, rest, lodging, and markets. - At Dunhuang, by the 4 th Century CE, a sizeable Buddhist community had emerged there C) King Asoka of the Mauryan Empire in India sent out missionaries to SE Asia D) Hinduism also spread along the Silk Roads, primarily along the sea lanes Dunhuang

24. VIII Spread of Christianity A) Christianity began in Jerusalem. Being a part of the Roman empire provided opportunities for Christian expansion along Roman trade routes. - The Gospel of Luke tells us of three enormous missionary journeys of St. Paul in the Roman Empire, from Antioch in Syria, west through (modern day) Turkey and Greece, and finally back to Jerusalem. B) The backbone of Christian growth was the Silk Roads, most of which ran through the Persian Empire to the east of Rome. St. Paul

26. The Spread of Disease A) The Silk Roads also made it easier for infectious and contagious diseases to spread throughout the classical world. During the second and third centuries C.E. the Han and Roman empires experienced outbreaks of diseases. B) The three most deadly were probably smallpox, measles, and bubonic plagues. The population in the Chinese and Roman empires declined sharply. When Augustus reigned the Roman empire, there were about 60 million people living in the empire. During the second century C.E., the Roman population declined to 45 million! The Chinese were hit by epidemics circa 200 C.E. Their population was 60 million in 200 C.E., 50 million in 400 C.E., and 45 million in 600 C.E. C) Trade within empires declined and economies shrunk. Epidemic diseases contributed to the instability in China after the fall of the Han dynasty, the weakening of Mediterranean society, and the decline and fall of the western Roman empire.

27. HW Questions 1. What allowed for long distance trade in the Classical period (600 BCE – 600 CE)? 1. Make a chart listing the positive and negative consequences of long distance trade in the Classical period (600 BCE – 600 CE). 1. Which empire or region do you think benefitted the most from classical trade? Explain your answer. 2. Heron, a Greek scientist and inventor from Alexandria, invented steam power. However, it was used mostly as a novelty, as Greek and Roman society was largely slave based. How would the Classical world have changed if Heron’s steam power was adapted to aid transportation?

28. Key Vocabulary Alexandria Antioch Byzantine Emperor Justinian I Ceylon Chang’an Dhow ships Dunhuang Guangzhou Heron Kashgar Lateen sail Maritime Silk Roads Overland Silk Roads Palmyra Sericulture St. Paul Taklamakan Desert Trans-Sahara Trade Routes Tyre