Difficulty: Challenger (Level 2)
Today, we can easily buy things from all over the world online. In ancient times, people would travel long distances to buy and sell things.
The Silk Road was one of the most important routes during this time.
The Silk Road was a vast network of trade routes connecting China and other parts of Asia with the Middle East and Europe.
It began around 130BC when China, under the Han dynasty, started trading with Europe. This marked the start of a period when cultures, knowledge, and new ideas spread widely across different places.
What was traded on the Silk Road?
The name “Silk Road” comes from one of the major products traded: silk cloth from China. It was prized as a luxury among tradesmen throughout Asia and Europe because of its soft texture. The ancient Greek word for China, “Seres”, means “the land where silk came from”.
The trade route also helped spread important inventions and technologies. For example, people could pass on the skill of making paper from China to other parts of the world.
It took a very long time to travel the whole length of the Silk Road. It was more than 6,400km long and involved many routes and countries. Camels were frequently used for transport because much of the road between was dry and harsh.
The Silk Road was especially popular from AD200 to AD900 due to the rich exchange of ideas and goods along its routes.
Multicultural cities grew because they were strategic locations for trade routes and cultural exchange. These included Xian in China and Constantinople, the modern-day Turkish city of Istanbul.
Why is the Silk Road important today?
Even today, the Silk Road continues to be significant. It provided a model for long-term trade between cultures.
Known as the first form of global trade in history, the Silk Road allowed Asia to connect with Europe. This connection would have a massive impact on world events.
Beliefs such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam and Christianity spread through the Silk Road. It also changed the way people ate: spices grown in India and other Southeast Asian countries made their way into Chinese cuisine. Even carrots and cucumbers were introduced to China from Central Asia through the Silk Road.
This vast trade network set the stage for the transmission of knowledge and goods in the modern day.
Use the puzzle below to test your knowledge of the vocabulary words in the story.
Suggested answers
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Before you read: People would travel on foot, by boat or using animals such as camels. Ideas could spread through letters or people telling stories of what they have seen. (accept all reasonable answers)
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Stop and think: The Silk Road helped the spread of knowledge, ideas, goods, inventions and culture across different regions.
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Consider: Silk was a major export along the trade routes. The silk was made in China and became a popular luxury item in Europe and Asia.
