The Silk Road: Trade Route of the Ancient World

did you know that the silk road was actually many different routes that were used for over 1500 years also did you know that the persian royal road was its precursor stick around to find out all you need to know about the silk road hello and welcome to world history encyclopedia my name is kelly and today we're going to explore the history of the silk road what was traded along the routes and its impact on the world don't forget the easiest way to support us is by giving this video a thumbs up and subscribing to our channel so you don't miss out on any new upload we've also updated our patreon with great new rewards like art prints and t-shirts so if you'd like to support us via our patreon you can find the link down below the silk road was a network of trading routes which connected a number of different regions in the ancient world stretching over 4 000 miles from china through india and asia minor and through mesopotamia the african continent all the way to greece rome and britain these roots were formally established by the hun dynasty of china in 130 bce and although it was a number of different trading routes the name the silk road has always been favored despite its name not only silk travelled along these routes but many other goods too continue watching to find out what else was traded the silk road was formally established during the hun dynasty of china and was used to link regions of the ancient world for over 1500 years between 130 bce and 1453 ce the silk road wasn't one single road but consisted of a number of land and sea routes which is why it is sometimes referred to as the silk routes although the more common and recognizable term is still the silk road before there was the silk road there was the persian royal road which was established by the acamented empire between around 550 to 330 bce the persian royal road ran from susa to the mediterranean sea and on to turkey along the road there were postal stations and horses so envoys could deliver messages quickly throughout the empire after alexander the great conquered persia he established the city of alexandria ashate in 339 bce in the fergana valley of neb which is modern tajikistan in central asia the macedonian troops who stayed in the city intermarried and they became the greco-bactrian kingdom which flourished in central asia after alexander's death at one point the kingdom extended all the way to the edge of china from this it is thought that the west first came into contact with china in around 200 bce when the chinese emperor wu sent an emissary to find allies against nomadic tribes that were harassing china's northern and western borders he came into contact with the greco-bactrians known to them as the deion or the great ionians the emissary reported back to emperor wu that the greco-bactrians had mighty horses which could help their fight against china's enemies china's relations with the greco-bactrians resulted in more contact between the east and the west and the breeding of the western horse for china from emperor wu's success due to the faster and larger western horses he speculated what else could be gained from the west and in 130 bce the silk road was opened incorporating the persian royal road as one of the main routes traveled on by stretching across so many different regions many different goods were traded however the popularity of silk in the west gave its name to the roots in addition to the trading of silk from the east to the west there was tea dyes china plates bowls vases and cups spices such as ginger and cinnamon bronze and gold artifacts medicine perfumes ivory rice paper and gunpowder and from the west to the east goods such as horses saddles and riding tack domestic and exotic animals such as dogs grapes honey fruit glassware animal skins and furs textiles slaves camels weapons and armor were traded one of the most important things traded on the silk road was culture including art language religion philosophy science and architecture from all different regions spread far and wide along the many land and sea routes of the silk road along with the desired goods disease was also transmitted throughout the ancient world as seen through the spread of the bubonic plague in 542 ce which is thought to have traveled to constantinople from the east along the silk road although silk was highly sought after by the romans it was associated with promiscuity and octavian before he was emperor even tried to use mark anthony and cleopatra the seventh's love of silk as an example of their immorality although octavian triumphed over the pair the love of silk continued in rome the creation of silk was a closely guarded secret in china which meant china was the only place to get it and as its popularity increased so did the prices in around 60 ce it was discovered that silk came from silkworms and not trees but it wasn't until the time of the byzantine emperor justinian between 527 and 565 ce that someone other than the chinese got their hands on silkworms justinian sent two emissaries disguised as monks to china who stole silkworms and smuggled them back to the west and so the booming byzantine silk industry began the silk road continued in popular use until the byzantine empire fell to the ottoman turks in 1453 ce who promptly closed off the silk road and cut all ties to the west by closing the silk road merchants were forced to take their trade to the sea which initiated the age of discovery which prompted global communication and worldwide interaction the closure of the silk road made it necessary to explore beyond their known world which led to the european discovery of the americas when columbus sailed west he did not set out to discover america but another route to china the end of the silk road led to the beginning of european colonization of the new world and a global economy can you think of any roads paths or trails that have broadened your horizons or that you couldn't live without let us know down in the comments below if you enjoyed this video don't forget to give it a thumbs up and subscribe to our channel so you don't miss out on any new uploads this video was brought to you by world history encyclopedia for more great articles and interactive content head to our website via the link below world history encyclopedia is a not-for-profit organization if you'd like to support our work you can hit the card in the top corner of the screen or you can visit our patreon which has been updated with a bunch of great rewards including postcards and t-shirts you can find the link to our patreon down below thank you so much for watching and we'll see you soon with another video [Music] you

Channel: World History Encyclopedia

Views: 48,230

Keywords: silk road, ancient china, chinese history, the silk road, world history, silk road china, ancient china silk road, silk road history, han dynasty china, ancient trade routes, trade routes ancient, trade routes ancient history, chinese silk road, chinese silk, byzantine silk, byzantine silk production, byzantine empire, romans and silk, history of silk road, what is silk road, story of silk road, persian royal road, facts about silk road, silk history

Id: PAu5SLSLXxU

Length: 8min 32sec (512 seconds)

Published: Fri Mar 26 2021