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1-Page Summary of The Silk Roads

Overview

The Silk Roads first emerged when the trade routes in Persia and China meshed. They grew bigger, connecting East to West. The exact location and extent of these roads has changed as humans have shaped the world around them. But the basic principle remains: goods and ideas have flowed through these roads, which has shaped history.

The history of the world is a big topic. When writing about such a large subject, it’s tempting to try and streamline it into an adventure story or epic tale of major events. However, people are small pieces in an impossibly complex puzzle.

So, what is important? Well, to borrow a phrase from Bill Clinton’s campaign team during the 1992 presidential election, it’s the economy!

The network of trade routes that connected ancient Mesopotamia has changed over time. At its peak, this network acquired a name: the Silk Road. This road was famously followed by Marco Polo on his journey from Italy to China. The Silk Road, however, wasn’t isolated in history; it’s been added on to and reiterated many times. Therefore, we might think of the Silk Roads as an ongoing phenomenon instead of one singular historical event.

As Frankopan’s narrative makes clear, the history of the world can be told as a story of trade. Whoever controls the Silk Roads (or other trade routes) also controls that area.

In this passage, you will learn the origin of the word ‘slave’; why the Black Death wasn’t as devastating as you might think; and which trade deal led to the fall of Persia.

Big Idea #1: In the past, goods and ideas flowed between East and West.

Thousands of years ago, the region between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers was called Mesopotamia. It’s where many great kingdoms and empires were born.

The Persian Empire was one of the greatest in history. It stretched from Egypt and Greece to India, and it was built on trade between its cities. The Persians had a network of roads that connected the Mediterranean to the heart of Asia.

The roads were a great achievement, but they were just part of the Silk Roads. The Silk Roads eventually became a network that connected China to the West.

China expanded its borders in 206 BCE and 220 CE. It pushed them northward and westward as far as the Eurasian steppes, which cover much of modern-day Russia’s southern regions. This expansion linked Persia’s trade routes with China’s own network of roads.

The steppes were a wild place. The Chinese sought to maintain peace in the region by trading with the nomads and offering them goods such as rice, wine, and textiles. However, silk was their most prized possession because it was so coveted among the nomads.

Silk was a symbol of wealth, luxury and power. Silk was even used as currency at times. As trade expanded, silk attained a reputation as a luxury good in the West by the time Rome came to dominate the Mediterranean in 100 BCE.

The Silk Road facilitated the exchange of not only goods, but also ideas.

Religious ideas were the most powerful in this period. Local cults mixed with established beliefs, creating a rich melting pot of religious thought. For instance, Greek gods spread to other areas while Buddhism came from India into China and Asia.

Early Christianity was able to spread quickly because of its ability to network.

Big Idea #2: A new Muslim empire took control of the Silk Road, a network of trade routes that connected China to Europe. This caused knowledge and wealth to flow across the world.

The eastern fringes of the Roman Empire and later, the Byzantine Empire were contested zones. The empires fought bitter campaigns against the Arsacid and Sasanian Persian dynasties for hegemony in that area.