World History Anchor Charts
The Silk Road
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12 anchor charts covering The Silk Road.
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The Silk Road
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The Silk Road
Location of the Silk Road
Impact of the Silk Road
Caravans & Trade Cities
The Silk Road & the Spread of Disease
Trade Goods from the Silk Road
The Silk Road & Religion
Cultural Diffusion & the Silk Road
Marco Polo
Travels of Marco Polo
Legacy of Marco Polo
Marco Polo—Truth or Myth?
The Silk Road
The silk road is not a road. It is actually a series of trade routes that connected Europe,
Africa, India and China. Some of the routes were over land, other routes shipping lanes in
the ocean. The main purpose of the Silk Road was trade between these regions of the world
The Silk Road was named after the main good traded from China.
Location of the Silk Road
Land Routs
Sea Routs
The Silk Road spread throughout Europe, North Africa, the Horn of Africa,
The Arabian Peninsula, The Middle East, India & China.
The Indian Ocean and Mediterranean Sea were both important waterways
for the Silk Road.
Impact of the Silk Road
In Addition to the
exchanging of
goods the Silk
Road was a place
to share ideas,
culture, and the
way of life
between the
traders who
traveled.
Formation of Political Alliances
•Marriages between the rulers of different regions
•Ambassadors from different countries were sent to
live and represent their interests
•Different parts of the Silk Road were protected buy
different empires
Spread of
Religion
•Buddhism spread
from India to China
•Christianity spread to
eastern Roman Empire
•Islam spread
throughout North
Africa and the Middle
East
Animals, like
horses and
camels were
introduced to
new parts of
the world.
Caravans & Trade Cities
Trade towns developed along the
Silk Road. These towns became
very wealthy due to caravans
stopping to purchase food and
supplies for the next leg of the
journey. These towns were
especially important for watering
animals and storing water while
traveling through the desert
Due to different dangers faced wile traveling
the silk road. Groups of traders would travel
together in a caravan. These caravans would
work together for safe travels.
Thieves and bandits often traveled the Silk
Road. A well armed and well trained
caravan was able to protect the traders and
the goods they were carrying
The Silk Road and
the Spread of Disease
With the association of people from around the world along the Silk Road and in
large trade cites, different diseases spread throughout the world. Because
immunities were different based on where traders were from, these diseases
impacted traders from different parts of the world differently.
Small Pox was thought to
originate in animals and
the virus mutated and
began to spread to
humans
Measles was spread all
along the Silk Road.
Once exposed, travelers
brought the virus back to
their homes.
Bubonic Plague was one
of the diseases that was
spread through the Silk
Road. It spread rapidly
throughout Europe once
introduced
Trade Goods
from the Silk Road
Goods from around the known world were exchanged along the Silk Road.
•From China—Silk & Jade
•From Europe—Glass, Wine, Olives, & Metal
•From India—Spices, Cotton, Ivory, & Pearls
•From Persia & Egypt—Carpets, Cosmetics, Perfumes
•From Africa—Salt, Gold, & Ivory
The Silk Road & Religion
Although it did not have a great
influence, Christianity also spread
throughout the reaches of the Silk Road
As traders moved traveled along the silk road they took
their religious beliefs and practices with them. Religion
was often talked about among traders and religious
beliefs spread throughout the world all because of trade.
During use of the Silk Road Buddhism
and Islam saw the greatest expansion
than any other religions.
This engraved stone
references the introduction
of Christianity to China
This tapestry shows Buddhist
Monks from India teaching a
Monk from China
Artwork showing a Mongol
ruler reading the Quran
Cultural Diffusion
and the Silk Road
Trade goods were not the only items exchanged along the Silk Road. Cultural diffusion is a biproduct of trade. Traders returned to their homes with exposure to other people’s ways of life.
Trade cities became a place were travelers would rest and communicate with others.
Ideas, religion, political systems and trade relationships were just a few items that
were shared. As a result of the Silk Road, the world became more interconnected.
Knowledge of different culture was spread and people began to learn how others lived
in different parts of the world.
Marco Polo
Marco Polo was an Italian trader who traveled the
Silk Road with his Father and Uncle. He spent time
in China and served in the court of the Great Kublai
Khan. After returning to Europe he wrote a book
describing his travels. This was the first written
work describing in detail daily life in the far east.
Travels of Marco Polo
Marco Polo first began his journey when he was 17 years old. He began traveling
along side his father and uncle from Venice to the court of the Great Kublai Khan.
They were bringing with them gifts from the Pope. The Journey took 24 years and the
Polo’s were hardly recognizable when they returned to Europe
According to his book,
while in China Marco
Polo served as an
ambassador for the
Mongol leader Kublai
Khan. Marco’s
eventually learned 4
languages and was a
valuable asset to the
Great Khan and was
asked to escort a Mongol
Princess to Persia.
The Legacy of Marco Polo
Marco Polo was influential in the
development of European
cartography. The map to the right
was partly based off the maps of
Marco Polo
Manuscript of Marco
Polo’s book with
illustrations. Original
copies of the book
were written by hand.
Though his detailed
descriptions of the Far
East, Marco Polo
provided the west with
the first clear picture of
the culture and
geography of China
Christopher Columbus’ notes and
handwriting on a copy of Marco Polo’s book
Marco Polo inspired generations of Explorers, Adventurers, & Travelers
Marco Polo
Truth or Myth?
Marco Polo’s account
could never be verified,
however he had a detailed
knowledge of:
•The Geography of China
and the East
•Gave detailed
descriptions of the
customs and cultures he
claimed to experience
•Mastered 4 different
eastern languages
•Described in detail the
economic system of the
Mongol Empire
Many people in Europe
did not believe his tails.
On his deathbed they
pleaded with him to tell
the truth because his
story seemed so
unbelievable.
In his book, Marco Polo
focused on the reporting of
facts and his observations,
and less about his own
feelings or thoughts.
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