1
The Silk Road-- Journey to the Unknown
His name was not the name of a water sport but that of a
Venetian trader. He left (in 1271) the comforts of Venice with his
father and uncle, looking for a route, a useable route for trade with
the mysterious eastern world. His name was Marco Polo. Born in
1254 to a merchant family, the seventeen year old did not return to
Venice for another 24 years. What he brought with him was more
valuable that any spice, jewel, or silk itself. What he brought back
were new ideas that would change the Western World forever. His
book, “The Travels of Marco Polo” that describes the long and
dangerous journey into the unknown is still in print.
So what is the Silk Road, and why is it important? First, examine all the things it is not.
It is not one road. The Silk Road was a series of over 4000 miles of routes from China and India
through Asia, the Middle East and parts of Africa to one final destination. Those taking this
journey experienced multiple climactic conditions, mountain ranges, valleys, rivers, lakes and
seas, and one of the harshest deserts in the world called the Taklamakan in China (devoid of
water to the extreme). They did all this to bring much desired goods to the consumer giant
of the ancient world,
Rome.
rome
china
The Silk Road WAS NOT made of silk, nor was it used to trade only silk. What was
traded were ideas and items unique and essential to the widening of Western minds as to what
was possible, not impossible. No longer did Western minds see dragons and demons, but
possibilities and riches. This trade route allowed mathematicians to record in simple figures and
compute without Roman numerals (using Arabic numbers, zero, algebra, and geometry), to
reproduce the written word and to explore the unknown and make sense of it.
2
The history of the Silk Road is complicated and long. What one finds is that the trade
routes from the Far East became important for sharing ideas, language, knowledge and cultures.
It also brought fame and fortune and power.
For years, trade routes existed within China itself. In 323 BCE, Alexander the Great had
conquered lands through the Middle East and made his way into Asia and all the way to the outer
western borders of China. He and his troops brought back to their European homes many of the
new ideas and products they found there. Curiosity grew. Items that would make everyday life
better for the rich and even the not so rich began to spread. Cotton from India and Egypt
made clothing wearable in the summer heat, and washable. Fine muslin from the Middle East
gave everyman the ability to wear airy robes that provided sun and sand protection. Silk, from
China, had an unbelievable quality and came from only one place at first; China. China had
penalties for carrying the secrets of silk out of the empire; torture and death. So for a long
while, silk was only created and brought from China. Silk could not only be dyed vibrant colors,
and flowed like the wind on the body or in the wind, but could keep one warm in cold weather and
cool in warm weather. For this reason, the demand for silk from Rome exploded and Chinese
merchants and royalty grew very rich.
3
The Chinese and Indians sent their spices, foods, goods, writing, number system, porcelain,
glassware, and of course, silk, and in return, the Romans sent gold, silver, and precious jewels.
Chinese traders often took items to trade centers (such as cities along the route) and traded
with other merchants who in turn carried the goods even further west…eventually to Rome. Two
examples of these trade centers were Constantinople (now Istanbul Turkey) and Petra (in
Jordan). The trade routes to the East were relatively safe until about 200 AD for Rome owned
and patrolled many of the
roads. Rome had established
within the first 2 centuries
of empirical rule 200,000
miles of roads, 60,000 of
them paved. There were
frequent Roman military
outposts. This remained the
case until the 3rd century AD.
These merchants and their priceless goods often traveled in caravans for protection.
The trade with the “West” meaning Rome ended around the beginning of the third
century when Rome began to unravel as a superpower. No longer could safety be guaranteed.
Trade did continue however with the Byzantine (Eastern Rome) and Muslim Empires. During the
time period known as “the Dark Ages” for the West, Byzantine and Muslim Empires both became
rich and powerful and centers of learning.
Unlike the East, wealth for the West after the decline of the Roman Empire became
measured in land ownership, not in gold or silver. Trade with the outside world was next to
impossible. Western Europeans became focused on surviving today and soon knowledge of trade
such as silk was all but a faded memory.
Then came the Christian Crusades spanning from 1095-1350 AD. Soldiers came back to
their native Europe with new and shocking ideas. Bathing and soap were good and clothing could
4
be made out of much lighter materials other than forms of wool. These Christian Crusaders ate
new foods. Most of all, they were once again exposed to spices.
Spices were the real “jewel” for trade from the East. Spices worked well in the Asian
markets as they would give food flavor, hide the rank of spoiled foods, or kept food from
spoiling. Items such as pepper were so valuable that explorers looked for new “Silk Roads” to
get the items they desired so much from China and India.
A new Chinese dynasty, the Mongols, united China and trade routes were once again safer
and opened to the West. With the new caravans came
language, religion, radical ideas (such as gun powder),
and last but certainly not least, disease. The Black
Plague is a good example of this. Little by little, the
Western World began to change, willingly or unwillingly
from such influences of this trade. Many fortunes and
empires were created by obtaining the riches of the
Silk Road
During this time when traders such as Marco
Polo and his father and uncle began to risk travel to the
mysterious East. And when Marco return to Venice, no
one would believed that Chinese and non- Christians could achieve such feats. For a while, Polo
was even thrown into prison for heresy. His detailed accounts of his travels however, soon
captured the minds and hearts of the Europeans who rarely traveled more than 20 miles from
their home. They wanted to see the places, people and taste the tastes described in his text.
Then one more event came along the Silk Road and opened the door to the East. In 1347,
the Black Plague started in China and traveled along the trade routes. The Plague spared no one.
In one trading town that refused to surrender to the Mongols, soldiers lobbed dead plague
victims over the walls into the city. Soon, the gates flew open, not in surrender as much as so
many people of the city were dead or dying. In 1347, ships sailed into a Sicilian harbor filled not
only with goods from the Far East, but with dead and dying crewmen. Soon the disease spread
5
through the Italian island and onto the mainland. It spread throughout the continent like
wildfire. One third to one half of the population died (of Europe at least).
When the disease had run its course, and was no longer a threat, the face of Europe had
changed. Many of the rich land owning families were dead. Not enough workers were in the
fields or left to do menial work. The plague had not even spared the messengers of God, priests.
So for the first time, men were left to discover their world. They no longer looked to heaven
for everything they needed here on earth.
People began to look for ways to be comfortable. Trade once again became important.
Trade could make the common people rich and powerful just like royalty. New ideas began to
flood into the European world from the Far and Middle East such as the printing press, gun
powder, Arabic numerals and the importance of math, science, codex, and art. People had
learned that life was short and brutish and so that men were willing to take the dare of going
into and experiencing the unknown. So off to Chinese and Indian shores they went.
Monarchs (such as Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain in 1492) even began to get into the
act. Soon kings, queens, princes, dukes, and even popes were sending shiploads of men to find a
route to India and China, to create their own version of the Silk Road. Soon all kingdoms wanted
to claim a piece of these routes as their very own. Such men as Columbus, da Gama, Prince Henry
and Henry Hudson were searching for short cuts or ways to create accurate maps to find their
way to the riches of the Far East. In their hunt for the Indas and Chinese, explorers found
something that they did not expect……a new and different treasure; the Americas. This would
once again change their world.