Ancient Silk Roads Mini-Q
The Silk Road:
Recording the Journey
ân,important
:Ovcrview::The Sitk Road was the worldls first superhighway. Not literaþ a bingle road, it,òonsistèd,of
â,nêtwork of,trade,routes:connêcting,China with,Central Asia and lands beyond, âll,lhe waV to Rorne.
,Goods w-ere:usually transported by large caravans made up of guides, soldiers, religious pilgrims,
merchants an¿ hun¿rèds of freight.bearing camels. The Silk Road:flourished for rnore than 3;000 years
,and,had a major,inf,luence on,the cultures of,.A.sia, Europe, andA.,frica. This Mini-Q asks ¡tou to,become
a haveler on the Silk Road and to,record your experiences at different points on the journey.
The DocUrnents:
Docurnent A: The,Silk Road,Route (map)
Document B: The:Dunhuang Caves,
Document C: Crossing the Taklimakan Desert
Document D: The City of Marakanda
Document E: Silk Road Ledger (chart)
A Mini Document Based Question (l/ini-Q)
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Ancient Silk Roads Mini-Q
Hook Exercise: Traveling the Silk Road
In this Mini-Q, you will examine several documents and then write flve journal entries in the
voice of a fictitious person traveling the Silk Road. First, choose the type of traveler you wish
to be from:the collection of descriptions on the following page. Give your traveler a name
frorn the list below. Then fill out the profile of this person using the biographical information
and your historical imagination.
Qi Na (Chinese, f)
Xin Qian (Chinese, f)
Pi Lin (Chinese¡ m)
Chen (Chinese, m)
Chuluun (Mongolian, m)
C
Yul (Sogdian, rn)
,P,rofile, Sheet
Reason for going on the Sïlk
Road,
.
. ..
, .
,
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Other personal
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information
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,,,.
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,,
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Ancient Silk Roads Mini-Q
Hook Exercise: Traveling the Silk Road
(continued)
Silk Road Tlavelers
;
q
Caralan Leador
Many caravaîleaders were Sogdians, who came from the region of Marakanda in the Kushan
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caravan,ihould,trávèl eàCh dàt ánd wh¿ie it shòuld stop to rest. In additìô$ he was aware;of.
possible dangers, like bandits lurking along the northern edge of the Takiimakan Desert.
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Car¿van Guide
headingin the rþht direction. Since:
guides had ¡o rely on the stars for their bearings.
not: used :during the,Silk :Road
caravan guideslwere,,trainedrat:nautical schools in trndia, where they learned how to
Also, guides:might know the best paths to take through difficult terrain, such'as the
Mouniains in Central Asia,
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Cæavan,,guides, :tnado, sure, :that:the carâvan was
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had,,to
.Or in.:SeCfet.
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Mer.ch,ant,
ls,at cities along the Silk Road often traveledlwith,caravans.
oasei on,thè Silk Road,and,mentÏone¡l,the,Þfqs,
listed,oities,and
ói,that
rSorne,,ôf,thém,wrote,,itïn
and cons öf :theseplaces. In thiS way, the itineraries acted as travel guides. Successful meíchàntS:
,öften,b,ecamè very w-èalthy and were lespgCted il,théìr home CitiéS,
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,Soldier
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Bandits w,ere a:con$ant threat along the,:Silk Road. During.the Hanperiodi,some parts,of the:Silk
mititarv oütpostS.'However, bandits sometimes attacked carâVânS,in ài-eas
'Rò¿A,Weiè:prOtéCtá4,¡y
were fæ away,from these outposts. Also, the region west of the Pamirs wasrnotrcontrcllled b¡r:ther
'that
and so did,nothave military protection. To protect caravans from bandits, soldiers:&n,traveled
'Han
,with the caravans.
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Background Essay
Ancient Silk Roads Mini-Q
The Silk Road: Recording the Journey
The Heavenly Horses are comíng
Across the pastureless wílds
A thousand legs at a stretch
Followíng the eastern road.
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Poem by Han EmperorWu-Ti, circa 140 BC. He wrote as
he waited for the arrival of new horses on the Silk Road.
Ivhen you sit down to a bowl of spaghetti at
horne or a math problem in school, you:probably
aren't thinking about history. Yet it is a fact that
noodles from China and a number system from
P,ersia and India first made their way into the
European world along ancient trade routes called
the Silk Road.
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and routes,that:together made,up,a huge trade
:'netwprk.:It stretched]from China to Rome with
many side branches;leading to the north and the
south. The Silk Roadbegan as far back as 4,000
'
from western China into northem India. The
Kushans established themselves as a kind of toll
booth that collected taxes on goods moving back
and forth between China and points west.
Beyond Kush was the powerful empire of
Parthia, which covered much of modern-day
Iran and Iraq. The Parthians became skilled :
middlemen, buying up goods flowinginto their
country and reselling them at a higher price to
traders who carried them further
rhe Silk
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2013 The DBQ Prolscl
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,Road.
Meanwhile, the
Roman Empire had
come,to dominate
the west, ev€ntu-
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l.
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ally:controlling
much of:the land
that rirnrned th€
Mediteriahean Sea.
A¡'tho empiie got
brightly colorodr cloth: :that;was Chinatsr biggest:
riCher, Romans
:14,;".r ,i':.*,'.',.t",'exÞorh The,¡Silk:Road owes an important,part of.'
its success to the,domestication of the camel .an animal that could carry heavy loads'over long
so. Camels were the fuel-efficient mini vans of
the ancient world.
.As is true with international trade today,
politics:made business on the Silk Road:diffrcult,
and often,:dangerous:, Cafâvans had to travel
through many :kingdoms and city;statesithat
. fought eaöh other. When conflict broke out,
trade was interrupted; Between about 200 BCE
and 250 CE, the growth of four stable empires
holpgd ease this problem and keep the,Silk
Road humming. The empires were the Han, the
Kushan, the Parthian,,anã the Ro-man.
From 202 BCE to 220 CE, the Han dynasty
ruled over China. The Han were especially eager
to trade silk for magnificent horses irom
Ferghana,in Central Asia, To protect this trade,
the Han cracked down on bandits who preyed on
Silk Road travelers.
Starting in 50 CE, another Asian empire took
shape and began profiting from the Silk Road.
This was the Kushan Empire, which stretched
:'
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and new sea roùtes:brought an end to nruch of the
overland trade.
In its heyday, tens of thousands of ltraders
travoled the Silk Road. Now itts your !prn,
Using the,Voicê of the person you choge in the
Hook Exercise, record what you leam About trade
and:the spread of ideas on the SiU( Rodä;îhe
documents that follow willprovide maierial for
therfive jéumal:enff,iês you will write.'Be creativ-e,
but be factual,
:
too.
It
is justrpast dawn on a brisk, early spring
aay i! Chang'an, China. After days of preparation, your caravan is fully assembled and ready
to head west. Rolled,bolts of silk are strapped
tightly to camel backs. The dust builds as these
humped beasts struggle to their feet. Dogs bark.
Children race. Your caravan leade¡ speaking
Chinese with a thick Sogdian accent, barks out,
"We go!" You touch the journal tucked into your
tunic. You are off.
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Ancient Silk Roads Mini-Q
Background Essay Questions
1. How long ago did trade between China and the Mediterranean region begin?
2. How did the domestication of the camel help the development of the Silk Road?
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3. Why did trade along the Silk Road flourish during the time of the Han, Kushan, Farthian, and
Roman,ern¡ires?
+. Why,did the Chinese trade
5;
of them?
silk for horses from Ferghana? What did ErnperorWi-Ti
![hat was an irnportant role of the Parthians in the Silk Road trade?
6; ìVhat brought an e'nd to the dominance of the
Silk Road?
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7.,Deflner,these terms:
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silk
Rö4d:
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dör.nçstiCâtion
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car¿van$
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dy.nas-ty
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hgyday
Timeline
about,COOO BCe
::':.'.'''.'''
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aþout,2000 BGE 206 BCE 27 BCE1
CE-l00
22A
CE
-
CE-
1i400s -
early 400s GE
1260-1295
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silkrcultivationrbesins in China.
Trade botween China and the Mediterranean region begins.
The Han begin to rule China.
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The Roman Empire begins.
Buddhism spreads along the Silk Road and reaches China.
The Han Dynasty is overthrown.
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The Roman nmfire collapses.
Marco Polo travels along the Silk Road.
Sea routes,develop between Europe and Asia; the Silk Road declines.
I.
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:
Ancient Silk Roads Mini-Q
Document A
Source: Map created from various sources.
The Silk Roads in Han-Roman T¡mes
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,Nôte: Goods and,ideas spread ac-ioss:the Silk Road,for centuries. This prooess,of ,sharing ,,ts,
'cultural diÍfusion" by histoiiâns. Below are a few examples of goods and:ideas that moved
the Silk Roads,
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.
.
.
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From:,China::silkr,ironl:bronzê, rc.eiam¡cs, orangê,lr-eês, pAÞer;rgUnpowde¡, Confucianism
From Central Asia: Ferghana:hörseé
From Africa: ivory, rhinoceros horn
From lndia; spíces,:Buddhism
From Europe: music, glassware
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,Documént
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1,. How faf was it âlong,the,silk Road from Chang'an to Dunhuang? To Marakanda? To Aptioch?
Anal¡rsis
To
Rome?
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12.
The Silk Road crössed many types of temain. What two deserts did the Silk Roacl cros:s'i
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3. What goods and ideas came from China? Central Asia? Africa? India?
4. What is the meaning of "cultural diffusion"?
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Writing Journal Entry #1: Label your entry "Chang'an, April 5, 200, Dawn." You are ready to head
west from Chang'an, the easternmost city on The Silk Road. You look over the rnap to get a sense of
what lies ahead of you. You will be taking the main Silk Road routc, towards Dunhuang. What
difficulties do you think you will face? V/hat else are you thinking as you wait to leavc?
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Ancient Silk Roads Mini-Q
Document B
Source: Photo of the Dunhuang caves courtesy of the British Library, London, England.
::
Note: For travelers heading wesl, the oasis town of Dunhuang ("dun-wong") was a place to rest and resupply
before braving the wèstern Gobi and the Taklimakan deserts. Soon after the fall of the Han Dynasty,
Buddhist moñks began to dig caves just ten miles outside of Dunhuang. ln many of the caves, they
built Buddhist shrines. Over the centuries, these caves also became storage vaults for many items
broughl to Dunhuang by Silk Road travelers.
t,
Ð.
:
l,
,the: .Dunhuang,
caves in Såadow
the,Silk, Hoad,by
earpoted
ahgels and lotüs:flowers,
with:Hindu
têemed
c-eiling
the
shrines
.,.[Rolls of manusðripts] revealed a multicultural world,'which,had:barely beenr
a.
inVentOries, wills, legal deeds, private letters. Chinese,ballads and pOerns:òárne,tò
prayers
:masS
afe
docurnents,in
the
Of
Chinese
..
And
beside
donkey,
.
for
a
dead
fi¡nO¡al ,address
Sänskit, Tibetan, Uighur, Sogdian, Khotanese, Tbrki in a rnélange of :seripts: a,lettor:in
Persian, a:Parthian fragment in Manichean script, aTurkic,tântric tráct in the,,Uighùr
'ta'
Document Analysis
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i\-,Í,.,,Describe,therinterior
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of the cave shrine shown in the:photograph
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,,2. What,do the manuscripts found in the cave tell you about the concerns:and interests:of the
travelers along the Silk Road?
3. What do,the manuscripts tell you aboutrthe homêland of the various Silk Road travele¡s î
W¡iting Jòurnal Entry #2:Labelyour entry "Dunhuang, June 1,200, Evening."You,have traveled
moro,than 1,000 miles with the caravan. Around the campfire at Dunhuang, you listen to fellow travelers diseussing the toachings of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Confucianism. You sit down to record
your thoughts about Dunhuang, the conversation around the campfire, and your visit to a cave shrine.
What effect do you think the Silk Road has had on the spread of religion and ideas?
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Ancient Silk Roads Mini-Q
Document C
Source:, An excerpì describing the Taklimakan Desert in Encyclopedia, a natural history of Asia written in,,the early
1300s by Chinese historian Ma Twan-lin.
Note: Today, as then, the ternperature in the Taklimakan Deserl reaches over 100o F and rainfall iS minimal.
i
You. have to cfoss a
plain of sand, extending for more than :00 'leagues Iabout
,Y,ou
havelersrrfind,nothing to guide thorn but the bones,of men andirbeasts and the,droppingS oficarnOls,
During the passage of this wilderness you hear sounds, sometimes of singing, sometimes of wail,ing;:and it hâs oftên:happened that travelers going aside to see what,those sounds,rnìg,ht,be,have,
:stra¡red:fromtheir course and been:entirel¡¡ ls5¡' for the¡r lysre voices of spirits and goUlins.
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SôúrceiThe,l-l
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National:MuSeuml
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A'hsrse-Fkelêton,r,oad,marker ;in the Taklimakalr Deserl,,
,Do-,ê
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urn ênt, A hâtys i.S
í, besø,i6e, the :clirltato of:.the, Taklimâkan Desett.
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2. According,tö Ma TWan.lin, what guided Silk Road traveleró through the. T¿rklirnakanr De'Sert?
:What.caused: rnany travÞlprs,to get :lost there ?
,3,.
Why do,you,tliink road:narkers, such as the one iq the photograph above, wefe set up in tþe desert?
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Writing Jôurnal Entry #3¡ Label your entry "Taklimakan Desert, June 12,200, Middayi'iYou,have,
been tráveling all dai through:the dosert. Tho relentless sun and heat havo:made you,'sleepv as,,yóq,
trudge on. You have heard that travelers through the desert sometimes faint and, as a result, are
äccidentally- left behind by the caravan. To staSr alert, you decide to write in 5rour journal. What are
your thoughts as you make your way through the Taklimakan Desert? What is your impression::of
this land?
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Ancient Silk Roads Mini-Q
Document D
Source: A description of the Kushan Empiro city of Marakanda ln Great Tàng Racords on the Western Begions, a
book about the Silk Road written by Xuanzang ("shweng:zang") , a Buddhist pilgrim, in 646 CE.
Artist unknown,
Note: After crossing the Gobi and Taklimakan deserts, travelers on the Silk Road's northern route,had
to traverse the rugged Pamir Mountains in Central Asia before arriving at this bustling city. Today,
Marakanda is called Samarkand, a city in
Uzbekistan.
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The precious merchandise of many foreign countries is stored here. The soil
ís ritlh and procluctive and yielöS abundant harvests. The forest trèeS afford a:
thick vegetátion and flowers and fruit are plentiful..., Horses are bred therc. ,
The,inhabitants' skill in the arts and trades exceeds that of other countries.
The,c'limate is agreeable and temperate and the people brave and energetic,
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Document
:1,
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Analysis
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What,rnountains did westbound Silk Road travelers have to cross before reaching Mara&anda?
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2.,According to Xuanzâng, Marakanda was
:supports this
a
prosperoüs city. Cite êvidence from the docu,rnent,that
observation.
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3. Judging from the picture, how was Marakanda protected? Assuming that the drawing is
about how high is the wall? Explain how you got your answer.
T.abel yourjournal entry "Marakanda, Septemb;er23,200,Afternoon."
You arrived in the thriving city:of Marakanda this rmorning. Once you leave, you will be ôn the:rlong
journey to Antioch, the western end of the Silk Road. TVhat is your impression of Marakanda? How
do you plan to spend your time there? Review the map of the Silk Road in Document A. What do
you expect from the rest of your journey? Take a few moments to write your thoughts and concorns
Writing Journal Entry #4:
in yourjournal.
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Ancient Silk Roads Mini-Q
Document
E
Sourcel Chart compiled from various sources.
Note: After leaving Marakanda, a traveler heading west on the Silk Road traveled through modernrday
lran and lraq, eventually arriving in Antioch. Anlioch was a major city at the eastern edge ol fhe
Roman Empire, not far from the Mediterranean Sea. The Chinese viewed this city as Fìome itself.
Caravans approached Antioch via a 30Joot-wide paved roadway that led to the huge gates bf the
city. At Antioch, a trader might record transactions made over the past year along the Silk Fload.
Goods Given
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Goods Received
--..!:r......
Document
1,
Analysis
:
Look at the map in Document A again. Through which cities would you have to travel tô get fiom
Marakanda to
Antioch?
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2. Which of the silk road cities in this chart offered silk in exchange for other goods?
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,3.
According to the chart what seeds did our traveller trade in
Rhágae?
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4. Consider the goods traded in these six cities. Would you say they were luxury items for the
wealthy or everyday items for the common people? Give examples.
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Writing Journal Entry #5: Label your journal entry 'Antioch, April22,20l, Evening." The caravan
haS reached its final destination - Antioch, the western end of the Silk Road. You are one of the few
people to travel the entire length of the route! Reflect on this once-in-a-lifetime achievement. Also,
review the ledger, which lists some of the trade t¡ansactions that took place during your journey. Has
the lourney turnecl out the v/ay you hopecl? Was the long journey worth the difficuities you endured?
How do you feel about the return journey? Record your thoughts in your journal.
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