Changes & Continuities of Silk Road

The Silk Road which began in 200 BCE and ended it in 1450 CE has its own changes and connections. Trade thrived in between the Asian and Europe at the time and as time went on its sole function of trading broadened to many other purposes and affect not only the location it got in touch with. Although there were many continuities throughout the time however it has more substantial modifications that occurred and likewise impact the world. One significant modifications of the Silk Roadway is when it was very first began it primarily started as a way for trade to grow between Europe and Asia.

But the purpose of this Silk Roadway has also expanded to transcend different culture and technologies from various places and triggered cultural diffusion along the Silk Roadway. This occurred since the Silk Road has more than one route, some ends in the middle east, west Asia, and Europe.

There were merchants of different races and religion like Muslim,.

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Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and more. This triggered cultural diffusion in between locations like Buddhism were introduced to China and the Chinese paper making technology were spread out towards the west to Europe. Another substantial modification that occurred is when the merchants take a trip on the Silk Road they are most likely to get assaulted by outlaws or get their items taken. But during the Mongolian reign this route was more secure and merchants are not afraid of outlaws along the method. This happened due to the fact that throughout the time of the Mongolian Empire they formed the ortoghs which suggests merchant association.

Merchants traveled in pack rather of one which offer more security because this method merchants are less likely to get attack, and made trade safer.

Like everything when there is change there is also continuities and one of them is the silk trade. Silk Road is called this name is because the main product traded on this route is silk. Even though many other items were traded in the silk road but the Europeans were very interested in these kind of fabric and they are luxurious because the European did not know how to make them. This is consider a continuity because for many decades the Chinese holds the secret for making these luxurious silk and because the Europeans and India wanted these silk so the Chinese could make a profit from it and they are consider a luxury. The reason the Chinese won’t let the outsiders know how to make these silk is because the process of it is hard and they depends mostly on trading these silk for the stuff they needed.

Another continuities is the geography of the silk road. The silk road is consist of many route, some is shorter but dangerous while other is longer but safer. Even though some of the routes have changed and there is more variety of stuff that’s being traded than when it was started (e.g. Gunpowder) and the purpose of the road also expanded like people use it to spread religion and unfortunately is also been a route where disease easily spread (e.g. Black plagues) The continuity is the geography of the silk road never changed because both the European and Asia gained much profit from it that it doesn’t need to be change and the Silk Road remained the major trade route between Far Eastern Chinese and European cultures and sparked numerous conflicts in its existence.

The Silk Road which have been known as a major trade route in the ‘old world’ and sparked numerous conflicts in its existence. It brought the goods and the bads like the plagues, cultural diffusion, introduction of new technologies and brought new religions to different part of that world. The Silk Road shape the world we have today and when it ended in 1450 CE it had impacted most of Europe and Asia.