The Silk Road: Ancient Globalization and Cultural Exchange

1. DO NOW: • Was the Silk Road the internet highway of the ancient world? • What do we get from the internet?

2. WHAT DO WE GET FROM THE INTERNET? Entertainment: video games, music, movies, etc. Buy & sell goods on EBAY, AMAZON, etc. INTERNET Research to gain more knowledge & information about a topic E-mail anyone in the world/ MySpace / YouTube Online banking $$$$$$ Meet people / online dating Google Earth / Mapquest

3. Have the students examine the maps and perform the following tasks : • Group I • Locate the three points from where the Silk Road originates • How many Silk Roads are there in Eurasia? • Group II • How does the Silk Road act as a highway for Eurasia? • Have the students examine both maps and perform the following tasks • Group III • Describe the topography of the area through which the Silk Road passes • Describe the sights the travelers might see along the road • Group IV • Why would the travelers pick that particular route for the Silk Road? • How would you describe travel along the Silk Road?

8. #1 GLOBALIZATION- described as a process by which the people of the world are unified into a single society and functioning together. The internet promotes globalization in the world today.

9. What do you see? How can we compare this to the internet of today? Why was this important to global history?

10. OUD ITEMS TRADED ALONG THE SILK ROAD GLASS BACTRIAN CAMELS CARPETS PORCELAIN METAL WORK SILK JADE SPICES

11. Distribute to the class the Merchant's Tale Students will read the tale and answer the questions following the story. Summary: How important was the Silk Road to the ancient and classical world? In what ways did it act as a tool of cultural diffusion? Do you think it was more important for the exchange of goods or ideas? Is the Silk Road as important as the internet today? Explain

12. WHAT WAS LIFE LIKE TRAVELING ON THE SILK ROAD?

14. I am Nanivandak, a merchant from Samarkand. I travel for many months from my hometown to Chang’an to buy and sell goods. Along the route I meet many different people. Yet, although we all come from various places, we all speak the language of the Silk Road - Arabic. Ever since I was a young man, I have traveled to Chang’an. I even remember my first trip with my uncle. We had to take the Northern Silk Road, rather than the Southern. Other merchants and travelers warned us about the Tibetan troops near Kashgar.

15. The journey is dangerous. The mountains are full of pit falls and freezing temperatures. As we move closer into China, the terrain (land) and climate once again changes. The spring the melting snows cause avalanches. The journey is not only hard for us, but also our animals. We need to collect fresh horses every so often. Soon we will be exchanging our horses for camels. Camels are the only animals that can carry the goods and us across the desert. Yet , they are expensive $ , and we need to provide for their care on top of paying 14 bolts of silk for each animal. We are held responsible for any injury or death that occurs to our camels. I have seen my uncle willing to sacrifice a man or woman if it meant saving a camel.

16. My uncle and I whenever possible, travel with other merchants. Safety is my uncle’s main concern. We hear enough horror stories about the lack of water, sudden windstorms and even sandstorms. Sometimes we come across bones of small groups who broke away or decided to take a less traveled road. The greatest threat is the bandits (thieves). The trip is worthwhile if we survive. We take home the profits and more goods to be sold back to our homeland. We brought with us glass, carpets and brass to sell in Chang’an. The Buddhists monks need the brass for their statues. Chang’an is a merchant’s paradise. The market place has 3000 stalls representing 200 merchant guilds in the city. The city is beautiful. Soon with the help of Allah, I will be there in the comfort and beauty of the city.