The Black Death

The intention of the new trade routes, like the Silk Road, was to create a means of transportation for goods between lands. However, not only did these new trade routes supply new products to areas, but also unknown diseases. Eurasian Empires brought diseases east, and the Chinese brought devastating diseases west. The most commonly known disease brought to Europe because of trading, is the “Black Death.”

Our textbook, Ways of the World by Robert Strayer, states that the “era of intensified interaction facilitated the spread of the Black Death – identified variously with the bubonic plague, anthrax, or a package of epidemic diseases – from China to Europe.” The plague quickly spread throughout Europe, devastating the populations of the nations. On a website, Medicine Net, they say that the 1300s Black Death “killed approximately one-third (20-30 million) of Europe’s population.”

Oriental rat fleas from infected rats were the means of transportation for the plague. However, this is not the only reason that it spread at such high rates; living conditions during the Middle Ages were not the best, just as the disposal of bodies was not the sanitary. Therefore, due to the improper disposal of the infected deceased, the plague was able to spread to the greater public. TheMedicine Net website lists the symptoms that the people would have faced as “bleeding below the skin which darkened (“blackened”) their bodies” hence the nickname the Black Death, and it was “characterized by gangrene of the fingers, toes, and nose.”

In addition, because the plague also infected the farmers, there were great food shortages for those left uninfected by the plague. There was no one to harvest the crops, so whole crops were lost. However, according to the Strayer text, “some among the living benefited. Tenant farmers and urban workers, now in short supply, could demand higher wages or better terms.” Thus, following the epidemic, people faced inflated prices for common necessities.

Although the new trade routes created cross-cultural trade of goods and religions, they also traded diseases. These were diseases that people were not prepared for, and yet the trading continued and still continues to this day.

*Fun Fact* - some believe that the nursery rhyme "Ring around the Rosie" refers to the Black Plague
"Ring around the Rosie" - red sores on the body - first signs of infection
"Pocket full of Posies" - some used herbs, flowers etc. to show others they were infected, so people could stay away
"Ashes Ashes" - the bodies of the infected were burned after death
"We all Fall down" - it was believed that the Black Death was the end of the world.
- However interesting this may sound, it is not proven, only a myth -

Works Cited - http://www.medicinenet.com/plague/article.htm, Ways of the World by Robert W. Strayer, image: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f1/The_Plague%2C_1898.jpg/419px-The_Plague%2C_1898.jpg (found through Creative commons)

Linking Asia to Europe

The Silk Road

Origins

The Chinese began trading silk internally, within the empire. To carry the silk to the western regions they would use Caravans. The Caravans were often attacked by, Central Asian tribes, who were looking for valuable goods. This resulted in the Han Dynasty expanding their military defense further into Central Asia from 135 to 90 BC in order to protect these caravans.

Chan Ch'ien was the first known Chinese traveler to make contact with the Central Asian tribes, later came up with the idea to expand the silk trade to include these lesser tribes and therefore forge alliances with these Central Asian nomads. This lead to the creation of the Silk Road. The Chinese were able to use their silk to give as gifts to Roman Asian governments.

Connecting

The Silk Road was 700 miles long, spanning from and connection China, Central Asia, Northern India, and the Parthian and Roman Empires. It connected the Yellow River Valley to the Mediterranean Sea and passed through places such as Chinese cities Kansu and Sinkiang and present-day countries Iran, Iraq and Syria.

Indians in the Ganges River valley played the role of the Middlemen. This helped to increase the Han expansion into Central Asia.

The Silk Road's Decline

By 760 AD, during the T'ang Dynasty, trade along the Silk Road had declined.The Chinese used silk to trade for medicines, perfumes, and slaves as well as rare stones. As overland trade became increasingly dangerous, and overseas trade became more popular, trade along the Silk Road declined. While the Chinese did maintain a silk-fur trade with the Russians north of the original Silk Route, by the end of the fourteenth century, trade and travel along the road had decreased.

The Importance of the Silk Road

This week in class, we discussed cross-cultural trade connections in the post-classical era. This reminded me immediately of the Silk Road trade routes, which we also talked and read about. I decided to do some more research on the topic because I thought it was unique in that goods, cultures, religions, and technology interacted globally for the first time. The information I found mentioned the history of the Silk Road, the goods that traveled it, how they traveled, and the social and cultural effects. Overall, one may say that the trade of the Silk Road became a foundation for the trade of the current world.

Brief Historical Overview

The Silk Road opened around the Second Century B.C.E. through Han Dynasty China Emperor Wu Di. One informational website I found states that there were actually many different trade routes, including Northern, Central, and Southern routes (across desert lands). The Road covered China, Asia, India, the Roman Empire, and other areas. The total length of the Silk Road was around 6, 500 kilometers. It reached its peak in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) in which China became united under a strong government. The Mongols strengthened the Silk Road as well because they made it more secure from nomad raiders. A third website states that the Silk Road declined in the latter half of the Tang Dynasty, partly as a result of conservative reactions to Buddhist integration in Chinese Culture.

What goods spread on the Silk Road?

China traded silk, furs, ceramics, spices, stones, and bronze with other countries. They traded many goods, like silk, iron, and bronze, with Rome. Rome used silk for looms, clothing, altar coverings, and burials. Porcelain, which found its way to central Asia from China in the 800s B.C.E., was also quite important. Horses came to China from Rome. China traded silk with India for goods like gold, silver, and jade.

How did the goods travel?

Much like the modern UPS system, trade goods on the Silk Road traveled through many different hands. The trader stayed within a specific area and passed the goods on to another trader who stayed within a specific area nearby. In this way, the goods traveled all the way from the Mediterranean to Central and Eastern Asia. The third website, imperialtours.net, states, “When the trader arrived at the edge of his operational region, he would sell the goods across a border usually to a different nationality and ethnic group who would continue the goods' passage along the east-west axis. Thus, going westwards from China, Chinese traders would sell to Central Asians, who would deal with Persians, who connected with Syrians, who did commerce with Greeks and Jews, who supplied the Romans.” Overall, this interesting quote reveals that the trade led to the travel of cultural ideas as well as goods.

Social and Cultural Effects?

The Silk Road trade system had cultural and social effects. It led to the expansion of Buddhism to China. The third website I recommended earlier said that around ninety percent of the population was exposed to Buddhism and many of them converted to it. Also, other religions, like Zoroastrianism and Islam, spread to China. The Silk Road further led to stronger, more centralized states that provided more protection. It was at this time in the Han Dynasty that Emperor Wu Di began to rebuild the Great Wall of China.

Therefore, one can clearly see the importance and effects of the Silk Road. It had a unique history, goods that moved on it and an interesting way in which they traveled, social effects, and cultural effects. The Silk Road became a foundation for the trade system that the world uses today.

The Legacy of the Silk Road

I grew up in a small rural town in west central Indiana where my history classes always focused on world history from a western perspective. Although we knew vaguely of the histories of China and India, we never studied the relationship between empires of the east and west before the time of Columbus. I am currently reading a book about Genghis Khan for my critical book review. This legendary leader conquered much of the Eurasian landmass during the thirteenth century CE, established the Mongol Empire, and controlled trading between East and West. Last week, while reading about the Roman and Han empires, I discovered that more than a thousand years before the rise of the Mongol Empire, these two ancient empires were already using the same trade routes to exchange goods across the continent.
The German geographer, Baron Ferdinand von Richthofen, coined the term “silk road” in nineteenth century to describe the multitude of trade routes across central Asia that linked China to the Mediterranean world. The Silk Road was the precursor to modern international trade, but merchants rarely, if ever, traveled the full length of the route. Pastoral people of the central Asian steppes facilitated trade between agrarian societies. It was the Silk Road that spread goods, ideas, diseases, and people across the Eurasian landmass. Silk was only one of many goods that moved between different civilizations such as the Roman Empire and Han Empire in China, but, due to its luxurious texture and brilliant coloring, it became the iconic item that symbolized the trade route. The Silk Road is a modern term, and to the westerner it carries with it a sense of mystery, romance, and adventure that modern western people associate with the Orient. Other things that traveled the Silk Road included carpets, metals, ceramics, fur, livestock, art, and religion, as well as people with their genes, immunities and diseases. Trade was facilitated when rulers of nations promoted and protected traders traveling within their territories, and, although empires rose and fell across Eurasia, trade continued. While learning about the Silk Road and exploring the internet, I came across some interesting websites that contained history about the Silk Road or how the legacy of the silk road is playing out in today’s cultures.

The Caves of Dunhuang:
Dunhaung was a city along the Silk Road in western china where in the early 1900’s, archaeologists discovered a Buddhist cave library containing over 40,000 manuscripts, paintings, and other artifacts relating to the cultures and peoples along the silk road. In what sounds like an Indiana Jones movie, the caves had been sealed in the first millennium and then rediscovered in the 1900’s. The New York Times has an interesting slid show featuring pictures of the caves and artifacts that archaeologists discovered.

International Dunhuang Project:
After archaeologists discovered the caves, the various items were distributed throughout the world. Because of political turmoil during the 20th century, it was nearly impossible to gain access to these items. The international Dunhuang project catalogues and conserves the artifacts and is a joint effort among British, Chinese, Russian, Japanese, and Germans to help preserve the legacy of the Silk Road. This website gives access to artifacts and allows one to view and learn about the discoveries made at the Dunhuang Caves.

The Silk Road Project:
The legacy of cross cultural exchange between nations on the silk road helped to inspire the famous cellist Yo Yo Ma to foster the exchange of musical traditions between artists and audiences from acround the globe. His focus is on linking education and music. The Silk Road Ensemble presents music for modern listeners from the countries along the ancient silk road.

The Silk Road Foundation:
This website has in depth information about all aspects of the silk road including cultural influences, articles, archaeological finds, maps, and many other resources pertaining to the history of the trade routes across Eurasia.

Other References:
Christian, David . "Silk Roads or Steppe Roads? The Silk Roads in World History." Journal of World History 11.1 (2000): 1-25. Web. JSTOR. Zumber Library, Grand Valley State University. 14 Oct. 2009.