Transcript Document
AIM: Was the Silk Road the internet highway of
the ancient world?
DO NOW: Read and answer the multiple choice question.
In China, Confucianism emphasized the idea that
a. Equality should exist between all members of society.
b. Individual goals should be placed ahead of the needs of the
group
c. Harmony could be achieved by the proper behavior of each
member of a family or society.
d. Heaven could be attained by prayer, meditation and good deeds.
HW: Answer the AIM in one paragraph. (6-8 sentences)
WHAT DO WE GET FROM THE INTERNET?
Entertainment: video
games, music,
movies, etc.
Buy & sell goods on
EBAY, AMAZON, etc.
E-mail anyone
in the world/
MySpace /
YouTube
Google
Earth /
Mapquest
INTERNET
Online
banking
$$$$$$
Research to gain
more knowledge &
information about a
topic
Meet people /
online dating
#1 GLOBALIZATIONdescribed 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.
1. What do you see?
2. How can we compare this to the internet of today?
3. Why was this important to global history?
THE HAN DYNASTY, LED BY A PEASANT NAMED GAO ZU,
OVERTHREW THE QIN DYNASTY IN 206 B.C.
#2 SILK ROAD - a 4,000 mile trade route that stretched from
China to the Fertile Crescent in southwestern Asia (opened up by
the Han Dynasty)
OUD
ITEMS TRADED ALONG THE SILK ROAD
GLASS
BACTRIAN
CAMELS
CARPETS
METAL
WORK
PORCELAIN
SILK
JADE
SPICES
#3 MERCHANT - a person whose job is to buy, sell &
trade goods. (salesman or businessman)
WHY DID THE HAN FAMILY OPENED UP THIS TRADE ROUTE?
THE CHINESE WANTED TO MAKE A PROFIT ($) FROM
SELLING SILK.
CULTURAL DIFFUSION - the exchanging of
goods and ideas from one culture to another usually
done through trade and war.
THE SILK ROAD IS AN EXCELLENT EXAMPLE OF
CULTURAL DIFFUSION.
WHY?
WHAT WAS LIFE
LIKE TRAVELING
ON THE SILK
ROAD?
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.
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.
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.