About 2,000 years ago, traders from East Asia made their way west carrying shimmering fabrics, magnificent jewels, and exotic spices. At the same time,
Many of those traders braved
STANDARDS
Common Core: RH.6-8.1, RH.6-8.2, RH.6-8.4, RH.6-8.7, WHST.6-8.4, RI.6-8.1, RI.6-8.2, RI.6-8.4, RI.6-8.7, W.6-8.4, SL.6-8.1
NCSS: Time, Continuity, and Change • People, Places, and Environments • Global Connections
GEO QUEST
Historical Map
Where East Met West
A vast network of trading routes called the Silk Road helped spread goods, cultures, religions, and more throughout the ancient world.
About 2,000 years ago, traders from East Asia made their way west carrying shimmering fabrics, magnificent jewels, and exotic spices. At the same time,
Many of those traders braved
Despite its name, the Silk Road wasn’t an actual road. Instead, it was a network of trading routes developed around 130 B.C. that began in China and connected Asia, Europe, and Africa. Eventually, the network stretched from the Chinese city of what is now called Xi’an in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west.
Few merchants traveled the entire distance, however. Most moved back and forth between towns along the way, trading items such as gunpowder, paper, and silk with people who carried the goods on to the next leg of the journey. Over time, sprawling trading posts and cities sprang up along the trails.
New Ideas and Cultures
Goods weren’t the only things that traveled along the Silk Road. Knowledge, cultures, and religions were shared as well.
Diseases traveled too. Experts say the Black Death—a
End of the Line
By the 15th century, more and more merchants were traveling by sea, which proved to be a safer, faster, and cheaper way to trade goods—contributing to the decline of the Silk Road. Still, these ancient trails have had a lasting impact on the interconnected world we know today.
In fact, a series of
The project, which international leaders expect to be completed by 2049, is officially called the Belt and Road Initiative. But its fitting nickname? The New Silk Road.
Follow the Ancient Silk Road
This is a historical map of the ancient Silk Road, a network of trading routes that connected Asia, Europe, and Africa from about 130 B.C. to the 15th century. Historical maps provide information about the past. Use the map to answer the questions.
MAP SKILLS
1. The Silk Road began in which Chinese city?
2. From that city, did merchants travel east or west to get to Kashgar?
3. Merchants journeyed from Alexandria to Rome by traveling across which major body of water?
4. What is Constantinople known as today?
5. The Indus River empties into which sea?
6. Which labeled European city is farthest north?
7. Merchants on the northern route traveled near which mountain range?
8. In which direction did merchants mostly travel to get from Antioch to Baghdad?
9. About how many miles separate Genoa and Rome?
10. Which labeled city is about 170 miles southwest of Tashkent?
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