The Silk Road and Ancient Trade: Crash Course World History #9

Summary

In this episode of Crash Course: World History, John Green explores the Silk Road, a network of trade routes that connected the East and West, significantly influencing global commerce and culture. He discusses the variety of goods exchanged, including silk, spices, and precious metals, and highlights the role of merchants and nomadic traders. Green also touches on the spread of ideas and religions, such as Buddhism, and the unintended consequences of global interconnectedness, like the spread of diseases like the Black Death.

Takeaways

• 🌐 The Silk Road was not a single road but a network of trade routes connecting the East and West, including both land and sea paths.
• 👕 The example of a t-shirt's journey illustrates the globalized nature of trade, which was also true for the Silk Road's diverse goods.
• 🛍️ Silk was a major export from China, valued for its unique properties and closely guarded production techniques, symbolizing wealth and luxury.
• 🔄 Trade along the Silk Road was not conducted by individuals traversing the entire route but by a series of merchants exchanging goods over shorter distances.
• 🌍 The Silk Road facilitated the exchange of not just material goods but also ideas, significantly impacting the spread of religions like Buddhism.
• 📿 The Kushan Empire in what is now Afghanistan and Pakistan became a significant hub for Silk Road trade, especially in the second and third centuries CE.
• 🏛️ The Roman elite's fascination with silk led to attempts by the Roman Senate to ban it due to concerns over trade imbalances and modesty.
• 💼 The growth of the merchant class due to the Silk Road trade led to political influence and the beginnings of the ongoing tension between wealth and governance.
• 🕊️ Buddhism's spread via the Silk Road led to the development of Mahayana Buddhism, which introduced concepts of divine reverence for the Buddha and a more heavenly view of Nirvana.
• 🤝 The support of merchants for monasteries created a mutually beneficial relationship, with monks praying for the success of trade missions and the health of their patrons.
• 😷 The interconnectedness of the Silk Road also facilitated the spread of diseases like measles, smallpox, and the bubonic plague, impacting populations far beyond the wealthy.

Q & A

What is the Silk Road and why was it called so despite not being an actual road?

The Silk Road refers to a historical network of trade routes that connected the East and West, facilitating the exchange of goods, ideas, and culture. It was called the Silk Road because silk was one of the most valuable commodities traded along these routes, despite the routes themselves not being a single road and silk not being the only item traded.

Why was silk such an important export from China during the time of the Silk Road?

Silk was an important export because it was a luxury item produced exclusively in China for millennia. The process of silk making and the techniques for raising the silkworms were closely guarded secrets, and silk was used for various purposes including as a symbol of wealth and status.

What were some of the other goods traded along the Silk Road besides silk?

Besides silk, the Silk Road facilitated the trade of various other goods such as olives, olive oil, wine from the Mediterranean, jade, silver, and iron from China, fine cotton textiles from India, ivory from East Africa, and incense and spices from Arabia.

How did the Silk Road impact the lives of people who were not wealthy?

The Silk Road impacted non-wealthy individuals by reshaping their lives through wider economic changes, such as the growth of markets for goods like silk, which led many to devote their lives to silk production. Additionally, the trade of non-luxury items and the spread of ideas and religions, like Buddhism, affected the cultural and spiritual lives of people across regions.

What role did nomadic people play in the Silk Road trade?

Nomadic people played a significant role in the Silk Road trade due to their ability to move goods efficiently from one place to another. They were also resistant to certain diseases due to their travel, making them ideal for long-distance trade. The growth of the Silk Road elevated the importance of nomadic groups like the Yuezhi and the Xiongnu in world history.

Why did the Roman Senate attempt to ban silk, and were these attempts successful?

The Roman Senate attempted to ban silk due to concerns about trade imbalances and the belief that silk was immodest. However, all attempts to ban silk failed, indicating the strong influence of wealth on governance and the high demand for silk among the Roman elite.

How did the spread of Buddhism along the Silk Road influence its development?

The spread of Buddhism along the Silk Road allowed it to grow and flourish, adapting to various cultures and traditions. This led to the development of Mahayana Buddhism, which differed from the original teachings by emphasizing the divinity of the Buddha and offering a more hopeful view of the afterlife.

What was the significance of monasteries in the context of the Silk Road trade?

Monasteries played a significant role in the Silk Road trade as they often served as convenient rest stops for caravans. Merchants who supported these monasteries were also buying a form of spiritual insurance, as monks would pray for the success of their trade missions and the health of their patrons.

How did the Silk Road contribute to the spread of diseases like the bubonic plague?

The interconnectedness fostered by the Silk Road allowed for the spread of diseases across regions. The bubonic plague, which had devastating effects on populations in Europe and Asia, was one such disease that traveled along these trade routes.

What is the significance of the Mongols shirt mentioned at the end of the script, and how can viewers obtain one?

The Mongols shirt mentioned is both a humorous reference to the historical context of the video and an actual product available for pre-order. Viewers can show their support for Crash Course or their interest in the historical topic by ordering the shirt through the provided link at DFTBA.com.

Outlines

00:00

🌍 The Global Reach of a Simple T-Shirt

John Green introduces the concept of the Silk Road, using the global journey of a t-shirt as a metaphor to illustrate the interconnectedness of world trade. He humorously points out the irony that inanimate objects like t-shirts travel more than most people. The video aims to explore how the Silk Road, despite its name, was not a single road but a complex network of trade routes that significantly influenced world history more than many political or religious figures. Green emphasizes the importance of trade in shaping human lives and the world, setting the stage for a deeper dive into the historical significance of the Silk Road.

05:02

🛣️ Unraveling the Silk Road's True Nature

This paragraph delves into the actual nature of the Silk Road, clarifying that it was not a physical road but a series of overland and sea trade routes. It connected the Eastern Mediterranean to Central Asia and further to China, with goods also reaching Rome via the Mediterranean and traveling as far as Japan and Java. The paragraph explains the trading process, where goods were transported in segments by different merchants, each adding to the price. It highlights the importance of silk, a product exclusive to China, and its various uses and significance in indicating wealth. The paragraph also mentions other goods traded along the Silk Road, such as olives, olive oil, wine, jade, silver, iron, cotton textiles, ivory, incense, spices, and tortoise shells, emphasizing the diversity of the goods that facilitated cultural and economic exchange.

10:04

💼 The Impact of Trade on Society and Disease

The final paragraph discusses the broader implications of the Silk Road on society and health. It points out that the silk trade and the emerging merchant class had significant political influence, shaping governance and creating tensions between wealth and politics that persist today. The paragraph also explores the economic impact of the Silk Road, noting that many people were involved in silk production, which affected their livelihoods. Furthermore, it highlights the exchange of ideas, particularly the spread of Buddhism, and how it evolved as it moved along the Silk Road. Lastly, the paragraph addresses the darker side of interconnectedness, showing how diseases like measles, smallpox, and bubonic plague were also spread via the Silk Road, leading to devastating pandemics, including the Black Death, which had a profound effect on global populations.

Keywords

💡Silk Road

The Silk Road was an ancient network of trade routes that connected the Eastern Mediterranean to Central Asia and China. It was not a single road but a series of interconnected pathways, including overland and sea routes. This network facilitated the exchange of goods, culture, and ideas, significantly impacting the civilizations it connected, as illustrated by the diverse origins and destinations of the t-shirt mentioned in the video.

💡Trade

Trade refers to the exchange of goods and services between different regions or countries. On the Silk Road, various goods such as silk, jade, silver, olive oil, wine, and spices were traded. This exchange not only boosted economies but also led to cultural and technological exchanges between distant regions, exemplified by the global journey of the t-shirt.

💡Silk

Silk is a luxurious fabric that was originally produced in China. It was highly sought after in ancient times for its quality and versatility. Silk was a major commodity traded along the Silk Road and symbolized wealth and status, as depicted by the Roman elite's demand for silk clothing despite attempts to ban it for being too revealing.

💡Nomads

Nomads are people who move from place to place rather than settling permanently. In the context of the Silk Road, Central Asian nomadic tribes, such as the Yuezhi and the Xiongnu, played crucial roles in facilitating trade by transporting goods across difficult terrains. Their mobility and resistance to diseases made them effective traders.

💡Kushan Empire

The Kushan Empire was a Central Asian empire that emerged in Bactria and became a significant hub for Silk Road trade in the second and third centuries CE. It facilitated the exchange of goods and ideas between East and West, contributing to the spread of Buddhism along the trade routes.

💡Buddhism

Buddhism is a major world religion that spread from India to other parts of Asia via the Silk Road. The Mahayana Buddhism that developed along these trade routes depicted the Buddha as a divine figure and offered the hope of a heavenly afterlife, contrasting with the original focus on overcoming suffering and desire.

💡Caravan

A caravan is a group of traders or travelers journeying together for mutual support and protection, often with pack animals carrying goods. Caravans were essential for long-distance trade on the Silk Road, stopping frequently in towns like Palmyra, which became wealthy from providing services to these travelers.

💡Disease

Disease spread along the Silk Road as interconnected populations came into contact. Notable diseases included measles, smallpox, and the bubonic plague, which had devastating impacts on populations, such as the Black Death that killed nearly half of Europe's population in the 14th century.

💡Globalization

Globalization refers to the increasing interconnectedness and interdependence of the world's markets and cultures. The Silk Road was an early example of globalization, as it facilitated the exchange of goods, ideas, and cultures across vast distances, much like the modern global economy.

💡Merchants

Merchants are individuals who buy and sell goods for profit. On the Silk Road, merchants played a crucial role in transporting goods between different regions, often becoming wealthy and influential. Their support for Buddhist monasteries and the political clout they gained exemplify their impact on the societies they interacted with.

Highlights

Introduction by John Green, discussing the global journey of a t-shirt, emphasizing the interconnectedness of modern trade.

Explanation of the Silk Road's misnomer, as it was neither a road nor made of silk, but a vast network of trade routes.

The significant impact of the Silk Road on global trade, expanding the scope and connections between different regions.

The role of silk in China's economy, including its uses for clothing, fishing line, and early writing material before paper.

Silk as a luxury item that symbolized wealth, and how it was initially produced exclusively in China.

Diverse goods traded on the Silk Road, including Mediterranean olives, Chinese jade and iron, Indian cotton, and Arabian incense.

The rise of Central Asian nomads as important players in Silk Road trade due to their mobility and trading skills.

The Kushan Empire's pivotal role in Silk Road trade, becoming a major hub in the second and third centuries CE.

Economic impact of the Silk Road on non-elite populations through increased silk production and other trades.

The Silk Road's role in spreading ideas, notably the spread of Buddhism from India to other parts of Asia.

Mahayana Buddhism's evolution, including the Buddha's divinity and the concept of multiple heavens.

Monasteries along the Silk Road serving as trade hubs and spiritual insurance for merchants.

The spread of diseases such as measles, smallpox, and the bubonic plague via the Silk Road, with devastating impacts on populations.

Discussion on how the interconnectedness of populations through the Silk Road parallels modern globalization.

The end of the episode with a mention of Julius Caesar as the next topic and an open letter to billionaires highlighting the relentless pursuit of wealth.

Transcripts

Hi there, I’m John Green, this is Crash Course: World History, and today we’re

gonna talk about the Silk Road, so called because it was not a road and not made of silk.

So this is a t-shirt. It was designed in Belgium and contains cotton from both Brazil and the

Texas, which was turned into cloth in China, stitched in Haiti, screen-printed in the Washington,

sold to me in Indiana, and now that I am too fat to wear it, it will soon make its way

to Cameroon or Honduras or possibly even back to Haiti.

Can we just pause for a moment to consider the astonishing fact that most t-shirts see

more of the World than most of us do—

Mr. Green Mr. Green the t-shirt can’t see the world because they don’t have eyes—

Look, me from the past, it’s difficult for me to isolate what I hate most about you because

there is so much to hate.

But very near the top is your relentless talent for ignoring everything that is interesting

and beautiful about our species in favor of pedantic sniveling in which no one loses or

gains anything of value.

I’m gonna go put on a collared shirt because we’re here to tackle the big picture.

[theme music]

So the silk road didn’t begin trade, but it did radically expand its scope, and the

connections that were formed by mostly unknown merchants arguably changed the world more

than any political or religious leaders.

It was especially cool If you were rich, because you finally had something to spend your money

on other than temples. But even if you weren’t rich, the Silk Road reshaped the lives of

everyone living in Africa and Eurasia, as we will see today. Let’s go straight to the Thought Bubble.

As previously mentioned, the silk road was not a road. It’s not like archaeologists

working in Uzbekistan have uncovered a bunch of yield signs and baby on board stickers.

It was an overland route where merchants carried goods for trade.

But it was really two routes: One that connected the Eastern Mediterranean to Central Asia

and one that went from Central Asia to China.

Further complicating things, the Silk Road involved sea routes: Many goods reached Rome

via the Mediterranean,

and goods from Central Asia found their way across the Pacific to Japan and even Java.

So we shouldn’t think of the Silk Road as a road but rather as a network of trade routes.

But just as now, the goods traveled more than the people who traded them: Very few traders

traversed the entire silk road: Instead, they’d move back and forth between towns, selling

to traders who’d take the goods further toward their destination, with everybody marking

up prices along the way.

So what’d they trade? Well silk, for starters. For millennia, silk was only produced in China.

It is spun from the cocoons of mulberry tree-eating worms and the process of silk making as well

as the techniques for raising the worms were closely guarded secrets, since the lion’s

share of China’s wealth came from silk production.

The Chinese used silk as fishing line, to buy off nomadic raiders to keep things peaceful,

and to write before they invented paper.

But as an export, silk was mostly used for clothes: Silk clothing feels light in the

summer and warm in the winter, and until we invented $700 pre-distressed designer jeans,

decking yourself out in silk was the #1 way to show people that you were wealthy.

Thanks, Thought Bubble. But the silk road wasn’t all about silk.

The Mediterranean exported such cliched goods as olives, olive oil, wine, and mustachioed plumbers.

China also exported raw materials like jade, silver, and iron. India exported

fine cotton textiles; the ivory that originated in East Africa made its way across the Silk Road;

And Arabia exported incense and spices and tortoise shells. Oh, god, it’s a red one,

isn’t it? It’s just gonna chase me, I just--- Ow.

Up until now on Crash Course we’ve been focused on city-dwelling civilizational types,

but with the growth of the silk road, the nomadic people of Central Asia suddenly become

much more important to world history.

Most of Central Asia isn’t great for agriculture, but it’s difficult to conquer, unless you

are, wait for it -- The Mongols.

It also lends itself fairly well to herding, and since nomads are definitionally good at

moving around, they’re also good at moving stuff from Point A to Point B, which makes them good traders.

Plus all their travel made them more resistant to diseases.

One group of such nomads, the Yuezhi, were humiliated in battle in the 2nd century BCE

by their bitter rivals the Xiongnu, who turned the Yuezhi king’s skull into a drinking cup, in fact.

And in the wake of that the Yuezhi migrated to Bactria and started the Kushan Empire in

what is now Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Although silk road trading began more than a century before the birth of Jesus, it really took

off in the second and third centuries CE, and the Kushan Empire became a huge hub for that silk road trade.

By then, nomads were being eclipsed by professional merchants who travelled the silk roads, often

making huge profits, but those cities that had been founded by nomadic peoples became hugely important.

They continued to grow, because most of the trade on the Silk Road was by caravan, and

those caravans had to stop frequently, you know, for like food and water and prostitutes.

These towns became fantastically wealthy: One, Palmyra, was particularly important because

all of the incense and silk that travelled to Rome had to go through Palmyra.

Silk was so popular among the Roman elite that the Roman senate repeatedly tried to ban it,

complaining about trade imbalances caused by the silk trade and also that silk was inadequately modest.

To quote Seneca the Younger, “I see clothes of silk, if materials that do not hide the body, nor even

one's decency, can be called clothes,”

he also said of the woman who wears silk, “her husband has no more acquaintance than

any outsider or foreigner with his wife's body."

And yet all attempts to ban silk failed, which speaks to how much,

even in the ancient world, wealth shaped governance.

And with trade, there was a way to become wealthy without being a king or lord who takes

part of what your citizens produce.

The merchant class that grew along with the Silk Road came to have a lot of political

clout, and in some ways that began the tension that we still see today between wealth and politics. Whether

it’s, you know, corporations making large donations or Vladimir Putin periodically jailing billionaires.

Mr. Putin, I just want to state for the record that I did not mean that in any way, I was -- Stan wrote that joke.

Oh, it’s time for the Open Letter.

An Open Letter to Billionaires:

But first, let’s see what’s in the Secret Compartment today. Oh, it’s some fake silk;

the stuff that put real silk out of business.

Dear Billionaires, I’ve wrapped myself in the finest of polyester so that you will take my message seriously.

Here at Crash Course we’ve done a lot of research into our demographics and our show

is watched primarily by Grammar Nazis, Muggle Quidditch Players, People Who Have a Test

Tomorrow, and Billionaires.

I have a message for you Billionaires: It will never be enough. You’re relentless

yearning is going to kill us all.

Best wishes, John Green

Speaking of billionaires, the goods that travelled on the Silk Road really only changed the lives

of rich people. Did the Silk Road affect the rest of us? Yes, for three reasons.

First, wider economic impact. Relatively few people could afford silk, but a lot of people

devoted their lives to making that silk.

And as the market for silk grew, more and more people chose to go into silk production

rather than doing something else with their lives.

Second, the Silk Road didn’t just trade luxury goods. In fact, arguably the most important

thing traded along the Silk Road: ideas.

For example, the Silk Road was the primary route for the spread of Buddhism.When we last

saw the Buddha’s Eight-Fold Path to escaping the cycle of suffering and desire that's inherent

to humans, it was beginning to dwindle in India.

But through contacts with other cultures and traditions, Buddhism grew and flourished and

became one of the great religious traditions of the world.

The variation of Buddhism that took root in China, Korea, Japan, and Central Asia is known

as Mahayana Buddhism, and it differed from the original teachings of the Buddha in many

ways, but one that was fundamental. For Mahayana Buddhists, the Buddha was divine. (I mean,

we can—and religious historians do—fight over the exact definition of divine, but in

Mahayanna Buddhism, there’s no question that the Buddha is venerated to a greater degree.

The idea of Nirvana also transformed from a release from that cycle of suffering and

desire to something much more heavenly and frankly more fun, and in some versions of

Mahayana Buddhism, there are lots of different heavens, each more awesome than the last.

Rather than focusing on the fundamental fact of suffering, Mahayana Buddhism offered the

hope that through worship of the Buddha, or one of the many bodhisattvas – holy people

who could have achieved nirvana but chose to hang out on Earth with us because they’re

super nice– one could attain a good afterlife.

Many merchants on the silk road became strong supporters of monasteries which in turn became

convenient weigh stations for caravans.

And by endowing the monasteries, rich merchants were buying a form of supernatural insurance;

Monks who lived in the monasteries would pray for the success of trade missions and the

health of their patrons. It was win-win, especially when you consider that one of the central

materials used in Mahayana Buddhist rituals is … silk.

And a third reason the silk road changed all our lives, worldwide interconnectedness of

populations led to the spread of disease.

Measles and Smallpox traveled along it, as did bubonic plague, which came from the East

to the West in 534, 750, and—most devastatingly—in 1346.

This last plague—known as the Black Death—resulted in the largest population decimation in human

history, with nearly half of Europeans dying in a four-year period.

A sizable majority of people living in Italy died as did two-thirds of Londoners.

And it quite possibly wouldn’t have happened without the Silk Road. If you were living

in London during the fourteenth century, you probably didn’t blame the Silk Road for

your community’s devastation, but it played a role.

If you look at it that way, the interconnectedness fostered by Silk Road affected way, way more

people than just those rich enough to buy silk, just as today’s globalization offers

both promise and threat to each of us.

Next week we’ll talk about Julius Caesar and in what situation, if any, it’s okay

to stab your friend in the gut. Until then, thanks for watching.

Crash Course is produced and directed by Stan Muller, our script supervisor is Danica Johnson.

Our graphics team is Thought Bubble and the show is written by my high school history

teacher Raoul Meyer and myself.

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Oh, hey. Remember that Mongols shirt from the beginning of the episode? In addition

to being a joke, it's a shirt!

So many of you requested Mongols shirts that WE ARE GIVING THEM TO YOU!

They are now available for pre-order at DFTBA.com, link in the video

info below, so you can show your love for Crash Course or Mongols or exceptions.