silk roads

From about 200 BCE to 1500 CE, people in Eurasia (Europe and Asia) traded goods and shared ideas and culture along a network of trade routes called the

silk roads

Big empires like the Han, Parthian, Roman, and Mongol kept order and stability over large areas

• They built roads, bridges, and other projects that made travel and trade easier.

• Because these empires grew so large, they ended up near each other, connecting different regions.

Between the 1st and 3rd centuries CE, the Roman Empire traded with Eastern regions (like India and China).

Goods, ideas, and culture moved along routes connecting Rome with these distant lands.

the Mongols, led by Genghis Khan and later his descendants

started in Central Asia (Mongolia) and eventually controlled most of Eurasia, from China in the east to Eastern Europe in the west.

• Conquered vast lands, creating the largest land empire in history.

• Built roads and protected trade routes (especially the Silk Road), making travel and trade safer.

• Connected many cultures: ideas, goods, and people moved across the empire.

Marco Polo

• merchant from Venice.

• He traveled to China with his father and uncle from 1271 to 1295.

• In China, he worked at the court of Kublai Khan, the Mongol ruler.

• His adventures were written down by Rustichello da Pisa in a book called “The Travels of Marco Polo”, published around 1300.

where did Marco Polo work

he worked at the court of Kublai Khan, in China

Missionaries traveled to spread religion and do diplomacy

William of Rubruck (1250s), Oderic of Pordenone (1316–30), and Giovanni di Marignolli (1339–53) were Franciscans who went to China.

Religions along the Silk Road included

• Nestorian Christianity in Central and Eastern Asia during the Tang and Yuan dynasties.

  • Example: the Nestorian Stele in Xi’an (781 CE) shows their presence.

• Manichaeism, founded by Mani (216–272 CE), which mixed ideas from Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Buddhism.

Manichaeism

founded by Mani (216-272 CE), which mixed ideas from Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Buddhism

William of Rubruck (1250s) missionary

a Franciscan sent from Europe to the Mongols.

Oderic of Pordenone (1316–1330) missionary

traveled through Asia for both religion and diplomacy.

Giovanni di Marignolli (1339–1353)

also a Franciscan, worked in the Mongol court.

Nestorian Christianity

• A branch of Christianity that spread into Central and Eastern Asia during the Tang (618–907) and Yuan (1271–1368) dynasties.

• Evidence: the Nestorian Stele in Xi’an (781 CE), which records their presence in China.

The Silk Road had many religious sites, showing how both Buddhism and Islam spread along these trade routes.

• Ajina Tepe Buddhist Monastery – a place for Buddhist worship and learning.

• Shah Fazil Mausoleum – a Muslim tomb.

• Id Kah Mosque – a major Muslim mosque.

• Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves / Caves of the Thousand Buddhas – Buddhist cave temples with many Buddha statues and paintings.

• Famen Temple – a Buddhist temple in China.

• Kumbum Monastery – a large Buddhist monastery.

• Dongguan Mosque – a Muslim mosque in China.

The Silk Roads were trade routes that connected

China, Central Asia, India, and beyond

Buddhism spread along these routes from

India to China and other parts of Asia.

Xuanzang

famous Chinese monk in the 7th century CE who traveled to India to study Buddhism and bring back sacred texts. Xuanzang used the Silk Roads to travel, study, and spread Buddhism from India to China.

Dunhuang

city in China along the Silk Road

Mogao Caves

a series of Buddhist caves near Dunhuang Inside the caves are thousands of paintings and statues that show Buddhist stories, art, and culture.

• They were built over many centuries as a place for worship, meditation, and learning.

Bamiyan Buddhas

• giant statues of Buddha carved into cliffs in Bamiyan, Afghanistan.

• They were made in the 6th century CE and showed how Buddhism spread along the Silk Road.

• The statues were very tall and were important religious and cultural symbols for travelers and local Buddhists.

Samarkand

major Silk Road city where trade and culture from many places came together

city in Uzbekistan

Silk Road network facilitated commercial exchange and cultural spread across Eurasia during which time period?

2nd century BCE through 1500 CE

Nestorian Stele (781 CE) found in Xi'an is cited as

as concrete evidence of the presence and growth of Nestorian Christianity in China.

Parthian Empire as one of the four key empires (with Han, Roman, and Mongol)

that provided early order and stability for the routes.

Syncretism refers

the blending of religious or cultural beliefs and practices, which Manichaeism did with Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Buddhism.