The Silk Road Lecture Notes
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Vocabulary terms covering the commodities, key figures, strategic cities, and cultural impacts of the Silk Road trade network.
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15 Terms
Silk Road
A major trade route that carried lightweight, high-value luxury commodities and facilitated the exchange of religions, technologies, and pathogens across Eurasia.
Silk
The defining commodity of the Silk Road, highly prized by Roman and European elites for its texture and status.
Porcelain & Ceramics
Elegant Chinese "china" plates, vases, and bowls exported from East to West.
Tea
A commodity originally consumed for medicine and ritual before becoming a global staple.
The Sogdians
A Persian-speaking people from modern-day Uzbekistan and Tajikistan who were the premier merchants of the Silk Road from the 4th to the 8th centuries.
Paper & Gunpowder
Chinese inventions that fundamentally transformed global literacy, governance, and warfare.
Chang'an (Xi'an)
The eastern starting point of the Silk Road and capital of multiple Chinese dynasties; a massive cosmopolitan hub for foreign merchants, monks, and diplomats.
Horses
High-quality breeds from Central Asia that were vital for China's military cavalry.
Glassware
Roman blown glass, which was highly exotic and sought after in East Asia.
Frankincense & Myrrh
Fragrant resins from the Middle East used in religious ceremonies and perfumes.
Dunhuang
A vital oasis located at the edge of the brutal Taklamakan Desert where travelers prayed for safe passage or gave thanks for surviving the crossing.
Samarkand
The geographic heart of the Silk Road located in modern-day Uzbekistan; legendary for its architectural beauty and gardens.
Bubonic plague (Black Death)
A deadly disease that traveled along the same trade routes as merchant goods.
Sogdian language
The lingua franca (common business language) of Central Asian trade for centuries.
Merv, Bukhara, and Baghdad
Cities that acted as intellectual magnets during the Islamic Golden Age where scholars gathered to synthesize mathematical, astronomical, and medical knowledge.