The Silk Road

The Silk Road was not actually a road. It was not paved. It was not even a single route. 

The Silk Road was a name given to any route that led across China to Rome. It was a 4000-mile trip. At one end was China. At the other end was Rome. Each had something the other wanted. Rome had gold and silver and precious gems. China had silk and spices and ivory. Ideas also traveled along the Silk Road, ideas that affected everyone.

The Romans were not surprised to find another civilization hidden over the mountains. They had been looking for “the Silk People” for a long time. They discovered pieces of silk from the people they conquered. Silk quickly became popular in Rome. But the Romans did not know who was making this wonderful material. The people they conquered did not know who was making silk either. They simply traded for it. 

The Romans sent out people to find the makers, but they never did. Most never returned. When the Eagle (sign of Rome) finally met the Dragon (sign of China), you can imagine how excited they were. The rewards were great, but the dangers were many. It was incredibly dangerous to travel along the Silk Road. You faced desolate white-hot sand dunes in the desert, forbidding mountains, brutal winds, and poisonous snakes.  There was one nice section, called the Gansu Corridor, a relatively fertile strip that ran along the base of one of the mountains. But, to reach this strip, you had to cross the desert or the mountains. And of course, there were always bandits and pirates.  

Very few traders made the whole trip. They worked in relays. Each trader would go a certain distance, exchange their goods for other goods, and hopefully return. The next would move along the road, trade, and hopefully return.  There were three main routes, and all were dangerous.

• Northern Route – Westward to Black Sea
• Central Route – Westward to Persia, Mediterranean Sea, Rome
• Southern Route – Westward to Iran, India

The Silk Road took caravans to the farthest extent of the Han Empire. Sections of the Great Wall were built along the northern side of the Gansu Corridor to try and prevent bandits from the north from harming the trade.

Over the centuries, the Silk Road developed a civilization of its own. Where possible, the Silk Road became lined with huge temples and booming cities. But there were still vast stretches of deserts and mountains to cross, with no city or water in sight. It was never easy to travel the Silk Road.

Sounds of the Silk Road 

Silk Road Fables  

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