|
In a centuries-old history of a human civilization there will be many examples of mutually advantageous cultural and economic exchanges between countries and peoples with various religious and ethnic traditions. However, the most unique such an example is the Great Silk Road. The Great Silk Road is the so-called trading road which stretched from the coasts of the Atlantic Ocean to the coasts of the Pacific, crossing the entire Eurasian continent and connecting the countries of the Mediterranean with the Far East. The activity of this great trading road lasted from the II century BC till the end of the XVII century AD. It was not simply a trading road - it was a so-called cultural-economic bridge between the East and the West, connecting various peoples in their aspiration to peaceful cooperation.
On the road of caravans trading and craft settlements, caravan-sarays, rich cities arose and developed. Merchants, travelers and pilgrims travelling along these roads, spread not only goods, but also new religions, customs, manufacture of products. Till the II century BC the road from Europe to Asia broke at the borders of China. From the end of the second century BC the Chinese start to come into the first trading contacts. In 138 BC a Chinese dignitary Chzhan Tsjan came with diplomatic mission to Central Asia. The task of his mission was to convince nomads of the Yuedji tribe to become allies of the Chinese Han Empire in the struggle against nomads of Syunni, who had attacked the empire from the north.
On returning Chzhan Tsjan told the emperor about the unique countries to the West of China. He told about the developed craft and agriculture of the cities of Central Asia which traded with India and the Middle East. He also informed the emperor about the thoroughbred tall horses which were beyond any comparison with undersized Chinese horses. The people of these lands were not familiar with the culture of silkworm and were not able to manufacture silk. The emperor had a burning desire to have such horses, as the possession of them would give him huge advantages in the struggle against nomads, and to exchange them for silk. In 121 BC the first caravan with silk and bronze mirrors went along the spurs of Tien-Shan to the Fergana oasis.
Thus, the last decade of the second century BC is considered to be the date of birth of the Great Silk Road. Besides silk, the Chinese carried with them metal products which they exchanged for horses, nephrite, coral and other goods of the Central Asian manufacture. So trade relations between Central Asia and China gradually began to develop and become stronger.
The Great Silk Road had several routes which passed through different passes in mountain ridges and bypassed deserts. Though routes of the Silk Road varied, it is possible to allocate two basic lines connecting the East and the West:
Southern road — from the north of China through Central Asia to the Middle East and Northern India;
- Northern road — from the north of China through the Pamirs and the near of the Aral Sea to the Bottom Volga and to the pool of the Black sea.
Between southern and northern roads there were many intermediate routes and branches and basic routes moved either to the northern, or to the southern road. The main goods, which merchants carried from China, Central Asia long time were: the Chinese silk, jewels, pearls, exotic ornaments, expensive faience and china dishes, pepper, spices.
In Europe people long time thought that silk grows on trees because only the Chinese knew the secret of silk-weaving cultures. During the period of Augusto’s rule Rome paid off with woolen goods, spices and glass products for the Chinese silk. The Chinese did not have reasons to deny these legends as thereby they provided to themselves strong monopoly of this expensive fabric.
The Parthians through whose territory trade went, in the same way did not consider it necessary to give out the secret of manufacturing of silk, as they got considerable profit from trade.
Under the influence of China weaving and paper manufacturing began to develop in Central Asia silk, and China in its turn conceived from Central Asia cultivation of grapes, a lucerne, onions, cotton, a pomegranate, a walnut, a fig tree and cucumbers.
The name "Great Silk Road" was introduced into historical science by the scientists of the XIX century after the German traveler and historian K.Rihtgofen wrote the book "China" in 1877, in which he named for the first time this trading road as "Great Silk Road". Extent of the Great Silk Road was 12 thousand kilometers; therefore very few merchants passed this entire road completely. In general, they moved, replacing each other, and exchanged the goods at the points on this road.
Political stability was necessary for the successful functioning of the Silk Road on all extent of the road, from the east Mediterranean to China. Internal wars and decline of the central power led to the ruin of some cities on trading roads and to the robbery of caravans. It brought even to the destruction of several branches of the Silk Road.
The decline of the Great Silk Road is connected, first of all, with the development of trading navigation along the coasts of the Middle East, Southern and South East Asia.
In the XIV-XVth centuries sea trade became more attractive and preferable to the dangerous overland caravan routes. As a result of these factors to the XVI century the Great Silk Road definitively stopped existing. However, some branches of the Silk Road still continued functioning for a long time (for example, caravan trade between Central Asia and China stopped only in the 18 century).
The history of the Great Silk Road is considered today as an actual experience of mutually advantageous trade and peace cultural dialogue of the different countries and peoples. |
