Stories Worth Telling:

The Great Silk Road

This 12,000 kilometer-long trade route is a historical link from the East to the West, from China to the Mediterranean Sea. It served to transport not only a variety of goods, but also knowledge, ideas and religion.

People began traveling the network of trade routes in the second century B.C. and it was used for about 1,600 years until other avenues by sea were discovered. As you can see, it was not a single road, but rather a network of trade routes—some more developed and safer than others.

Much more than silk was transported including things like furs, porcelain, glass, gold, silver, ivory, and spices. These and other commodities were taken overland on caravans ranging from 100 to 1,000 camels. Each animal was weighed down with around 500 pounds of goods.

The trek was a dangerous and difficult one. Common challenges included the inhospitable environment, the formidable terrain and the risk of attack by bandits.

Silk was especially popular with the Romans, and for them the route heading east was seen as a “route for silk,” rather than for the other valuables traded at the time. But it wasn’t until the 19th century that this trade route was given the name by which we call it today.

For further reading:

• An essay by Dr. Oliver Wild, USC Irivine
• Travel China Guide
• Silk Road Hotels
• San Jose State University
• Humboldt State University