Journeys Along The Silk Road

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Chapter 9 What were some of the chief destinations along the Silk Road, and what kinds of products and ideas traveled along the route? The Silk Road was a major trade route between India and Europe. Much of the trade that was done between India and Europe was transported through the Silk Road. From here, goods were shipped to Rome through the Persian Gulf or the Red Sea. Trade between India and Europe had begun long before the rise of the Roman Empire, but it extended during the first century when sailors figured out patterns of monsoon winds. Commerce between the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean was widespread and often lucrative. It resulted in the organization of quite a few small trading settlements along the Indian coast. Rome imported ivory, indigo, textiles, precious stones, and pepper from India and silk from China. The Romans occasionally paid cash for these items but also exported silver, wine, perfume, slaves, and glass and cloth from Egypt. Overall, Rome imported much more than it sold to the Far East. The Silk…show more content…
The Kushans infiltrated through the mountains north of the Indus River, where they ultimately formed a kingdom with its capital at Bactria. Over the next two centuries, the Kushans expanded their rule along the Indus River and into the central Ganges valley. The long journey of Buddhism began its journey in the Kushan kingdom. From here it traveled through the wastes of Central Asia to China and eastern Asia. As trade increased, merchants and missionaries streamed from Bactria over the trade routes roaming through the mountains toward the northeast. There were various rest stops along the trail where pilgrims fashioned statues and decorated mountain with frescoes illustrating the life of Buddha. One of the most remarkable of these centers was at Bamiyan, where believers carved two colossal statues of the Buddha out of a sandstone
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