Introduction
The Silk Road or silk route was a trade route across East, South, Western Asia and Afro-Eurasia (Xinru 2010, 17). This route was named after the major commodity traded-silk. This route was very significant for the development of China, Egypt, Arabia and Rome. Silk was the major trade from China, alongside tea, spices and porcelain, other goods traded included perfume, hemp and satin, gold. Silver, glass and these goods would travel to major oasis trade towns end to end (Xinru 2010, p.18).
The merchants business flourished with this arrangement and they kept enriching themselves from the trade exchange (Gordon 2010, p.169). The first attempt to open up the East was pioneered by Alexander, which came with the Alexander’s empire in Central Asia. Soon after the Romans and Egyptians joined in the silk trade route and explored East and Central Asia (Xinru 2010, p.18)
The silk route trade influenced in many ways the central Asian countries, and played a part in shaping the Asian societies. It is indeed true that cultural, economic and political aspects were developed as a result of the silk trade route (Stewart 2008, p.176).
The rise of the trade saw the people in these societies begin to adopt several settings and lifestyles borrowed from the merchants who came and settled and brought in different goods like gold, silver, glass and hemp for trade (Xinru 2010, p.18). Civilization also was established in the process because the trade route attracted many philosophers who came up with the Mongolian symbols that developed writing. The philosophers began teaching the locals how to read and write.
International trade was able to attract historians from Persian and Arabic states who also came to establish and discover the basis of the trade route and also try to connect the Mongolian history. The silk trade did have a great impact on the Mongolian’s economy. The merchant business continued even after Genghis, where they would bring clothes, food and other supplies and the Great Khan would exclude them from paying tax (Xinru 2010, p.21).
The Mongolian empire was able to benefit from the goods brought in and later they began to charge the merchants taxes. The economy became stable and competition arose in the market.
The merchants could sometimes face losses due to bandits on the road but the losses were recovered from the Mongolian treasury and so the Mongolian empire could work through its losses to stability (Xinru 2010, p.22).The losses also came due to delays of shipments. People preferred the camel as the mode of transport because it was the safest despite being slow. However sometimes merchants were faced with desert storm, daytime heat, sick camels and floods while transporting their wares for trading.
The Silk Road played an important role in developing the Mongolian’s economy, because of the weight and measures used. Metals like tin copper and iron were measured in pounds, just like silk and saffron. Horses and ox-hides were sold by the piece and common stuff such as salt, spices were measured by the picco.
The trade was mainly in barter trade but after the Chinese conquered Xiongnu, coins were later to be introduced as a legal mode of exchange. Textiles, grain, animals, metals and carpets were the main commodities used to trade for other goods. However, people began accepting the coin, for exchanged people could pay loans in coin or with commodities.
East central Asian Merchants began to pay taxes using the coin, and it became an acceptable medium of exchange. In kashgar goods could still be traded with other goods but they were valued in terms of coin to reach an agreement. This came in handy to ward off the limitations of trade due to the different medium of exchange and different units of account.
Political forces
The international trade loosened the political stability leading to the fall of the Mongolian empire. The Mongolians had captured most of the route trades and saw the entry and exit of merchants bringing in goods for trade and carrying out. However, they did not abandon their nomadic lifestyle. (Xinru 2010, p. 60)
The silk trade route also brought about political instability in china; this was because many tribes wanted to have control over the major trading routes. Ban Chao at one point gathered 70,000 men mounted with horses and Calvary to oppose the harassment along the silk route by Xiongnu (Xinru 2010, p.60).
The Uirghurus were to benefit from the purchase of horses because the Chinese bought them at a price of 38 to 40 pieces of silk for one horse. The Chinese in a year would buy 7500 horses and this made it possible for Uirghurus to be wealthy and powerful. For a long time Xiongnu harassed merchants who used the silk route and they would demand goods to access the trade route.
People along these routes also flee due to the constant war, between Xiongnu and members from other tribes. Xiongnu was later defeated by the Ban Chao warriors and fled to Caspian Sea, and they were no longer traced for many years.
The Romans also conquered Egypt in order to have access to the Southeast Asia, India, and Sri Lanka and China route (Stewart, 2008, p. 61). The Romans were attracted to the silk produced by the Chinese and wanted close trade in order to import the silk. They valued the silk and always believed that it grew in trees, and they began to spread across continents like Europe and the whole of Asia to acquire the silk. International trade was made regular and the Romans kept close contact guarding the silk route with great power.
The years after 760’s had the Chinese fall out with the Tibetans because of the principal commercial routes. The Tibetans beat the Chinese and controlled the trade route for 30 years. The Tibetans were to fall victims during the summer when the Chinese attacked and regained a significant portion of the commercial route.
Later the Turkmeni seized the silk trade routes and the Mongolian became separated and was defeated. The silk trade route then began shipping gunpowder and silk was no longer the main item traded (Xinru 2010, p.61)
Due to international trade, china was exposed and many tribes kept trying to seize the trade route, which brought instability in the region.
Cultural forces
Culture can be translated as something that is passed on and taught, the people being influenced have to learn the culture. International trade was able to influence the Mongolian’s culture in many ways. The Mongolians for starters began adopting Christianity from the roman sand Islamic from the Arabs (Xinru 2010, p. 69).
Most of the Mongolians were either Buddhist or maanichaesits followers but were tolerant to other religions.
The Buddhist faith culture traveled through the silk trade route and slowly entered China, the faith was spread by foreign Buddhist preachers and traders who followed the Buddhism. Slowly small Buddhist statues, carves and decorations began emerging in china and later people began to build small temples (Xinru 2010, p.62).
Artist who came in China sold to the people the charts and drawings and people found the Buddhism religion easy to relate with. This way the people picked up the religion and it spread all over the empire. Soon Buddhism was a recognized religion in china and it had attracted many followers to its faith.
There are some Arab Muslim travelers such as Abu Zayd who travelled along with others as far as China through Iraq, Oman and then the sea. The sayed travellor was going to seek justice from the emperor in China against a functionary who had wronged him. Other Muslim travelers also began to travel by land far into China and were able to influence the natives to join their religion.
Modern technologies of cultivation were also interchanged with the China learning good practices from foreign farmers who settled on how to carry out large-scale farming. China had vast land, good climate and very fertile soil and foreign merchants taught China how to go about farming with technology.
The merchants who settled in China as traders were later to teach the Mongolians the alphabet and established the Mongolian writing symbols which led them to civilization. Philosophers who settled in the empire began to teach the locals how to read and write, and Mongolians adopted the alphabetical letters in their dialect (Stewart 2008, p.185). Slaves also got to read and write and this established a few more philosophers travelling East Asia spreading civilization across Asia.
The Mongolians deserted nomadic settled and formed an empire that inculcated everyone (Xinru 2010, p. 70). The use of gold, perfume and glass was introduced by the Romans and the Mongolians quickly adopted this lifestyle. The gold was used to make jewellery and utensils and was adopted in rich households (Stewart 2008, p.188).
Summary
The Silk Road played a major role in influencing the Asian society, its influence carries along to the modern date, because they lay foundations of today’s society. The route brought civilization to Rome, China and India, and good was transverse between countries up to the Middle East.
Religion was spread through the route with Buddhism, Christianity and Islam been spread right across it and people were influenced to follow. The merchants and travelers were responsible for spreading the various religions which the locals embraced and passed on to future generations.
International trade however did cause political instability as a result of wanting to control the trade route. The Xiongnu nomads cause a lot of instability and war to gain control over the route trade, and to extort money from the merchants. The trade route however, did a lot of good because traders were able to sell their wares at a good price improving their standards of living.
The Silk Road route caused most societies to close on their political structures and cultural practices and assimilate new practices. The education given to the people by the philosophers and the cultural influenced was bound to change the qualities of the natives values and beliefs.
References
Stewart, G. (2008) When Asia was the world. New York, Da Capo Press.
Xinru, L. (2010) The silk road in world history. New York, Oxford University Press University.