The Silk Road of The Han Dynasty is The Most Important Trade Route in The World

Imagine going back in 202 BCE and trying to get to a certain destination not knowing how far you have to travel. During this time women didn't really have a say so in things they had to listen to the person who was head of the house. The Chinese and Roman empires had it a little rough, but thankfully they made roads. The Chinese empire made the Silk Road which the name came from them being well known for their silk. The Roman Empire built the straight Roman Roads. It made life better for many regions, so they could travel, communicate, and learn new things such as in new religions, cultures, goods, and more.

The Silk Road of the Han dynasty is the most important trade route in the world. The road is connected to India, the Middle East, and Southern Europe. At one point they had to make the Silk Road into two branches because it ended up in a dangerous desert. 'It spread goods, ideas, and technologies between cultures with no contact.' With traveling it was easy for their animals to carry their goods. People buy or sell silk, pottery, spices, and more. The Chinese people bought spices, wines, and horses from other stations one time and then reproduce it and sell it back to them. If China can't reproduce the goods, then they just buy it. For example, Egypt balloon glass, which was only bought by wealthy people, pearls that were from the Red Sea, Baltic which is a stone, and an orangey color amber. China made things handmade and everybody wanted it, so they were rich. They sell tea leaves, spices, porcelain, and silk that were used for clothes, drapes, and sheets. China really just wanted money, gold, and silver.

The Roman trade route was called Roman Roads. The Roman armies were powerful and they destroyed other countries. Augustus was the emperor which means he was the head of the army and he was responsible for the Roman Road system. In the text, it says that 'Augustus once traveled 180 miles in a single day over the Roman roads.' Augustus brought pax Romana for a two-hundred-year period to his empire and Rome with their economics and politics. The Romans took an enormous amount of land and it made it easier for the Roman to trade, but it was crucial for them too. They made the first modern highway road and they had marked milestones, so the people can know how far their destination is. Slaves had to do hard labor and do difficult work while making the roads. 'Roman engineers prepared a deep bed for their roads, edged them with curbs, provided for drainage, and then topped them off with large, flat paving stones.' Most importantly it helped provide them with a source of income for food. The roads were a way for the Roman to show their authority to others. 'Their main roads were large it was big enough to make a two-way lane out of it.' The road was connected all over the Roman empire. They had the technology and even moved water systems through tunnels. The builders made new roads so there can be traveling especially for their army and trading. 'Scholars estimate the combined length of the Roman roads was greater than 80,000 kilometers (50,000 miles).' 

Sea lanes helped China's merchants and sailors to have access to port things across their regions. Religions came through the sea lands which expanded through the regions. In classical times, the sea lanes in the Silk Roads were very busy. Romans took advantage of the sea lanes through the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea. The sea lanes helped them to keep 'communications with all regions of their empire.' Through the sea lanes, a plague came upon destroying some of the Romans.

The Silk Road was important because it helped the military to travel to different places. The Chinese people made a lot of money with selling their trade goods. 'These routes enabled the movement of traditions, innovations, ideologies, and languages.' The language they picked up in Chinese is Mandarin and Christianity, Buddhism, and Hinduism spread through the routes. Technology advances writing on scripts of bamboo which the paper is very thick. It was made from fibers and then they had to wet it, crisscross and beat them. The Romans 'integrated their empire by building networks of transportation and communication.' Traveling was much easier for the people and selling goods. The Romans' religion, Christianity which expanded throughout the regions and they adopted most religions of the people they take in.

In conclusion, the Chinese empire and the Romans were smart during these days. During the Han dynasty, they made money from their silk but after creating the Silk Road they made a lot more. The Romans had great road builders which made creating their Roman Roads successful. The roads made a way for society to be connected and expand with different regions. Trading helped the travelers learn new religions, ideas, and goods. To this day people can use the many roads and see how they changed.

Work Cited

1. Bentley, Jerry, et al. Traditions and Encounters. 4 Edition. Volume 1: to 1500.
2. TedEd: The Silk Road: Connecting the ancient world through trade, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vn3e37VWc0k&feature=youtu.be&t=2