History of the silk road

The Silk Road was an European/Asian trade route that helped The Romes expand their Empire and spread European culture into Asia. It stretched 4,000 miles from China to Rome and down into Africa. The routes connected China to India, Persia, Arabia, Greece, Africa, and the Roman Empire. Some routes were on land and some routes were on the sea. The routes on land were very rugged, barren terrain where many bandit attacks took place on merchants. To decrease the amount of attacks, merchants traveled in big groups of people, or caravans, stopping at stations along the way. The Merchants traveled part of the way, then traded goods with other merchants from distant lands that were then traded to other merchants in the distance. Most of the goods that were traded were luxury goods, which were often small and valuable. Caravans headed towards China often had gold, silver, ivory, gems, glass bottles, dates, saffron powder, pistachio nuts, frankincense, myrrh, sandalwood, woolen goods, carpets, curtains, blankets, rugs, military equipment, wool skins, cotton fabrics, wool, gold embroidery, exotic fruits, fat-tailed sheep, hunting dogs, leopards, and lions. Coming out of China was lacquer ware, porcelain, jade, bronze, fur, and silk. Salt and lapis lazuli that came from Afghanistan and copper and tin that came from Iran were traded as well. Trade was then part of the Roman, Middle Eastern, and Asian cultures. The different cultures of all of the countries who were involved in the Silk Road system intertwined to create new cultures that consisted of all different cultures. Roman artisans replaced yarn with plain silk cloths from China to make clothes for women. China’s wealth skyrocketed as they gave the