![]() Introduce the concept of “cultural diffusion,” a term used in sociology to describe the spread of ideas and customs from one culture to another. Segue to the Silk Road as a vehicle for the spread of ideas and culture by reading or re-reading the last section of the Ancient History Encyclopedia article. Encourage students to debate which of these trade goods was most important, defending their choices. Silk was one of the more expensive and popular items traded along the Silk Road: thus, the name “Silk Road.” But was it really the MOST important item exchanged on those trade routes? Have students read all or part of the Ancient History Encyclopedia article on the Silk Road and discuss the other goods that were moved along the routes from East to West and from West to East. How did the Silk Road get its name? Prompt students to speculate and talk about the unique nature and value of silk. How was the purpose of the caravanserai the same? Different? Encourage students to speculate: “ How might the caravanserais have contributed to the spread of not just material goods, but ideas and cultures as well?” As an extension, have students read Paul Salopek’s blog post from Out of Eden Walk titled “ Relic Walls of the Ancient Silk Road.” Questions to consider: What were some of the positives outcomes of the globalization encouraged by the Silk Road and the caravanserais? The negative outcomes? Did the positives outweigh the negatives? Next, in pairs or small groups, students should compare and contrast caravanserais to hotels, inns, or bed-and-breakfast establishments they have seen or stayed in. Have students use the internet to search for other examples of surviving caravanserais or imagined reconstructions of existing ruins, then elaborate on the distinguishing features of caravanserais. Explain that caravanserais were hotel-fortress hybrids that sprang up along trade routes through Silk Road countries. Reveal that it was, in fact, a “hotel” of sorts for travelers on the Silk Road. Encourage students to speculate on the purpose of the structure. Have students utilize Google Earth Street View to view images of Tash Rabat (40★0'05.25" N 75☁7'36.35" E), a well-preserved fifteenth century caravanserai in Kyrgyzstan. Have students read Paul’s post from the Ustyurt Plateau in Western Kazakhstan: “ To Walk this Wilderness, Carry a Shovel.” Use the reading to answer this guiding question: “ Why would a shovel be so important when traveling the Silk Road in Western Kazakhstan?” If time permits, have the students briefly journal about whether they would have wanted to travel through such a challenging environment as part of a caravan for the sake of making a profit. In groups, have students brainstorm what some of the difficulties of traveling through this landscape by horse or camel caravans would have been (exposure to bad weather vulnerability to bandits or scarcity of water, food sources, or forage for animals). ![]() Discuss the geography of the “Stans” through which he walks: steppe, grassland, arid desert, and mountains. ![]() As you scroll through the images of Paul’s Silk Road journey together, first have students search and fly to the location in question on Google Earth, then ask students to look back at the blog to make observations about the types of landscapes Paul passes through in Central Asia. Provide them with an overview of the Silk Road section of Paul’s journey using the map to the right of the screen. National Geographic Fellow Paul Salopek is traveling the globe on foot, covering 34,000 kilometers (21,000 miles) from Ethiopia in Africa to Patagonia in South America as he retraces the migration paths of our ancient ancestors. Have students navigate to Chapter Four of the Out of Eden Walk blog. He is the author of Konstantinopel und Damaskus: Gesandtschaften und Verträge zwischen Kaisern und Kalifen 639–750(Berlin, 1996) and The Ḥaram of Jerusalem 324–1099 (Freiburg i.Br., 2002), and the coeditor of the Arabic Papyrology Database ((2006) and Documentary Letters from the Middle East: The Evidence in Greek, Coptic, South Arabian, Pehlevi, and Arabic (1st–15th c CE) (Berne, 2008).National Geographic Fellow Paul Salopek on the Silk Road (1986) in History and Arabic studies and Habilitation (2001) in Islamic studies, both from the University of Zurich, is an Assistant Professor at the Oriental Institute, University of Zurich. He is the author of Mapping Chengde (Honolulu, 2000) and La véritable histoire d’une montagne plus haute que l’Himalaya (Paris, 2004), and the coeditor of La Haute-Asie telle qu’ils l’ont vue (Geneva, 2003) and New Qing Imperial History (London, 2004).Īndreas Kaplony, Dr. (1992) in Geography, University of Chicago, is a Researcher at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology of Zurich and an Associate Professor at the University of Nottingham.
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