GLOBAL CONTACTS: NEW TRADE PARTNERS THE OPENING OF 8 THE S ILK R OAD OUl'ing the earl y H an elynast y (20 6 G, c. E.- 220 C.E.) , Chill ese emperors began to se nel large amounts o f silk-tor both d iplomdtic and commerc ial reasons-to the nomacls of Central Asia, es pec iall )1 th e Xiongnu. Within a short time, some at th is si lk (OLllld its way, by m ea ns at a type at relay traci e, to Ro me. Modern sc ho lars reter to th e East-Wes t rOLi tes on w hich th e fabric, and oth er commoci iti es, move ci as the Sil k Road, By 100 C. E. , th e lan ci ro ute s linking China to Ro me el isa had a m aritime counterpart. Seabo ille com­ merce flourished betw een Rom e and Illc!ia via the Reel Sea anel the Ara b ian Sea . O ther l'O utes farth er eas t cOll llectedlllClian ports w ith harbors ill Southeas t Asia and Ch ina . A weat Afro-Eurasian comlllerc ial network ha el now come into beillg. Si lk from China (th e o nly coulltr)' thel t plOclu ceei it until after 500 C.E .), pepper and jewels Irom Inelia, an el incense tlOm A rabia were se nt to the rvled iterranean regio n on routes th at ter­ minel teci in Ro man c ities, sLi ch as A lexancir ia, Gaza, A ntioch, anci Ephesus. In exchange for the prec ious commociities. the Ro mans sent large amounts o f si lver, gale! , glassware eln ci oth er goods eel stw arci to destinati ons ill I\sia. Because th e long-clistan ce trael e o f th e classi ca l periocl w as mainl y in luxuries rather thall in artic les of daily use , its overall econo mic impact vvas probably li m iteel . Most pres ellt-day h is torians thin k th at th e Ro me-lllC li a- Chilla trade was sign i fi ca nt pri­ 111dl il ), hecau se 01 its I'ole ill plOmoting th e spreael of religions, sty les o f art, tec hno logies, ane! epidemic diseases rath er than contri buting to economic growth. The fo llowing se lec ti ons are a m ixture o f Chinese and Roman evidence. H o w does the vari ety o f mater ials in thi s chap ter suggest the growth of lo ng-distance contacts elur­ ing the class ica llJe rioel? Scle u iun j {'I"()ln R i'l fj/fl\ 1)1//1(' ( ;mnrll-fj"/ol"iO I/ b) Siill({ QI(fi(: f lail D YI/({\/Y II, rC\'isccl t' d . Tr i IJ1 ~d""'lt:cl ill BurLon \ \";] L' (>II (.'\e" \'o rl;: C:olllfn iJi,l L llil c l',il\ Pre". 19()3) 2 : ~ 1- 23 :1. Se lec li on [[ "CllillC,C G ifr, o f S ilk In rhl' ,\io ng nll " ti<J1ll Tuuit (!lu! { 'iHl/lli,," ill 1-/11 1/ C/i;I/{/." .-\ Sl lI dy i ll l /if .)1111 (/ 1111' oj Sillu-[jlu !,({riaii f1dallll/ll 1)\ Yi ll g-, lii li I'll (llnkt' ic, "" L l1 i l ' t' I ' i l ~ ' ol' C lli tO llli'l Pre" . J 9 b/) . 4 /, Selc nio ll III re prin lC' d b,' per mi" iCl ll o f lli l' p ll b li,lil' I' a ll d ril l' T Ill,'leeS o f rli e Loeb Cia<,ic: i1 Libl'a n' from ')" lIe(([; \ 'OIUI11 C III .\ [o;({1 bl(/\I. Le L II 31 0, Irall, la red b, .f Oll ll \\". [)'''()l"c. C ,II11bri dge \ Lt s).: [-1;11 I'a rd LlI ilcrsil l Pre", ]<1 3;'; . r he l.oeb C I,,,, ical Libr,lI"\" ® is " regisle red I 1',ltlCIII 'll'l; of Ili E' P rc , ici c lH a lltl f e ll ow, of Hal" 'll"ci Co ll ege, SeICLl ;O I1 III f'r Otll S tll"tO l l iu", I'll(' '/ iCl ,h'I'C{II'i(/I:,. (;(I il(\ . )·l! (' (f)il i /{~ "I ;"oilt;uillin. lrtll1s l,HC'ci b\ Rube n C rrl\"CS ([3;ll rilll o r t:': Penguin Bo()k ... , 19:)7) , P e rl1li ." joll g l <lIHt'cl b~ C Zt l" C<:l. Jl ('1 Pr l::-.';; Lil11ilCcl. Sc:' lenio ]) 1\' from / h,. "fmJ'( ·1 1 oj 1'''-/l.Iill' 13951--1/-/ './J. ) . or iI,'IOII! I)j l/i,- !J"dd/,illi, !\i";:''/Orl/ I, rr;\llS, 1)1' H. ,-\. Gik .' (C IIll ­ hlidgC' L'lli\·n .... ir ~ Pre, ... , E ):.!3). 76-79. ~l. 100 Chapter 18 I Global Contacts: The Opening of the Silk Road 101 <n <n Q) s :; e'" e "0 <; C ;;; "0 ro -"'" ---! S 0 < ~ US ii i!' \..) E ii w E 0 c w ro c < E ro ::; 0 'c a: ro a <n ro iii <n c ~ ro E W'" (f) 0 ODD .~ ~ w <,] 0 0 ~ ~ 1.1 ",' a; :::I C/) C/) - 0 ~ Q; 0::: \..) c; j:::;< ~ a; 0 E "'C <us ....til "C\..) . ::<: I- ;::0 ~ 0 0 "'C "C o o . a; o ~ ...l: If) :::i'" til o 0 .... 1w'" STUDY QUESTIONS L In what major region of the \\'orld did many of th e major trade rolltes converge' 2. How would th e est8blishment of trade rOlltes facilitate the spread of religions, technologies. and diseases) 102 Section Two I The Classical Period, 1000 B,U, La 500 CE, CHINESE AND ROMAN SOURCES 1. ZHANG QlAN'S JOURNEY WEST (JllI: rll'lmjJ/ioll 0IZ/wIIg Qilll!:, iili,mOi/ to (:l'l1lml Asill WIIII',I/mlll Sima (2ioll [145-187 1i,C.r.,], Ihr p;rmlr?,I/ oj Ihl' 1'1II!r Chill!')!' hiS/Oi/OIl), AI/hough /!lIl/will/iil/!; IiiI' P/MI'S ead) Imvelcl'j (Jisitl'd il a l/oloriOlls/r difJilull /IiO/Jlt' IiI, IllOdl'iII IPsNlIrhcrs Ihillk Iha/ Zhollg Qi(lI/ jJmbah/y jOIlIllI'),!'ri li S Pi!' liS lor/ny'l KYI~'YcSI{(17 (eliiilesl': DII)lIal7) ({lid A(g/limis/1111 (ehillne: Dosia),] lli<mg Qian I,'a" the: n rst p ersoll to bring hack <I cle,lJ' accout of Dayuan [KIT8:7tan], He \,a, a nati\'e of rbmhong <1i1d sen'ed as ,1 p alace attendant dl1l'­ ing th e /iOIlY7WIl era (HO-l?,;) )l,('I':,), At this time the emperor [Han Wudi, I'e ig necl 140-87 H,C.!::.] g ll estioned qrious Xiongllil IdlO h ad surrendered to the Han ane! thel all ICI)onecl that rh e XioIlgnli had defe ated the king o f the Yuezhi people [also pasroral nomads] and 11),lde his skull into ,I drinking vessel. As a result the Yllt'7.hi hilcl fled amI bore ,I constant grudge against the Xiongnu, though ,1S It't thel had be en uIlable to find an:'one to jOil1 them in an aLtack on their enel11l', The Hall ilt thi, (illl(' \la~ e n g,1ged in <I con certed effort LO destroy the Xi(JIlgnu , ~lI1d tht'l'efore, I"hell l h e emperor h e ard this, h e decided to tf)' to send an e11\ OI ro eSI,lblis ll re'lal'ions \I'ith tli e Yuuhi, To reach the m, h O\l'e ve r, an e t1\' oy ll'O uld inelitabh han:' to pass rl1rough Xiongnu territory, The emp e r o r accordingl)' sellt out a SUll1Il10 n S for mt'll capable of unde rtaking such a miss io n, Zh ang Qian, 1,'110 \I' ,lS a palace attencblll at rhe rime, alb\l'e re d the summons a nd \I'as appo inted a~ emol to rhe' Yut'zhi, He se t our fJ'01I1 Longxi , <Iccompallie d by Ganfu, a Xiongnu slave who bclonged to a blI1ih' ill T,\llgl i, The), tralcllecl west through the te rrito r y of the Xiongl1u anc! I,ere ca pl'lllcd 1)1' the Xiongnu and take n be fo re' th e S/W lIyll, The S//IIIIYII cletaillt'd them and refused to ler them proceed, "The Yuezhi peo ple live north of me," hc said,'\\'har d oes rile H a n mean bl' trying to send all e nl'o)' to them: Do IOU suppose tha t if I trice! to selic! ,1Il c tnbas)I' to the kingdom of Yue in the SOLllhc,ISr tile l-LllI I,'ouldlet 1111 mt'l1 1) <1SS rhro ugh ChiIlCI~" Tht' X iongn u d e ta ined Zhang Qian [or ol'er ten :'eal's and gm'e him a wife from lileir OIIIl ])e'Op I<:: , bl \l'hOII) be h ,ld a SOIL Zhang Qian nel'er once relin­ Cjuished the imperi'll crecl en ti 'lls th,lt markedllim as an e 11l'0), of the H an, however, anel <I[rcr lie h,ld lil'cd in XiongI111 te r r ito r y for SOIlle rime anc! Il'as le ss closel)' II<llched than ,l[ Ilrst. he ~ llld his parn fillall v managed to escape and resume their jOLIrnC) wI,'arel tht' YllC'lhi, After 11 ;I)tell111g \lest [or tl,'C11t\ 01' thirty da; <;, they reach ed the kingdo m of Da)'u<IlI.