The Silk Road was a trade route of immense importance and influence. It managed to connect large territories, and became an important step of the world towards globalization. The process of the route’s development was a gradual one. It was primarily instilled by the spread of various empires including the Westernmost Hellenistic ones. The intended consequence was the exchange of goods. Many empires and states benefited from the trade that the route managed to generate. The unintended consequence was the major cultural exchange that kept occurring as long as the route was remaining relevant and active.
The inception of the Silk Road can be traced as far back as 2nd millennium BC when the mines in the region of Yarkand sold nephrite jade to Khotan province of China. Other findings dating back to one millennium BC suggest that the route was already active then. Material closely resembling Chinese silk was found in Egypt. The material is from 1070 BC. The accuracy cannot be confirmed undeniably as silk degrades quickly. There are still disputes whether the material is cultivated silk (meaning from China) or “wild silk” from the Eastern Mediterranean region (Lubec et al 1993).
Silk has always been the primary resource that supported the relevance of the Silk Route. Silk has always been recognized as material for the rich. Its nice feel against the skin, scarcity and, therefore, high price, have made it the attribute of aristocracy, nobility – simply people with lots of money to spare. For China, it remained one of the most important products for exports for millennia. The Silk Route was the exclusive pathway that allowed for the transportation of other rare goods such as spices. In terms of desired trading consequences, the road fulfilled its goal fully. Throughout the entire duration of the road’s existence, two axioms were constantly at play: empires rose and fell in the West; silk and demand for it always remained sky high.
The unintended consequence, cultural exchange, was as major and influential for all participants of the Silk Route. The cultural exchange involved numerous aspects: ideas, religion, mentalities, work of art, and new modes of writing. The cultural exchange also concerned the religious aspect as well. Religions such as Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, Buddhism, and Manichaeism owe their spread around Eurasia to the trade networks that were not only part of the Silk Route but tiled to specific religious institutions and communities (Foltz 2010). Buddhist monasteries spread the religion along the route, because numerous temples were established. They were fulfilling not only the religious functions but served as placed of safe rest for many travellers.
Another vital consequence of unintended nature was the rise of crime along the route. Turkmeni marching lords seized the western part of the road in the wake of the Byzantine empire demise. Mongol Empire also started undergoing the process of fragmentation. The amount of people willing to get their cut for transportation increased exponentially with the fall of empires. Soon, it became safer and even faster to transfer goods across the sea. While the distance increased, the speed was much higher as well.
As with any event or development of major proportions, the Silk Road garnered both positive and negative consequences. Nonetheless, it is safe to assume that its phenomenon was a positive one mostly. For the first time the world was deemed a smaller place. It opened the gateway to exchange between different civilizations in terms of values of both empirical and spiritual nature.
- Foltz, R. (2010). Religions of the Silk Road. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2nd ed.
- Lubec, G.; Holauerghsrthbek, J.; Feldl, C.; Lubec, B.; Strouhal, E. (1993). “Use of silk in ancient Egypt.” Nature 362 (6415): 25.
