The Silk Route Dbq

897 Words4 Pages

Bethany Tegt
HONORS 370.2
Research Paper #1

The Silk Route Between Europe and Asia, there is a great geographical divide, a rocky and mountainous area known as the Himalaya mountain range. In addition, the Taklimakan desert also encases the divide between these two areas. For many years, these geographical challenges separated the two continents from ever meeting. Other routes were unknown to either civilization, and neither knew of the others existence. However, when ancient Chinese civilizations started to explore and conquer these areas, they came to the conclusion that those in the west had many valuables and interesting technology to share with those of the Chinese empire. As time continued, eventually a standard trading route was formed for people to use to cross between the two continents in order to buy, sell, and trade. The Silk Route quickly became the most easily accessible route between the two civilizations. It truly revolutionized the interactions between China and western European civilizations because it was the first major route to connect the two areas of the world. …show more content…

The west began to trade with the civilizations located in Middle Eastern Europe. These trades almost immediately started to affect the cultural and technological advances of these regions. (Wild) In about 330 BC, Alexander the Great started conquering the Iranian Empire, which brought immense cultural changes to the region. Though his conquering reign only lasted five years, it brought many changes and cultural immersion to the area. The Greek language, architecture, and mythology was introduced to those of the area. (Wild) After Alexander the Great’s reign, many other civilizations took over this area. However, none are considered to be quite as advanced of that of the Greeks. This resulted in many of these empires adopting the Greek language and many influences can be seen in these cultures