A Quick Overview
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This website is designed to give a general overview of information regarding Chapter 11 of the textbook "Traditions and Encounters" by Jerry H. Bentley and Herbert F. Ziegler. It covers trade and religion along the Silk Roads, as well as the falls of the Roman Empire and Han Dynasty.
Trade along the Silk Road was important for several reasons. One of them being that it made many economies flourish as trade markets started popping up everywhere and the wealthy flocked to them to buy the silk coming from China. The silk was a new type of material that no one could produce because it was very closely guarded by the Chinese for several millenia. Another important part about this trade network is that it allowed for the spread of innovations, philosophies, technologies, and other ideas among the nations. A negative effect that it had was bringing foreign sicknesses to lands, killing thousands. The Roman Empire didn't fall because of one definite reason but because of outside pressure and internal conflicts. However, there were two main reasons for the empire's dissolution--the rise of Christianity and cultural change (due to the Visigoths). The Han dynasty collapse mainly due to internal issues that their government was unable to solve. As the elite engaged in a power struggle, the peasants started revolting, and the empire eventually disintegrated into three different kingdoms. Many faiths came together and profoundly influenced many technologies, empires, countries, and cultures today. The fall of the Han and Roman empires brought together Buddhism and Christianity, two major religions that influenced others in their rapid desire to attract converts. Underneath these massive missions however, were also other ideas such as political dominance, universal converts, and an ideal structure to support their faith for future generations to come. (Video by Chetan Immanneni) |