Silk Road Study Guide

The Southern Silk Road has also been referred to as the _________.• Tea Road

http://www.office-supplies-usa.com/images/Herbal_tea.jpgJan. 20, 2010

During the ____________ Dynasty in China, which lasted from 618-907 CE, the Silk Road experienced a Golden Age.

• Tang Dynasty

http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory/china/classical_imperial_china/tang.htmlAccessed on Jan. 8, 2009

What did the caravansaries provide the travelers along the Silk Road? • Food, water, lodging, and opportunities to

socialize and exchange ideas with other travelers.

At one point in history, China banned the export of ___________seeds.

• Tea

Why was the Southern Silk Road so important during WWII?

• It allowed the Allied Forces to create a supply line to China.

What did the nomadic peoples to the north of China trade for tea?

• Superior breeds of horses

What did merchants have to do, in order to be allowed to trade along the Silk Road?

• They had to pay taxes at various checkpoints.

• They had to declare their trade items.• They had to register for travel along the

road.

The Silk Road stretched from ___________in the East to ______________in the West. (cities)

• Changan, China (Present-day Xi’an)• Antioch, Turkey

Identify the modern-day countries that are located along the Silk Road.

http://affordablehousinginstitute.org/blogs/us/wp-content/uploads/silkroad_map.jpgDec. 7, 2009

What type of terrain does the word steppe refer to?

• Dry treeless grasslands which are often characterized by hot summers and cold winters.

_______________and ________________are now the top 2 tea producing nations in world.

• Sri Lanka and India

During the Tang Dynasty, tea was brought from Yunnan Province in China to which modern country?

• India

Which type of terrain, desert or steppe, would likely be more difficult to travel across and why?

Identify two deserts, as well as two mountain ranges, that Silk Road travelers may have encountered.

• Taklamakan Desert, Gobi Desert, Syrian Desert, Great Salt Desert, Kyzyl Kum,and Kara Kum

• Tien Shan Mountains, Pamir Mountains, Hindu Kush Mountains, Zagros Mountains, and Kopet Mountains

It was often said that those who enter the ______________of Western China, never make it

out alive.

• Taklamakan Desert

http://www.eventclicks.com/new/2005/images/DESERT%20064.jpgDec. 4, 2009

__________was referred to as the city of sands by Silk Road travelers, because a of the seemingly endless sea of

sand that lies directly west of the town.

• Dunhuang

What is an oasis, role did they serve along the Silk Road?

• A relatively small and fertile area surrounded by arid land.

• These were areas where travelers could rest, recuperate, and possibly stock up on some badly needed supplies, especially water.

Name 4 present-day cities in Uzbekistan that were part of the Silk Road.

• Tashkent, Bukhara, Samarkand, and Khiva

The earliest substantial interaction between the East and the West took place after _______________army took over the land that is

now Central Asia leaving a legacy of Greek culture behind.

Identify some of the physical hazards that travelers along the Silk Road often encountered.

Identify and describe some of the reasons why the Silk Road came into

being in the first place.

In general, which types of goods were most profitable?

• Those that were high in value and weighed little

Identify and describe some of the reasons why the Silk Road began to decline.

Why might someone argue that trade patterns along the Silk Road look like a chain?

• Usually merchants did not travel the entire length of the Silk Road.

• They would just work one of many segments of the greater road.

What things to traders need to consider in order to make a profit?

What is a caravanserai and how could they contribute to cultural exchange on the Silk Road?

Identify various items that traveled from West to East along the Silk Road.

Identify various items that traveled from East to West along the Silk Road.

How could regional governments benefit financially from the travel along

the Silk Road?• They benefited financially by collecting

taxes from the merchants.

Why were Marco Polo’s writing significant?

Where was Marco Polo from, why did he go on his journey, and what where some Chinese inventions that he

witnessed which were not yet used in his homeland?

Who was Xuan Zang and what was the major contribution that he made, and how is

his influence still felt today?

______________the predominant religion practiced in Central Asia today moved into the region along the Silk

Road beginning in the 7th century CE.

• Islam

_____________was a powerful ruler who conquered lands ranging from China to Eastern Europe and established the largest

contiguous land-based empire in history, once again making travel safe and secure along the Silk Road.

• Genghis Khan

Which major world religion made its way from India, where it is practiced very little today, to China where it is

commonly practiced.

Identify hazards related to human geography?

Travelers referred to the ___________mountains as the Onion Mountains because the thin air caused by the high altitude made

the travelers feel lightheaded and uncomfortable. These mountains are some of the highest in the world and include Ismail

Samani Peak, the highest in the former Soviet Union.

Which type of landscape would best describe Tashkent?

• Steppe

What does the word caravan refer to in the context of the Silk Road?

• A group of people traveling together• This was often done for safety reasons.