The Silk Road, Marco Polo, and The World of Trade
Overview
The Silk Roads were historically significant as they facilitated the exchange of goods, ideas, cultures, and religions between the East and West, acting as a major conduit for trade and cultural interaction across Eurasia, with notable impacts on the spread of philosophies, technologies, and even diseases like the Black Death across continents; essentially connecting diverse civilizations through a network of trade routes, fostering a globalized exchange of knowledge and practices that shaped many societies along its path. See UNESCO.org and HISTORY.com
Recommended Media
Web Resources: Print
OVERVIEW (National Geographic): https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/silk-road
OVERVIEW (UNESCO): https://en.unesco.org/silkroad/about-silk-roads
OVERVIEW (History Channel): https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-middle-east/silk-road
FAMOUS TRAVELERS ON THE SILK ROAD: https://www.travelchinaguide.com/silk-road/history/famous-travelers.htm
Web Resources: Video
OVERVIEW (TEDed): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vn3e37VWc0k
OVERVIEW: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-pfeFbssMw
OVERVIEW (CNN): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXptcteCeqg
OVERVIEW: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGG0kgVqhWY
Marco Polo and the Silk Roads
MARCO POLO: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marco_Polo
POLO’S BOOK: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Travels_of_Marco_Polo
OVERVIEW: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/big-history-project/expansion-interconnection/exploration-interconnection/a/marco-polo
UCLA OVERVIEW: https://cmrs.ucla.edu/news/marco-polo-the-travel-writer-who-shocked-medieval-europe/
Video MARCO POLO BIOGRAPHY (Biographics): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LprAn1nhjzM
Video MARCO POLO BIOGRAPHY (Geo History): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjJ381Wd9dI
Major Cities of the Silk Roads
MAJOR CENTERS: https://en.unesco.org/silkroad/silk-road-themes/cities-silk-roads
MAJOR CENTERS: https://www.thecollector.com/silk-road-cities/
XI’AN: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xi%27an
XI'AN: https://en.unesco.org/silkroad/content/xian
MERV: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merv
SAMARKAND: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samarkand
SAMARKAND: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/603/
BALKH (BACTRA): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balkh
CONSTANTINOPLE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantinople
CONSTANTINOPLE: https://www.history.com/topics/middle-east/constantinople
CTESIPHON: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ctesiphon
TAXILA: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/139/
DAMASCUS: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/20/
DAMASCUS: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damascus
REY: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray,_Iran
REY: https://www.learnpersianonline.com/blog/historic-city-of-rey/
DUNHUANG: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunhuang
DUNHUANG: https://en.unesco.org/silkroad/content/dunhuang
Samarkand
Constantinople
Balkh
Music of the Silk Road
• https://asiasociety.org/education/music-silk-roads• https://en.unesco.org/silkroad/content/cultural-selection-exchange-musical-instruments-along-silk-roads• https://www.amnh.org/explore/ology/anthropology/sounds-of-the-silk-road2• https://pitt.libguides.com/silkroads/music • SILK ROAD ENSEMBLE (Yo-Yo Ma): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZpEjrdf56k