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That's not quite correct. There are two major issues with the term "silk road". 1. It implies a singular road connecting end to end, when the reality is that t
by AlotOfReading 2y ago
That's not quite correct. There are two major issues with the term "silk road".
1. It implies a singular road connecting end to end, when the reality is that there's was a vast network of routes across both land and sea.
2. It implies that the routes existed primarily to transport silk. They carried a lot of things and silk probably wasn't the original or most significant good transported.
The article discusses both of these aspects, albeit imperfectly.
- namaria 2y agoIt was more a mesh of overland routes that connected western China to Iranian highlands, steppe routes and from there over to the Black sea and Mesopotamia. This was not a direct trade route but rather a series of interconnections. Intensity probably varied a lot over time as well. The idea of a very lucrative direct connection between China and the Mediterranean is bunk, but the connectivity, people and goods movement was there for a long, long time, on and off.
- pcthrowaway 2y agoWell then, who's to say the silk road doesn't still exist? Silk is still traded. There is still commerce between China and Iran. Perhaps the whole world and all the infrastructure are part of the silk road!
- throwaway19972 2y agoAbsolutely it does—China's belt and road project is marketed as "the new silk road" very intentionally.