The Silk Road Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Silk Road - Essay Example Traveling and exchange of goods were at a limited and minimal level until the establishment of the Silk Roads. Silk Road is the collective term used to point the interconnected routes for transportation of goods across China and Mediterranean (Liu, 2010). The seemingly safe route established from the halted military conflicts among regions attracted merchants from different parts of the world (Liu, 2010). This focus in trade and market roads have enabled the city of Changan to receive the arrival of distinct merchandise – â€Å"Roman glass ware, India cotton textiles, spices, fragrances, gemstones, and woolen textiles of various origins† (Liu, 2010). Premium goods are those rarely found. Silk is common in China but were considered to be infrequent to nomads of the West (Liu, 2010). This is primarily the origin how the term Silk Road is coined. In addition to its perceived high value, silk is one of the items that drove trade because it is light and beauteous (Christian, 2000). Things which are exotic created a demand for them; hence, the trade was dominated by precious stones, spices and silver (Whitfield, 2004). These products were associated with glamour and thus, are deemed precious (Whitfield, 2004). Gems, stones and other jewelries conveyed luxury and very well became symbols of one’s societal status (Whitfield, 2004). Possession of such expensive items became a definition of a person’s capability and societal influence. It is men’s nature to strive to be different. Allocation of foreign goods was one of the measures for people to display grandiose peculiarity. Amidst global diversity, there still is a common ground with which every culture can be identified (Haskoz, Iyer and Seshadri, 2012). McNeill emphasized the significance of contact and communication among civilizations. He also gave focus that aside from material goods, diseases and immunity to some of it are passed onto different cultures