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The Dynamics of Trade along the Silk Road
Major Sections along the Silk Road -> m-Because Silk Road trade involved such long distances, goods had to be light and valuable. Thismeant that the goods traded along the Silk Road were often luxury goods such as silk, preciousstones, felt, glass, coins, and dyes.
The Silk Road can be divided into three major sections representing different geographical regions and different aspects of Silk Road trade. The three sections of the Silk Road trade routes are:
1) an eastern section beginning in Chang'an, China, and running along the northern and southern borders of the Taklamakan Desert to the Pamir Mountains;
2) a Central Asian section crossing the Pamirs and the Central Asian region of Samarkand; and
3) a western section running through Persia to the Mediterranean.
Along the eastern section of the Silk Road, the Chinese produced silk to trade or sell to Central Asian traders and merchants. Merchants from Central Asia would go to the western borders of China and trade their herbal medicines and pieces of jade from Khotan for luxurious Chinese silks. These traders would then transport the silk by caravan through the oasis towns of Central Asia. In the oasis town markets, the traders would exchange the silk for other goods from traders from the other side of the Pamir Mountains, who would then transport the silk through the region of Samarkand. Other Persian, Armenian, and Jewish traders handled the silk trade through Persia to the Mediterranean regions, where the silks were finally purchased with gold from Rome.
Trade Resembled a Chain
Trade from the eastern end of the Silk Road (Chang'an, China) to the western end (the Mediterranean) was indirect. Goods passed from one trader to another in short segments. Trade resembled a chain, with each trader and segment of the trade route representing a crucial link in the trade.
The trading that occurred along each trade route segment was known as peddling trade. The trader would carry his goods, selling them and buying others while traveling from one market to another. Sometimes, traders would exchange their goods for other goods without the use of money. This is called bartering. For example, a Middle Eastern trader might set out on ah eastward trade route with goods he knew were unavailable farther east, such as colored glass. He would trade these goods for a profit and then buy other goods, such as silk, that could be sold for a high price in Europe.
Preparations ' v' :'*JV!' *• l'*$• -'**•***** '*~ '^^' ,•---•••-• •&&A trader or merchant who wished to make a profit from trading at the different centers along theSilk Road would initiate a trade expedition. He would save or borrow the money he needed for histrip. If he borrowed the money, the lender expected him to give back more than he borrowed at ahigh interest rate. This made the trip riskier and more costly. After the trader had obtained enoughmoney, he had to decide which trade routes to take. Each route had advantages and disadvantages.Some routes were more dangerous; other routes took longer to travel. Deciding on the routes wasvery important to the success of the trade expedition. If one section of the route fell prey to banditsor was impassable because of the weather, then the trader would have to alter his plans and wouldlose valuable time and energy. •. .-•j»x>5i •.-.•••s^ •.•••• •-••-.--4--.-v•; ^For the trader to make money, he had to sell his goods at a price high enough to cover his travel expenses. Because it was costly to transport his goods from his original location to the final destination, he needed to estimate his expenses. This was difficult