Modern Silk Road
"Silk Roads or Steppe Roads? The Silk Roads in World History"
The main focus, or thesis, of this article was similar to the likes of Andre Gunder Frank and Barry Gills; that the trans-civilizational and, less understood, trans-ecological exchanges along the Silk Road linked all regions of the Afro-Eurasian landmass- agrarian civilizations, the woodland communities to the north and steppe pastoralists- into a single "world-system" of trade that is several millennia old. Among these exchanges across cultures were goods, yes, but also ideas, technologies, languages and cultural/ religious motifs. These exchanges are argued to have been taken place much earlier than previously thought and, in turn, the Silk Road as well. Many archeological and written evidence of this was given, like that of the trans-ecological routes that crossed the arterial trans-civilizational routes from China to the Mediterranean and linked regions of pas toralism with regions of agriculture. They were older than the arterial routes, and were always integral to the functioning of the Silk Roads. The article's focus on the trans-ecological branches of the Silk Road also suggested the need for a revised account of Silk Roads history. It suggested, first, that the Silk Roads originated deep in prehistory. Second, it suggested a different account of their functioning in the classical era, having been taken under control of many peoples. Third, it explained profound changes in the nature of Inner Eurasia's ecological geography. This article's purpose was to tease, with valid evidence and arguments, that the Silk Road we thought we knew, is actually much older and covers more landmass than thought before.
The main focus, or thesis, of this article was similar to the likes of Andre Gunder Frank and Barry Gills; that the trans-civilizational and, less understood, trans-ecological exchanges along the Silk Road linked all regions of the Afro-Eurasian landmass- agrarian civilizations, the woodland communities to the north and steppe pastoralists- into a single "world-system" of trade that is several millennia old. Among these exchanges across cultures were goods, yes, but also ideas, technologies, languages and cultural/ religious motifs. These exchanges are argued to have been taken place much earlier than previously thought and, in turn, the Silk Road as well. Many archeological and written evidence of this was given, like that of the trans-ecological routes that crossed the arterial trans-civilizational routes from China to the Mediterranean and linked regions of pas toralism with regions of agriculture. They were older than the arterial routes, and were always integral to the functioning of the Silk Roads. The article's focus on the trans-ecological branches of the Silk Road also suggested the need for a revised account of Silk Roads history. It suggested, first, that the Silk Roads originated deep in prehistory. Second, it suggested a different account of their functioning in the classical era, having been taken under control of many peoples. Third, it explained profound changes in the nature of Inner Eurasia's ecological geography. This article's purpose was to tease, with valid evidence and arguments, that the Silk Road we thought we knew, is actually much older and covers more landmass than thought before.