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Travel the Silk Road
One of the oldest trade routes is the Silk Road, a 4000 mile-long caravan
track between China and Rome, Italy. As far as we can tell, the route
was first used in the 2nd century BC, and continued to be a main thoroughfare
for moving trade goods and ideas all the way up through the 15th century
AD. The Silk Road had many dangers, just one of which was the Taklamakan
Desert, a great sand desert in China. Taklamakan means "go in and
you will not come out," in the Turki dialect.
Ideas:
1. Why was it called the Silk Road? What other goods were traded along
the way, and how do we know that?
2. Make a map of the Silk Road. What countries and towns were on the road?
What kind of transportation did the travelers use?
3. What were the societies of China and Rome like in the 2nd century BC?
Why do you think the road was built?
4. What other things were dangerous about traveling the Silk Road? What
famous adventurers traveled the road?
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