Analysisof the Silk Road’s Impact on Cultural Diffusion.

Part APlan of InvestigationThis investigation attempts to analyze the Silk Road’s impact on cultural diffusion. The Silk Road was a trade route connecting Eastern China to the Mediterranean regions. It was incredibly important because it brought Europe, Asia, and the Middle East together in trade, and allowed them to trade goods and ideas. The parameters are the cultural diffusion east meets west and the spread of religion. It will focus on the time period between the 2nd and the late 17th centuries and the places investigated will be the west, (made up of Europe and the Middle-East) and the east (which refers to most of Asia, although in this investigation it will focus mostly on China).

This will be accomplished through a thorough examination of historical books such as Horizon Book Division’s History of China, John S. Bowman’s Exploration in the World of the Ancients, and Daniel Waugh’s “THE SILK ROADS IN HISTORY”.

Word Count: 150 wordsPart BSummary of EvidenceThe Silk Road is trade route that connected east and west.

Inaccurately named by Ferdinand von Richthofen in the 19th century, it is actually a collection of roads. Traders didn’t usually traverse the whole length of the route, however. Goods were usually traded multiple times before they reached the final destination. Items leaving from Asia and China were goods such as: silk, spices, textiles, ivory, jade, bronze objects, ceramics, lacquarware, flowers, furs, paper, jewelry, minerals, horses, and exotic plants and animals. Goods from the west were: wool, linen, coins, bullion, ambergris, gold, ivory, amber, coral, other precious stones, beads, and glass (a commodity that China has not been able to produce at this point). Goods originating from India were:.

. .eract.

Word Count: 140 wordsWorks CitedBowman, John. Exploration in the World of the Ancients. New York: Facts on File, 2005. Fitzgerald, C. P.. The Horizon History of China. New York: American Heritage, 1969.

Grotenhuis, Elizabeth Ten. “Stories of Silk and Paper.” World Literature Today 80, no. 4 (July 2006): 10-12. Literary Reference Center, EBSCOhost (accessed April 16, 2014).

Jones-Leaning, Melanie, and Douglas Pratt. “Islam in China: From Silk Road to Separatism.” Muslim World 102, no. 2 (April 2012): 308-334. History Reference Center, EBSCOhost (accessed April 8, 2014).

“Silk Road.” Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6Th Edition (September 2013): 1. Literary Reference Center, (accessed April 16, 2014).

Waugh, Daniel C. “THE SILK ROADS IN HISTORY.” Expedition 52, no. 3 (Winter2010 2010): 9-22. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed April 7, 2014).