Along the Silk Road (unit only)

Comprehensive Unit263 pagesGrade Level: Middle School – High SchoolIncludes curriculum unit + DVD + audio CD (Recommended wall map of the Silk Road sold separately.) The term "Silk Road" refers to an ancient network of trails and trading routes connecting East Asia to the Mediterranean. In some ways, the Silk Road was the first real conduit of globalization, as it connected vast lands into a trade network that spread goods, beliefs, and technologies far from their areas of origin. Trade along the Silk Road began around 200 BCE and continued on a significant scale until the sixteenth century CE. The Silk Road has been referred to as the "Internet of antiquity" by Yo-Yo Ma and in studying it we gain insight into how the contemporary stage of globalization is changing our world and our lives.  Along the Silk Road begins with an overview of the network's geography and history. Subsequent lessons explore specific elements of exchange along the Silk Road: languages, goods, belief syste