Silk Road as Link of West and East - Essay Example

The variety of land structures and the presence of bodies of water have been major problems during the early times. In addition to such natural obstacles, there were also military and political conflicts among people. Traveling and exchange of goods were at a limited level until the establishment of the Silk Roads. 

This focus on trade and market roads has enabled the city of Changan to receive the arrival of distinct merchandise – “Roman glassware, India cotton textiles, spices, fragrances, gemstones, and woolen textiles of various origins” (Liu, 2010). Premium goods are those rarely found. Silk is common in China but was considered to be infrequent by nomads of the West (Liu, 2010). This is primarily the origin of how the term Silk Road is coined. In addition to its perceived high value, silk is one of the items that drove trade because it is light and beauteous (Christian, 2000).

Exotic things created a demand for them; hence, the trade was dominated by precious stones, spices, and silver (Whitfield, 2004). These products were associated with glamour and thus, are deemed precious (Whitfield, 2004). Gems, stones, and other jewelries conveyed luxury and very well become symbols of one’s societal status (Whitfield, 2004). Possession of such expensive items became a definition of a person’s capability and societal influence. It is men’s nature to strive to be different.

Allocation of foreign goods was one of the measures for people to display grandiose peculiarity. Amidst global diversity, there still is a common ground with which every culture can be identified (Haskoz, Iyer, and Seshadri, 2012). McNeill emphasized the significance of contact and communication among civilizations. He also gave focuses that aside from material goods, diseases and immunity to some of it are passed onto different cultures through these Silk Roads (Christian, 2000). McNeil also proposed the idea that the world is united as one through diffusion in the culture of each civilization.

Like McNeil, Christian (2000) also cited that the Silk Roads consolidated Afro-Eurasian history. McNeil’s idea of the world as interconnected and deeply unified through these Silk Roads can well be established. The prices can vary greatly depending on natural causes which primarily consist of the land structure, seasonal weather, and animal availability (Haskoz et. al., 2012). Animals, such as yaks and camels, played an important part in the journey of merchandise goods across steppes.

Haksoz et al. (2012) enumerated the cost determinants for goods as “freight prices, road tolls, and customs fees.” The act of cross-docking, requiring the process of transferring from station to station, fairly contributed to saving time, money, and effort (Haksoz et. al., 2012) and has greatly affected the prices imposed on goods. Furthermore, merchants can also take into account the security of the land, and the presence of necessities like water, food, and accommodation as one travel (Whitfield, 2004).

Up until now, several companies still implement the process that was used in the Silk Roads (Haksoz et. al., 2012). Trade is one of the driving forces for global economic growth. An in-depth look at its history is considered incomplete if Silk Road is not included. The Silk Road is the predecessor of the global market and an illustrious icon in trade history. Its establishment has incontestably formed the foundations of the world market. The intertwining routes provided a way for the dynamic exchange of not just goods, but also cultural traits, diseases, and genes.

The trade did not only encompass lands across regions, moreover, but it also traversed the continents of Africa, Europe, and Asia. Existing literature and the ways of the modern world can attest that the Silk Road is undeniably the archetypal link that initially connected the west and the east.