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The Silk Roads from c. 1200 to c. 1450
Created by Shaunak Ghosh
Travel the Silk Roads from 1200-1450 to uncover how new practices, technologies, and demands expanded trade and reshaped cultures. By journey’s end you will explain both the causes and far-reaching effects of these booming networks of exchange.
What you'll learn
- Locate major Silk Road routes and explain their geographic significance.
- Describe caravanserai logistics and commercial practices that reduced risk and expanded trade.
- Analyze how rising luxury demand stimulated urban growth and artisan production.
- Evaluate the Silk Roads’ role in spreading religions, technologies, and the Black Death.
Learning path
6 modules • Each builds on the previous one
1
Silk Roads Context
Locate the Silk Roads on a map and outline their role in Afro-Eurasian exchange from 1200-1450.
1 video5 min
2
Caravanserai & Transport
Analyze caravanserai networks, camel saddles, and relay trade systems that improved overland logistics.
2 videos11 min
3
New Commercial Practices
Explore bills of exchange, banking houses, and money economies that lowered transaction costs on the Silk Roads.
1 video6 min
4
Trading Cities Growth
Investigate cities like Samarkand and Kashgar that thrived as commercial hubs due to increased Silk Road traffic.
1 video5 min
5
Luxury Goods Demand
Examine why elites in Afro-Eurasia craved silk, porcelain, spices, and other high-value items, fueling long-distance trade.
1 video5 min
6
Cultural Diffusion
Trace how ideas, technology, and diseases like the Black Death spread along the Silk Roads, reshaping societies.
3 videos17 min
Start Learning
Begin your learning journey
Modules6
Duration46 min
Science-backed learning
In-video quizzes and scaffolded content to maximize retention.
Key concepts
Silk ContextCommercial PracticesTransport NodesTrading CitiesLuxury DemandCultural Diffusion