The Silk Road

 

The concept of globalization is often considered to be one that came about at recent periods of human history. This is especially the case when one looks at the way that it has become quite popular in recent decades and has been used to describe the economic, social, and political interconnectivity that has become prevalent in the world today. However, some historians have come to believe that globalization actually appeared in the late 1400s, which is a belief that does not bear any weight especially when one considers that what can be termed as globalization was actually taking place centuries prior. This can be seen through the Silk Road, which was a trade route that connected Asia and Europe and saw goods transferred to and from these regions. The significance of the latter cannot be underestimated because it allows for the contemplation of the Silk Road being an early example of globalization that allowed for considerable political, economic, and cultural influences to take hold. This paper considers the viability of the Silk Road as an early example of globalization through an analysis of stories from Life Along the Silk Road by Susan Whitfield.

The Silk Road was able to connect individuals from a diversity of cultures, which ensured that there were political influences along this trade route. This is especially the case when one considers the Merchant’s Tale, which is one that describes the manner through which the Silk Road was instrumental in ensuring that the cultural influences of the Middle East reached Central Asia. This is seen through the way that Islam was not only able to spread rapidly across the trade route, but following the Umayyad conquest of parts of Central Asia, there was the promotion of a scenario where the political practices of the Arab conquerors was adopted, as seen through the way that a considerable number of individuals in the region converted to Islam as a means of making sure that they escaped paying the jizya tax that was mandatory for non-Muslims. The title character of the story, Nanaivandak’s mother is described as being a staunch Zoroastrian in an environment within which Islam had come to supercede it, and “continued to attend a Zoroastrian temple in the city with its eternally burning fire” (Whitfield 23).

Another story that is pertinent is the Soldier’s Tale, which is an account of the character Seg Lhaton, a soldier from Tibet. Tibet at the time controlled a significant part of the Silk Road, especially between Sogdiana and China. This is especially the case when it comes to the way that the Tibetans and the Chinese had fought over territory in the region as a means of making sure that there is the promotion of a scenario where they could gain control over the Silk Road, where there was the establishment of forts by the Tibetans, and “soldiers’ families were often resident in the forts” (Whitfield 47). Furthermore, the connections between the Chinese, Tibetans, and Uighurs were therefore not only trade related, but also brought about a situation where wars took place between them. It is therefore significant that control over the trade routes along the Silk Road during this period can be related to the manner through which trade disputes tend to come up in the modern globalized world.

Another aspect of globalization that is seen on the Silk Road is in the Shipmaster’s Tale. This is one that considers the manner through which Tazena, a shipmaster, ends up becoming a part of an expedition to Yemen. This is an individual that lives within a nation that is deeply connected to the global economy because of the presence of individuals in the Axumite kingdoms from a diversity of regions. There is a Greek traveler, “Cosmas Indicopleustes—so called becauseof his voyage to India—was visiting Adulis at the time” (Whitfield 10), and there are interactions with the Jewish kingdom in Yemen, among many other incidents. The latter is important because it provides a means through which to best understand the position of the Silk Road as having been an important avenue through which globalization could take place effectively.

In conclusion, the discussion above has made an analysis of the viability of the Silk Road as an early example of globalization through an analysis of stories from Life Along the Silk Road by Susan Whitfield. The connections that existed between the nations along the Silk Road were significant because they allowed for the cultural, political, and economic interactions between the states involved. This is especially the case when one considers the stories above, which provide a vivid depiction of the way that the personal lives of individuals from different times and cultures that existed before the 15^th century, were influenced by the presence of the Silk Road. Therefore, the Silk Road can be considered to have been an early form of globalization whose influence cannot be underestimated because its presence was what inspired the next phase of globalization that begun in the late 1400s with the advent of European exploration.