Silk Road

Lectures by Melanie Urban

Trade from the Mediterranean to the Pacific across Asia over 2,000 years
Art along the routes, as well as at each end
Flow of ideas, including religions and technologies
Rise and fall of nations affected by the trade routes, including the Roman empire, China, Byzantium, the Islamic empire, the Vikings, and the Mongols, among others
Trading centers in Central Asia, beginning in the 1st millennium BCE, including fabled Samarqand and the cities founded by Alexander the Great, and many others
Chinese hegemony in Central Asia
Rise of the Islamic empire and its affect on international trade
Impact of the Crusades on the Middle East and Europe
Aftermath of the plague of the 14th century
The rise of the Italian city states
Causes of the demise of the land routes across Asia