BY: JACOB LEWIS

Comparing and Contrasting the Silk and Gold Trade

Routes

Gold Road

This picture shows a gold nugget, which really drove the trading along the Gold Road along with Salt.

Traded Ivory, salt, leather and later slaves for horses, cloth and manufactured goods from Northern Africa.

Major export from Africa was Gold.

Salt was also a major export from Africa, and it was found in few other places.

The Gold Road was much harder on the traveler, as water sources were spread about 10 days apart and the Merchant crossed parts of the Sahara Desert.

Silk Road

Predominately between the Hang dynasty, and the Roman Empire at it’s height but also encompassed the Bactrian and Mauryan Empires.

Silk, Jade, Horses, coral, gems and other goods were traded across this route.

Spread Buddhism from India to China.Caesar received much of his silk from China.

Silk Road Map

This is a picture of the Silk Road and some of the different things that were traded along it.

Similarities

Both the Silk Road and Gold Road Civilizations sought to make the connection with the Mediterranean.

Both the Chinese and the African nations sought horses.

Civilizations on both of the trading routes built inns, and rest areas for the Merchants.

Religion spread on both of the Roads, Buddhism on the Silk Road and Islam on the Gold Road.

Civilizations on both routes worked to provide protection to their merchants.