Chapter 7. Thinking Through Sources 7: Life and Travel on the Silk Roads

Thinking Through Sources 7: Life and Travel on the Silk Roads

Merchants, mercenaries, monks, and missionaries were among the prominent sojourners who traversed the Silk Roads from China to Europe, traveling much of the time in Central or Inner Asia (see Map 7.1). Many more people, of course, lived permanently or for long periods of time in the area. Hailing from an immense variety of cultures, both travelers and permanent residents contributed to turning this vast region into a vital Eurasian arena of exchange. Perhaps most obviously, it was a commercial crossroads that featured trade in numerous goods, originating from the agricultural civilizations, pastoral societies, and gathering and hunting cultures of the region. (See Snapshot: Economic Exchange along the Silk Roads.) It was also a realm of cultural and religious encounters. Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Manichaeism (man-ih-KEE-iz’m), elements of Greek and Chinese culture — all of these traditions spread via the Silk Roads network, finding new expressions far from their places of origin. Finally, the territory encompassing the Silk Roads was an imperial crossroads, for the empires or military federations periodically established by pastoral societies clashed with the established civilizations and states of China, India, the Middle East, and Europe to the south and west.

Over the past century or so, scholars have learned much about life along the Silk Roads. Ancient manuscripts in many languages have brought to light Manichaean prayers, commercial contracts, lawsuits, medical prescriptions, erotic tales, and letters between husbands and wives. Stopping places on the trade routes, known as caravanserai, have been uncovered in oases or ancient market cities, and long-sealed caves have disclosed amazing treasures of Buddhist art. The images and documents that follow show something of life and travel on the Silk Roads and the cultural exchanges that ensued.

Among the first things that impressed travelers on the Silk Roads were the dangers from nature and man alike. Much of the route passed through harrowing terrain. Traveling from China to India in the seventh century, the Chinese Buddhist monk Xuangzang encountered mountains “so dangerously steep and tall that they seem to touch the sky.” Marco Polo traversed a desert that appeared endless, where water was scarce and “birds and beasts there are none,” and where sandstorms and hallucinations were a peril to travelers. Furthermore, when armies clashed or political authority broke down, human threats were added to those of nature.

Source 7.1: Dangers and Assistance on the Silk Roads

Source 7.1 shows a typical confrontation along the Silk Road. An eighth-century painting, it was discovered in the Magao Caves near Dunhuang, a major stop on the Silk Roads and a center of Buddhist art and learning. It depicts a group of Tibetan and Central Asian merchants (on the right) who have encountered bandits or avaricious border guards (on the left). Required to unload their goods, the merchants await their fate — an extortionate payment, robbery of their goods, or maybe death. But in the Buddhist culture that pervaded much of the Silk Road network, legend had it that a wealthy merchant had gained safety during his travels by invoking the assistance of the bodhisattva Guanyin. (See Source 4.3 in the main text for a Japanese image of this Bodhisattva of Compassion.) The panel above the merchants reads in part: “If you all call upon his name, then from the malicious bandits you shall contrive to be delivered. . . . Men, by the mere calling upon his name, they shall forthwith gain deliverance.”1

Questions to consider as you examine the source:

  • What message did this painting seek to convey?
  • What else might you learn about the Silk Roads from this image?
  • What might have been the possible outcomes of the story that this scene describes?

Click here to see a video (about three minutes) produced by UNESCO that provides a useful overview of the Mogao Caves, situated at a strategic point along the Silk Road, at the crossroads of trade as well as religious, cultural, and intellectual influences.

Silk Road Merchants Encounter Bandits

image
Silk Road Merchants Encounter BanditsPictures from History/CPA Media

Quiz for Source 7.1: Life and Travel on the Silk Roads

Source Link:

Source 7.1 Silk Road Merchants Encounter Bandits

Select the best answer for each question. Click the “submit” button for each question to turn in your work.

  1. Question 7.1

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  2. Question 7.2

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  3. Question 7.3

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  4. Question 7.4

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  5. Question 7.5

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Source 7.2: Advice for Merchants

Given the dangers to merchants traveling the Silk Road, it is not surprising that travel guides might have a market, especially among merchants traveling the Silk Road. One such guide was written by Francesco Pegolotti, a fourteenth-century merchant and banker from Florence with a wide range of business contacts. The following excerpts contain his advice for navigating the Silk Road to China. Keep in mind that he was writing when the Mongol Empire provided relatively safe conditions for travel across much of the Silk Roads network.

Questions to consider as you examine the source:

  • What difficulties does Pegolotti’s advice anticipate?
  • What recommendations does he make for dealing with these problems?
  • What might historians learn about economic conditions in China at this time?

Francesco Pegolotti

Advice for European Merchants Traveling to China, ca. 1340

In the first place, you must let your beard grow long and not shave. And at Tana [a city on the Sea of Azov, an extension of the Black Sea] you should furnish yourself with a dragoman [interpreter]. And you must not try to save money in the matter of dragomen by taking a bad one instead of a good one. For the additional wages of the good one will not cost you so much as you will save by having him. And besides the dragoman it would be good to take at least two good manservants, who are acquainted with the Cumanian tongue [a Turkic language]. And if the merchant likes to take a woman with him from Tana, he can do so; if he does not like to take one there is no obligation, only if he does take one he will be kept much more comfortably than if he does not take one. If he does take one, it would be good if she were acquainted with the Cumanian tongue as well as the men.

And from Tana traveling to Gittarchan [Astrakhan, north of the Caspian Sea] you should take with you twenty-five days’ provisions, that is to say, flour and salt fish; as for meat, you will find enough of it at all the places along the road. And also at all the chief stations [along the way] . . . , you should replenish yourself with flour and salt fish; other things you will find in sufficient quantities, especially meat.

The road you travel from Tana to Cathay [China] is perfectly safe, whether by day or by night, according to what the merchants say who have used it. But if the merchant, in going or coming, should die enroute, everything belonging to him will become the property of the lord of the country in which he dies, and the officers of the lord will take possession of all. So also if he dies in Cathay. But if his brother is with him, or an intimate friend and comrade calling himself his brother, then they will surrender the property of the deceased to this person, and so it will be rescued.

And there is another danger: this is when the lord of the country dies, and before the new lord who is to have the lordship is proclaimed. During such intervals there have sometimes been irregularities perpetrated on the Franks, and other foreigners. (They call “Franks” all the Christians of these parts from Romania [Byzantine Empire] westward.) And the roads will not be safe to travel until another lord be proclaimed who is to reign in place of him who died.

Cathay is a province that contains a multitude of cities and towns. Among others there is one in particular, that is to say the capital city, to which merchants flock, and in which there is a vast amount of trade; and this city is called Cambalec [present day Beijing, the capital of Mongol-ruled China]. And the said city has a circuit of one hundred miles, and is all full of people and houses and of dwellers in the said city. . . . You may reckon also that from Tana to Sara [a city on the Volga River] the road is less safe than on any other part of the journey; and yet even when this part of the road is at its worst, if there are some sixty men in your company you will go as safely as if you were in your own house.

Anyone from Genoa or from Venice, wishing to go to the places above-named, and to make the journey to Cathay, should carry linens with him, and if he visits Organci [on the Oxus River in Central Asia] he will dispose of these at a profit. In Organci he should purchase . . . silver, and with these he should proceed without making any further investment, unless for some bales of the very finest textiles of small bulk, and that cost no more for transportation than coarser textiles.

Merchants who travel this road can ride on horseback or on asses, or mounted in any way that they choose to be mounted.

Whatever silver the merchants might carry with them as far as Cathay the lord of Cathay will take from them and put into his treasury. And to merchants who bring silver they give that paper money of theirs in exchange. This is of yellow paper, stamped with the seal of the aforementioned lord. And this money is called balisbi; and with this money you can readily buy silk and all other merchandise that you desire to buy. And all the people of the country are bound to receive it. And yet you shall not pay a higher price for your goods because your money is of paper. And there are three kinds of paper money, one being worth more than another, according to the value which has been established for each by that lord.

Source: Henri Yule, ed. and trans., Cathay and the Way Thither, 2nd ed. (revised by H. Cordier), 4 vols. (London: Hakluyt Society, 1913–1916), 3:151–55.

Quiz for Source 7.2: Life and Travel on the Silk Roads

Source Link:

Source 7.2: Advice for European Merchants Traveling to China

Select the best answer for each question. Click the “submit” button for each question to turn in your work.

  1. Question 7.6

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  2. Question 7.7

    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

  3. Question 7.8

    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

  4. Question 7.9

    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

  5. Question 7.10

    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

Source 7.3: Stopping at a Caravanserai

If travelers faced peril on the Silk Roads, they also found places of rest and refreshment, known as caravanserai. Located periodically along the Silk Roads and often protected by powerful rulers, they provided lodging for merchants and their servants, warehouses for their goods, shelter and food for their animals in an open courtyard, medical help for the sick, and opportunities for trade in the bazaars. Source 7.3, a sixth-century painting also from the Magao Caves, shows a caravan finding accommodations in such a place. Providing these services, including wells and bridges, was one way for wealthy Buddhist patrons to gain merit.

Questions to consider as you examine the source:

  • What specific activities can you identify in the painting?
  • Which of these activities might be thought capable of generating religious merit? Notice, for example, the several figures at the bottom left of the image.
  • What additional information about the Silk Roads is apparent in this image compared to the information you can derive from Sources 7.1 and 7.2?

A Stop at a Caravanserai

image
A Stop at a CaravanseraiPictures from History/CPA Media

Quiz for Source 7.3: Life and Travel on the Silk Roads

Source Link:

Source 7.3 A Stop at a Caravanserai

Select the best answer for each question. Click the “submit” button for each question to turn in your work.

  1. Question 7.11

    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

  2. Question 7.12

    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

  3. Question 7.13

    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

  4. Question 7.14

    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

  5. Question 7.15

    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

Source 7.4: Buddhism on the Silk Roads

Among the cultural traditions that spread across the Silk Roads, none was more significant than Buddhism. Buddhist monks, merchants, and missionaries traveled these roads, and the religion itself took root in the oasis cities of Central Asia and from there later spread to China, Korea, and Japan. In the two documents that follow, we catch a glimpse of life in these Central Asian Buddhist centers and their monasteries. The first derives from the oasis settlement of Niya, a commercial center on the southern route of the Silk Road at the edge of the Takla Makan Desert. Documents such as this, dating to around 300 C.E., reveal the involvement of Buddhist monks in commercial life, as they witnessed contracts and arbitrated conflicts, receiving payment in rolls of silk. They bought and sold land as well as slaves. Contrary to conventional monastic life, at least some monks in Niya also married, fathered children, and lived in their own homes. Even those who lived in the monastery participated in the local economy, much as did the ordinary residents of Niya.

Questions to consider as you examine the source:

  • What tensions afflicted the life of the Niya monastery?
  • Why might some monks shirk their monastic duties?
  • What does this document suggest about the economic activities of the monks?

Source 7.4A

Regulations for a Community of Monks, Third Century C.E.

The community of monks in the capital laid down regulations for the community of monks in [Niya]. It is heard that novices do not pay attention to an elder; they disobey the old monks. Concerning this these regulations have been laid down by his majesty in front of the order of monks. The elders Silabrabha and Pumnasena [are to be] in charge of the monastery. They have to administer all the activities of the community. [Disputes] are to be examined in accordance with the law. . . . Whichever monk does not partake in the activities of the community of monks shall pay a fine of one roll of silk. Whichever monk does not take part in the posatha ceremony [a gathering of the monks to review their adherence to the rules of monastic life] his penalty is one roll of silk. Whichever monk at the invitations to the posatha ceremony enters in householder’s dress shall pay a fine of one roll of silk. Whichever monk strikes another monk a light blow, the fine is five rolls of silk; in the case of a moderate blow, ten rolls of silk, and in the case of an excessive blow, fifteen rolls of silk.

Source: Thomas Burrow, A Translation of the Kharoshthi Documents from Chinese Turkestan (London Royal Asiatic Society, 1940), 95. Adapted from the Bedford series book Xinru Liu, The Silk Roads (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2012), 102.

Another Central Asian center of Buddhist life was the Kingdom of Khotan, located, like Niya, on the southern rim of the Takla Makan Desert. Enriched by the trade of the Silk Roads, Khotan flourished as a Buddhist society for a thousand years until it was overrun by Muslim armies in 1006. In the early fifth century, a Chinese Buddhist teacher named Faxian spent several months in Khotan while on his way to India and later wrote a description of what he witnessed there.

  • How does this account of Buddhist life on the Silk Roads compare to that of Niya?
  • What impressed Faxian about this Buddhist kingdom?
  • How do you think the wealth of the Silk Road had changed the practice of Buddhism in Khotan and Niya?

Source 7.4B

Faxian

A Record of the Buddhist Kingdoms, ca. 416

Having been on the road for one month and five days, we reached Khotan. This is a prosperous country, and the people there are affluent. They all follow Buddhist laws and enjoy playing and listening to Buddhist music. There are tens of thousands of monks, most of whom follow Mahayana teachings. All of the monks receive food from public kitchens (and thus do not need to beg food for themselves). In this country, people’s homes are not all concentrated in one location (as in most of China) but are spread out at some distance from each other, and every household is marked by its own small stupa [a tower housing relics of the Buddha]. The smallest ones are about two zhang [twenty feet] in height. There is a Buddhist hostel for guest monks and other travelers. . . .

The sound of a gong summons the three thousand monks to their meals. All enter the dining hall ceremonially and sit down in a designated order. The entire hall is totally in silence; even the noise made by vessels is absent. When a monk wants a servant to add more food, he does not call out to him, but raises his hand to summon him. . . .

There are fourteen large monasteries and numerous small ones in the country. On the first day of the fourth month, the people of the city start by sweeping the street and decorating its lanes [in preparation for a major festival]. . . . A four-wheeled wagon is used to support . . . the statues. . . . A statue of the Buddha stands in the wagon, attended by two bodhisattvas. Heavenly beings, carved and then enameled with golden and silver materials, are hanging above the Buddha. . . . Holding flowers and bundles of incense, the king walked barefoot to meet the Buddha. He touched the feet of the Buddha, then spread the flowers and burned the incense. . . . Every monastery provided a different, but also beautifully decorated array of wagons and statues. It took a whole day for one monastery to parade its statues.

The kings of the six states . . . give all of their precious belongings away to support Buddhism. Humans hardly ever enjoy such things themselves.

Source: Faxian Zhuan Jiaozhu, translated by Xinru Liu, in The Silk Roads, pp. 105–6. Copyright © 2012 Bedford/St. Martin’s.

Quiz for Source 7.4: Life and Travel on the Silk Roads

Source Links:

Source 7.4A Regulations for a Community of Monks

Source 7.4B A Record of the Buddhist Kingdoms<<pop: Source 7.4B A Record of the Buddhist Kingdoms>>

Select the best answer for each question. Click the “submit” button for each question to turn in your work.

  1. Question 7.16

    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

  2. Question 7.17

    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

  3. Question 7.18

    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

  4. Question 7.19

    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

  5. Question 7.20

    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

Source 7.5: Christianity on the Silk Roads

Buddhism was not the only religion to travel the Silk Roads. So too did Christianity, although in a much less widespread and spectacular fashion. Largely derived from the Persian-based Church of the East, this Nestorian form of Christianity had established a minor presence in Central Asia and northern China during the first millennium C.E., probably introduced by Christian missionaries and merchants following the Silk Road network. The most well-known of these initiatives occurred in 635 C.E. when the Tang dynasty emperor Taizong welcomed a Persian Christian monk named Alopen and some two dozen of his associates to the Chinese capital of Chang’an (now Xian, see map). The Chinese court at this time was unusually open to a variety of foreign cultural traditions, including Buddhism, Islam, and Zoroastrianism in addition to Christianity.

Unlike Buddhism, Christianity did not establish a widespread or lasting presence in Central Asia or China. But for several centuries, a number of small Christian communities had flourished, generating a remarkable set of writings known as the “Jesus Sutras.” (A sutra is a Buddhist religious text.) Some were carved on large stone slabs, while others were written on scrolls discovered early in the twentieth century in the caves of Dunhuang in northwestern China. What has fascinated scholars about these writings is the extent to which they cast the Christian message in distinctively Chinese terms, making use particularly of Buddhist and Daoist concepts long familiar in China. For example, at the top of a large stone tablet known as the Nestorian Monument is a Christian cross arising out of a white cloud (a characteristic Daoist symbol) and a lotus flower (an enduring Buddhist image). The written texts themselves, which refer to Christianity as the “Religion of Light from the West” or the “Luminous Religion,” describe its arrival in China and outline its message within the framework of Chinese culture.

Questions to consider as you examine the source:

  • How do the sutras depict the life, death, and teachings of Jesus?
  • What do these texts reveal about the process of cultural blending that occurred all along the Silk Roads?

The Jesus Sutras, 635–1005

The Story of Jesus

The Lord . . . sent the Cool Wind to a girl named Mo Yen. It entered her womb and . . . [she] became pregnant and gave birth to a son named Jesus, whose father is the Cool Wind. . . . [T]he Messiah . . . sought out people with bad karma and directed them to turn around and create good karma by following a wholesome path. Eventually these people, whose karma was unwholesome, formed a conspiracy against him. . . .

For the sake of all living beings and to show us that a human life is as frail as a candle flame, the Messiah gave his body to these people of unwholesome karma. For the sake of the living in this world, he gave up his life. . . .

The Four Laws of Dharma

The first law is no desire. Your heart seeks one thing after another, creating a multitude of problems. . . . Desire can sap wholesome energy. . . . This cuts us off from the roots of Peace and Joy.

The second law is no action. . . . We live our lives veering this way and that: We do things for the sake of progress and material gain, neglecting what is truly important and losing sight of the Way.

The third law is no virtue. Don’t try to find pleasure by making a name for yourself through good deeds. Practice instead universal loving kindness that is directed toward everyone.

The fourth law is no truth. Don’t be concerned with facts, forget about right and wrong, sinking or rising, winning or losing. Those who have awakened to the Way, who have attained the mind of Peace and Joy, who can see all karmic conditions and who share their enlightenment with others, reflect the world like a mirror, leaving no trace of themselves.

Source: Ray Riegert and Thomas Moore (eds.), The Lost Sutras of Jesus: Unlocking the Ancient Wisdom of the Xian Monks (Berkeley, CA: Ulysses Press, 2006), 81–83, 115, 117, 119.

Quiz for Source 7.5: Life and Travel on the Silk Roads

Source Link:

Source 7.5 The Jesus Sutras

Select the best answer for each question. Click the “submit” button for each question to turn in your work.

  1. Question 7.21

    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

  2. Question 7.22

    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

  3. Question 7.23

    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

  4. Question 7.24

    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

  5. Question 7.25

    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

Source 7.6: Letters from the Silk Roads

Some insight into the personal strains of life on the Silk Roads comes from two letters written between husband and wife, miraculously preserved and discovered during archeological excavations in the early twentieth century. The first comes from a low-ranking Chinese military official named Xuan, who wrote to his wife Yousun sometime between 103 B.C.E. and 40 C.E. Xuan had been posted to Juyan Fort on the Great Wall of China, which offered protection for Chinese merchants traveling westward on the Silk Roads. There, soldiers were assigned to particular watchtowers to be on the lookout for “barbarian” incursions. China’s Han dynasty rulers also encouraged them to settle permanently in the region to establish a more solid Chinese presence at the eastern terminus of the Silk Road network.

Questions to consider as you examine the source:

  • What concerns, both personal and professional, are reflected in Xuan’s letter?
  • What does this letter reveal about the policing of the Silk Roads?

Source 7.6A

From a Soldier on Guard Duty, 103 B.C.E–40 C.E.

Xuan [the husband’s name] prostrate to show respect:

Yousun, my dear wife, your life is really hard. Being at the frontier in the summer, I hope you have enough food and clothing. If this is true, I feel happy at the frontier. Only because of the support of Yousun, Xuan can serve at the frontier faithfully and have no need to worry about home.

Your brother Youdu followed the county governor to arrive at Juyan on the tenth day of the month. He told me that your parents were fine. As he came here for business in a great hurry, he probably did not get a chance to see you before his departure.

On the eleventh day, I came here to report to Houguan [Xuan’s superior officer]. As the work is not finished yet, I take time to write this letter, wish all my best.

I just received a letter . . . saying the station chief has arrived at the Linqu watchtower. I am writing this letter to you Yousun. The Houguan will be gone tomorrow. The inspector has not yet arrived. I had better work hard now so that I will not receive a low grade of assessment among the officers when inspected.

Source: Chen Zhi, Juyan Hanjian Yanjiu [Studies of the Wooden Slips from Juyan] (Tianjin: Guji Chubanshe, 1986), 492–93. Translated by Xinru Liu. Adapted from the Bedford series book Xinru Liu, The Silk Roads , p. 48. Copyright © 2012 Bedford/St. Martin’s.

A second set of letters reflects the difficulties of Sogdian traders and their families on the Silk Road. These Central Asian merchants had established a long-lasting network of exchange with China as well as settlements within China, while their language became a medium of communication along much of the Silk Roads network. One such trader, named Nanai-dhat, lived with his wife and daughter in Dunhuang on the far western edge of China during the early fourth century C.E. Amid the turmoil that followed the demise of the Han dynasty, Nanai-dhat left the area, abandoning his previously well-to-do wife Miwnay and his daughter Shayn to poverty and unwelcome service to local Chinese families. Their desperate letter to Nanai-dhat and Miwnay’s letter to her mother disclose something of the personal tragedies that accompanied people far from home in times of political upheaval on the Silk Roads. Breaks in the text reflect the fragmentary remains of the letters.

  • How do Miwnay and Shayn describe their condition? Why did they find it so humiliating?
  • What had Miwnay and Shayn done to find a way back home?
  • How might you explain the contrast between the greeting of the letter and its ending?

Source 7.6B

From an Abandoned Wife, Early Fourth Century C.E.

To (my) noble lord (and) husband Nanai-dhat, blessing (and) homage on bended knee, as is offered to the gods. And (it would be) a good day for him who might see you healthy, happy (and) free from illness, together with everyone; and, sir, when I hear (news of) your (good) health, I consider myself immortal!

Behold, I am living . . . badly, not well, wretchedly, and I consider myself dead. Again and again I send you a letter, (but) I do not receive a (single) letter from you, and I have become without hope towards you. My misfortune is this, (that) I have been in Dunhuang for three years thanks(?) to you, and there was a way out a first, a second, even a fifth time, (but) herefused to bring me out. I requested the leaders that support (should be given) to Farnkhund for me, so that he may take me to (my) husband and I would not be stuck in Dunhuang, (for) Farnkhund says: I am not Nanai-dhat’s servant, nor do I hold his capital. I also requested thus: If he refuses to take me to (my) husband, then . . . such support for me that he may take me to (my) mother.

[In a fragmentary section she declares that her father would not suffer her being a servant of the Chinese, before telling her husband that if his intention was for her to become a servant that] you write to me so that I should know how to serve the Chinese. In my paternal abode I did not have such a restricted . . . as with(?) you. I obeyed your command and came to Dunhuang and I did not observe (my) mother’s bidding nor (my) brothers’. Surely(?) the gods were angry with me on the day when I did your bidding! I would rather be a dog’s or a pig’s wife than yours! .

Sent by (your) servant Miwnay.

[Added in the margin was a note from his daughter.] From (his) daughter Shayn to the noble lord Nanai-dhat, blessing (and) homage. And (it would be) a good [day] for him [who] might see [you] healthy, rested (and) happy. . . . I have become . . . and I watch over a flock of domestic animals. . . . I know that you do not lack twenty staters(?) [a unit of money] to send. It is necessary to consider the whole (matter). Farnkhund has run away; the Chinese seek him but do not find him. Because of Farnkhund’s debts we have become the servants of the Chinese, I together with (my) mother.

[In another letter Miwnay writes to her mother.]

From her daughter, the free-woman Miwnay, to her dear [mother] Chatis, blessing and homage. . . . It would be a good day for him who might [see] you healthy and at ease; and [for me] that day would be the best when we ourselves might see you in good health. I am very anxious to see you, but have no luck. I petitioned the councillor Sagharak, but the councillor says: Here there is no other relative closer to Nanai-dhat than Artivan. And I petitioned Artivan, but he says: Farnkhund . . . And Farnkhund says: If your husband’s relative does not consent that you should go back to your mother, how should I take you? Wait until . . . comes; perhaps Nanai-dhat will come. I live wretchedly, without clothing, without money; I ask for a loan, but no-one consents to give me one, so I depend on charity from the priest. He said to me: If you go, I will give you a camel, and a man should go with you, and on the way I will look after you well. May he do so for me until you send me a letter!

Source: From Professor Nicholas Sims-Williams (translator), The Sogdian Ancient Letters, http://depts.washington.edu/silkroad/texts/sogdlet.html. Used by permission.

Quiz for Source 7.6: Life and Travel on the Silk Roads

Source Links:

Source 7.6A From a Soldier on Guard Duty

Source 7.6B From an Abandoned Wife

Select the best answer for each question. Click the “submit” button for each question to turn in your work.

  1. Question 7.26

    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

  2. Question 7.27

    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

  3. Question 7.28

    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

  4. Question 7.29

    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

  5. Question 7.30

    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

Organize the Evidence for Thinking through Sources 7

Source Links:

Source 7.1 Silk Road Merchants Encounter Bandits

Source 7.2: Advice for European Merchants Traveling to China

Source 7.3 A Stop at a Caravanserai

Source 7.4A Regulations for a Community of Monks

Source 7.4B A Record of the Buddhist Kingdoms<<pop: Source 7.4B A Record of the Buddhist Kingdoms>>

Source 7.5 The Jesus Sutras

Source 7.6A From a Soldier on Guard Duty

Source 7.6B From an Abandoned Wife

The following exercises provide an opportunity to use the sources collectively to respond to a guiding question.

Guiding Question

What evidence do these sources provide about the kinds of interaction that the Silk Roads generated among culturally different peoples and the outcomes of those encounters?

Instructions

Below are four topics that might find a place in organizing an essay responding to the guiding question. This exercise asks you to identify which sources would provide relevant evidence for that topic. Select the best answers for each question. Choose ALL that apply.

Click the “submit” button for each question to turn in your work.

  1. Question 7.31

    Which sources provide evidence on trade along the Silk Roads? Choose ALL that apply.
    nbIRnRe8R9/OaJB+ A. Source 7.1: Dangers and Assistance on the Silk Roads
    nbIRnRe8R9/OaJB+ B. Source 7.2: Advice for Merchants
    nbIRnRe8R9/OaJB+ C. Source 7.3: Stopping at a Caravanserai
    xdqz80TY1Vwhogjf D. Source 7.4: Buddhism on the Silk Roads
    xdqz80TY1Vwhogjf E. Source 7.5: Christianity on the Silk Roads
    nbIRnRe8R9/OaJB+ F. Source 7.6: Letters from the Silk Roads
    Correct: Source 7.1 casts light on the dangers of trading along the Silk Roads. Source 7.2 offers advice to Western merchants planning trading trips along the Silk Roads to China. Source 7.3 provides evidence concerning the infrastructure used by merchants at stopping points along the Silk Roads. Source 7.6: In the letters from the Silk Roads, Miwnay and Shayn were the abandoned wife and daughter of a trader from Central Asia living in China. Source 7.4 focuses on Buddhist communities, offering no direct evidence on trade along the Silk Roads. Source 7.5 offers no information concerning trade along the Silk Roads.
    Incorrect: Source 7.1 casts light on the dangers of trading along the Silk Roads. Source 7.2 offers advice to Western merchants planning trading trips along the Silk Roads to China. Source 7.3 provides evidence concerning the infrastructure used by merchants at stopping points along the Silk Roads. Source 7.6: In the letters from the Silk Roads, Miwnay and Shayn were the abandoned wife and daughter of a trader from Central Asia living in China. Source 7.4 focuses on Buddhist communities, offering no direct evidence on trade along the Silk Roads. Source 7.5 offers no information concerning trade along the Silk Roads.

  2. Question 7.32

    Which sources provide evidence on religious communities or practices along the Silk Roads? Choose ALL that apply.
    nbIRnRe8R9/OaJB+ A. Source 7.1: Dangers and Assistance on the Silk Roads
    xdqz80TY1Vwhogjf B. Source 7.2: Advice for Merchants
    xdqz80TY1Vwhogjf C. Source 7.3: Stopping at a Caravanserai
    nbIRnRe8R9/OaJB+ D. Source 7.4: Buddhism on the Silk Roads
    nbIRnRe8R9/OaJB+ E. Source 7.5: Christianity on the Silk Roads
    nbIRnRe8R9/OaJB+ F. Source 7.6: Letters from the Silk Roads
    Correct: Source 7.1 calls on travelers to seek the aid of the bodhisattva Guanyin when in danger. Source 7.4 (both documents) describes Buddhist foundations and culture along the Silk Roads. Source 7.5 provides evidence concerning Christianity in China. Source 7.6 refers to a local priest who has offered charity to Miwnay and also promised a camel to help her return home. Source 7.2 makes no reference to religion. Source 7.3 provides no direct evidence of religious communities or practices.
    Incorrect: Source 7.1 calls on travelers to seek the aid of the bodhisattva Guanyin when in danger. Source 7.4 (both documents) describes Buddhist foundations and culture along the Silk Roads. Source 7.5 provides evidence concerning Christianity in China. Source 7.6 refers to a local priest who has offered charity to Miwnay and also promised a camel to help her return home. Source 7.2 makes no reference to religion. Source 7.3 provides no direct evidence of religious communities or practices.

  3. Question 7.33

    Which sources provide evidence on the hardships incurred by those traveling the Silk Roads? Choose ALL that apply.
    nbIRnRe8R9/OaJB+ A. Source 7.1: Dangers and Assistance on the Silk Roads
    nbIRnRe8R9/OaJB+ B. Source 7.2: Advice for Merchants
    nbIRnRe8R9/OaJB+ C. Source 7.3: Stopping at a Caravanserai
    xdqz80TY1Vwhogjf D. Source 7.4: Buddhism on the Silk Roads
    xdqz80TY1Vwhogjf E. Source 7.5: Christianity on the Silk Roads
    nbIRnRe8R9/OaJB+ F. Source 7.6: Letters from the Silk Roads
    Correct: Source 7.1: this image depicts merchants being robbed or extorted. Source 7.2: While noting that travel on the Silk Roads was safe, Pegolotti also identifies a number of dangers for foreign travelers, including the seizure of their goods. Source 7.3 includes the depiction of an ill traveler receiving treatment. Source 7.6: these letters depict the hardships suffered by families living apart along the Silk Roads. Source 7.4: these sources focus on Buddhist communities. Faxian, the only traveler, suffers no hardships during his stay at Khotan. Source 7.5 is a primarily spiritual document.
    Incorrect: Source 7.1: this image depicts merchants being robbed or extorted. Source 7.2: While noting that travel on the Silk Roads was safe, Pegolotti also identifies a number of dangers for foreign travelers, including the seizure of their goods. Source 7.3 includes the depiction of an ill traveler receiving treatment. Source 7.6: these letters depict the hardships suffered by families living apart along the Silk Roads. Source 7.4: these sources focus on Buddhist communities. Faxian, the only traveler, suffers no hardships during his stay at Khotan. Source 7.5 is a primarily spiritual document.

  4. Question 7.34

    Which sources cast light on the states of the region or the state’s role in supporting trade? Choose ALL that apply.
    nbIRnRe8R9/OaJB+ A. Source 7.1: Dangers and Assistance on the Silk Roads
    nbIRnRe8R9/OaJB+ B. Source 7.2: Advice for Merchants
    nbIRnRe8R9/OaJB+ C. Source 7.3: Stopping at a Caravanserai
    nbIRnRe8R9/OaJB+ D. Source 7.4: Buddhism on the Silk Roads
    xdqz80TY1Vwhogjf E. Source 7.5: Christianity on the Silk Roads
    nbIRnRe8R9/OaJB+ F. Source 7.6: Letters from the Silk Roads
    Correct: Source 7.1: While the bandits may be border guards employed by the state, this source reveals the absence of state-based order in the region. Source 7.2 offers evidence on a number of states and especially on how the Chinese government regulated trade. Source 7.3 depicts a stop along the caravan routes like those sponsored and protected by states. Source 7.4: The first document reveals the state’s role in regulating a Buddhist monastery, while the second one casts light on state support for Buddhism in Khotan. Source 7.6: Xuan’s letter casts light on Chinese efforts to police the Silk Roads, while Miwnay and Shayn’s letter reveals that the Chinese authorities could force members of households into servitude to pay off debts. Source 7.5: While some Chinese authorities tolerated and even recognized Christianity, this source focuses on the life and teaching of Jesus, not the state’s role in the spread of Christianity.
    Incorrect: Source 7.1: While the bandits may be border guards employed by the state, this source reveals the absence of state-based order in the region. Source 7.2 offers evidence on a number of states and especially on how the Chinese government regulated trade. Source 7.3 depicts a stop along the caravan routes like those sponsored and protected by states. Source 7.4: The first document reveals the state’s role in regulating a Buddhist monastery, while the second one casts light on state support for Buddhism in Khotan. Source 7.6: Xuan’s letter casts light on Chinese efforts to police the Silk Roads, while Miwnay and Shayn’s letter reveals that the Chinese authorities could force members of households into servitude to pay off debts. Source 7.5: While some Chinese authorities tolerated and even recognized Christianity, this source focuses on the life and teaching of Jesus, not the state’s role in the spread of Christianity.

Draw Conclusions from the Evidence for Thinking through Sources 7

Source Links:

Source 7.1 Silk Road Merchants Encounter Bandits

Source 7.2: Advice for European Merchants Traveling to China

Source 7.3 A Stop at a Caravanserai

Source 7.4A Regulations for a Community of Monks

Source 7.4B A Record of the Buddhist Kingdoms<<pop: Source 7.4B A Record of the Buddhist Kingdoms>>

Source 7.5 The Jesus Sutras

Source 7.6A From a Soldier on Guard Duty

Source 7.6B From an Abandoned Wife

Instructions

This exercise asks you to assess the relationship between conclusions and evidence. Identify which of the following conclusions are supported by the specific piece of evidence. Click yes for those pieces of evidence that support the conclusion and no for those that do not.

Conclusion A

The Silk Roads were largely a “relay trade” in which goods were passed down the line before reaching their final destinations.

  1. Question 7.35

    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

  2. Question 7.36

    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

  3. Question 7.37

    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

Conclusion B

Silk Road trading networks prospered most when large and powerful states provided security for merchants and travelers.

  1. Question 7.38

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  2. Question 7.39

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  3. Question 7.40

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Conclusion C

As Buddhism spread across the Silk Roads from India to Central Asia, China, and beyond, it also changed. The original faith had shunned the material world, but Buddhist monasteries in the rich oasis towns of the Silk Roads found themselves very much involved in secular affairs. Some of them became quite wealthy.

  1. Question 7.41

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  2. Question 7.42

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Essay Questions for Thinking through Sources 7

  1. Defining motives: What needs or desires inspired the economic and cultural interactions of the Silk Roads?
  2. Explaining religious change: What do these sources suggest about the appeal of Buddhism and Christianity? How did life on the Silk Roads transform these religious traditions?
  3. Sources and Perspectives: In what ways do these sources confirm or reinforce your understanding of the Silk Roads? How do they challenge your understanding?
  4. Impressions of the Silk Roads: Drawing on these sources, how would you describe life on the Silk Roads? What were its attractions? What made it a difficult or dangerous route?