In this episode of History 102, 'WhatIfAltHist' creator Rudyard Lynch and co-host Austin Padgett explores how the Silk Road shaped global civilization through expansive trade networks, cultural exchange, and power dynamics between Europe, the Middle East, India, and China.
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@whatifalthist (Rudyard)
@LudwigNverMises (Austin)
@TurpentineMedia
HIGHLIGHTS:
From Authoritarianism to Trade Routes: Setting the Stage
Fascinating discussion of different types of authoritarian states
Historical shifts in gender and violence
Sets up context for Silk Road discussion
China's First Contact: The Quest for Blood-Sweating Horses
Dramatic story of first Chinese explorer to discover other civilizations
Tale of escape from Hunnish bride
Discovery of "white ghosts" in Western China
Disease, Death, and Trade: The Dark Side of Connection
How plagues reshaped civilizations
American near-miss with Bubonic Plague in 1898
How trade routes spread devastating diseases
The Maritime Silk Road: An Ocean of Wealth
Sri Lanka's role as forced stopover for traders
Persian merchants dominating Indian Ocean trade
Southeast Asian kingdoms built on luxury goods
Rise and Fall of Trade Empires
Portuguese conquest of Indian Ocean trade
How 400-man crews took over the world's richest trade system
Decline of Russia from wealth to backwater
The Mongol Factor: Building an Empire on Skulls
How Mongols killed 100 million in pre-industrial world
Creation of Pax Mongolica
Legacy of destruction in Central Asia
Final decline of the Silk Road system
BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS:
"The Sea and Civilization" by Lincoln Paine
"Strange Parallels" by Victor Lieberman
"Rome and Persia: The Seven Hundred Year Rivalry" by Adrian Goldsworthy
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