About The Silk Road and Central Eurasia

This course will introduce you to the history of Central Eurasia and the Silk Road from 4500 B.C.E to the nineteenth century. You will learn about the culture of the nomadic peoples of Central Eurasia as well as the development of the Silk Road. The course will be structured chronologically; each unit will focus on one aspect of the Silk Road during a specific time period. Each unit will include representative primary-source documents that illustrate important overarching political, economic, and social themes, such as the discovery and production of silk in China, diplomatic relations between Han China and nomadic peoples of the Eurasian steppe, the international scope of the Silk Road trade routes, European interest in finding a "new silk route" to China, and the "Great Game" between China, Russia, and Great Britain in Central Eurasia in the nineteenth century. By the end of the course, you will understand how the Silk Road influenced the development of nomadic societies in Central Eurasia as well as powerful empires in China, the Middle East, and Europe.