Students put themselves in the shoes of an ancient adventurer traveling the Silk Road, as Peter Stark describes what it was like to re-enact the journey. Discuss any insights that emerge and the benefits of examining history from this and other perspectives.
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Topics Included:
• Difference between City, Village and Town
• Greater agricultural production
• Growth of crafts
• Increase in trade
• How did people live
• The second urbanisation
• Functions of towns
• Mathura
• Arikamedu
Topics Included:
• Difference between City, Village and Town
• Greater agricultural production
• Growth of crafts
• Increase in trade
• How did people live
• The second urbanisation
• Functions of towns
• Mathura
• Arikamedu
Letters from Burma Letter by Aung San Suu Kyi -SEEDS OF DEMOCRACY FLOWERS IN ...MYO AUNG Myanmar
http://burmalibrary.org/docs/Letters_from_Burma.htm
Letters from Burma
by Aung San Suu Kyi
November 1995-December 1996
This series was carried in the Monday morning editions of the Mainichi Shimbun and in the Mainichi Daily News from 27 November, 1995 to 9 December, 1996
Plenty of books have been written about hiking the heavily traveled trails of New York’s Adirondack Park.
This is not one of them.
“Adventures in the New Wilderness” contains essays on the exploration of some little-known paths in the High Peaks region of Essex County — the ancient, abandoned road between Wilmington and Lake Placid; the old trails around Placid Lake, rarely used by anyone anymore; the tracks up Essex County’s lonely fire-tower mountains, where you’ll find some of the most spectacular (but least known) views of the High Peaks; and journeys into the cold, pristine world of the Adirondack woods in winter.
TO ORDER A BOUND, PRINT EDITION, GO TO http://stores.lulu.com/leemanchester
How the silk roads brought together in one indivisible unit the Afro-Eurasian landmass, allowing for the peaceful diffusion of religions, letters, arts and cultures.
A retracing of the 1880-82 trek of Mennonites escaping military conscription and the Great Tribulation in Russia, and seeking a place of refuge in Central Asian khanates. A 2010 tour will follow the trail and retell the dramatic story.
“To what extent has the Modern Revolution been a positive or a negative force?” is the driving question for Unit 9. The purpose of this activity is to apply Unit 9’s driving question
to a modern-day infrastructure development: the Interoceanic Highway (La Carretera). Construction on La Carretera, which connects the east and west coasts of South America, began in the early twenty-first century. By studying the scenes depicted in a photojournalist’s photographic essay, students will come to their own conclusions about the extent to which this road has been a positive or negative force as related to certain trends and topics (economic development and natural environment, for example). This activity will also help prepare students for Investigation 9, in which they’re asked to identify good and bad outcomes of trends referenced in the Investigation texts.
This activity will give students a chance to review some of what they learned in this lesson, and use it to think more deeply about what and how they would communicate with an alien species.
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Circling one star among hundreds of billions, in one galaxy among a hundred billion more, in a Universe that is vast and expanding ever faster – perhaps toward infinity. It’s easy to forget that we live in a place of astonishing grandeur and mystery.
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Unit 9: Comparing the Costs of Renewable and Conventional Energy SourcesBig History Project
You can’t get too far in a discussion about the nation’s electric power sector without running into the question of costs.
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This quick activity will get students brainstorming about life on Mars and what they would need to survive there.
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Use www.gapminder.org/data to fill out the data in each of the tables below. To find the data you need, make sure that you have the name of the category. On the gapminder.org/data page, you’ll see a table called “List of indicators in “Gapminder World.” Beneath that title, on the right side of the table, find the
Search box. Type the name of the category into that search area. Once you find the category, click on the magnifying glass on the right. That link will have the data you need to fill out each of the tables below.
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Spanning three centuries of history, from the dawn of the industrial age to modern times, three diverse
thinkers developed their own landmark theories on commerce, labor, and the global economy.
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In the final essay of a four-part series, David Christian explains
how advances in communication and transportation accelerated
collective learning.
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Lesson 9.2 Activity: The Impact of Population Growth EssayBig History Project
For this closing activity, students will construct an essay in which they discuss what they think are the three biggest impacts of human population growth in the modern era. By looking more closely at population growth, they will deepen their understanding of the impact of acceleration and will think about themselves in relation to population growth and the effect it might have on their own futures.
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Unit 8: Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human SocietiesBig History Project
Jared Mason Diamond (1937 — ) is an American scientist and author whose work draws from a variety of fields. He is currently a professor of geography and of physiology at UCLA. His 1997 book, Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human
Societies, from which the following passages are excerpted, won the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for general nonfiction and the Aventis Prize for Best Science Book. The basic premise of the book is to explain why Eurasian civilizations have survived
and conquered others, while refuting the idea that Eurasian hegemony is due to intellectual, moral, or genetic superiority.
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Making comparisons is an important intellectual tool for all people and especially for historians and scientists. Historians, in particular, make comparisons across time to understand what
has changed and what has remained constant. This question looks at the spread of plague and our collective reaction to plague at two different times in human history—the fourteenth century and the nineteenth century. Such a comparison enables us to see clearly how we have changed.
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Lesson 8.3 Activity: Revising Investigation Writing - Sentence Starters Part 2Big History Project
Students have examined and revised an Investigation writing sample based on Criteria A, B, and C of the rubric. Now, they’ll undergo the same process with a peer essay. In addition, they’ll do this alone instead of in groups. So, although the process is the same as in the last Investigation writing activity, this one might be more difficult since students will move away from group work and will complete this worksheet on their own. However, it’s important for students to be able to accomplish this exercise on their own since in the next lesson, they’ll apply this same process to their own writing. Again, while the categories in the rubric are a useful tool for initially understanding the different elements of writing, they need to be looked at as a whole since the areas of focus are interrelated.
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Unit 8: When Humans Became Inhumane: The Atlantic Slave TradeBig History Project
Once Europeans had figured out how to be effective middlemen — buying and selling silver, tea, and fur, they turned to figuring out how to also become producers of the commodities they were trading.
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Unit 8: Investigating the Consequences of the Columbian ExchangeBig History Project
A new era in human history began in 1492 as the four world zones became connected. For the first time, humans created truly global networks.
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The account of the travels of the Muslim legal scholar Ibn Battuta in the first half of the fourteenth century reveals the wide scope of the Muslim world at that time.
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This collection of biographies provides students with detailed information about the voyages of these explorers including information about their motivation and how they inspired future generations of explorers. These men opened the door to a more interconnected world as the contacts they made helped to create connections between distant peoples and stimulate the growth of exchange networks and long-distance trade.
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Lesson 7.2 Activity: Essay - Were They Pushed or Did They Jump?Big History Project
You’re going to pick a civilization you’ve already researched, and then use the information from your Early Civilizations Museum Project, your Comparing More Civilizations Worksheet, and your Rise, Fall, and Collapse of Civilizations Worksheet to write a five-paragraph essay about whether that civilization was pushed (external forces were the main cause of its downfall) or it jumped (something internal was responsible—they were their own worst enemy). A “pushed” example: Two empires went to war. You might say the winning empire “pushed” the losing empire into collapse. An example of a civilization having “jumped” can be found in the Easter Island Activity earlier in the course: One of the theories for the collapse of Easter Island is that the inhabitants depleted the natural resources they needed to survive. The people were, in a sense, the cause of their own destruction—they “jumped.”
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Lesson 7.2 Activity: Social Status, Power, and Human BurialsBig History Project
This activity provides students with an opportunity to start thinking about the impact that farming can have on the way humans live and relate to each other. It will also allow them to think about the kinds of questions archaeologists and historians might ask when they must rely upon artifacts rather than written evidence to learn about the past.
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Unit 7: Greco-Roman: Early Experiments in Participatory GovernmentBig History Project
Instead of rule by a single person, Athens and Rome developed governments with widespread participation by male elites, which lasted about 170 years in Athens and 480 years in Rome.
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During the same narrow sliver of cosmic time, cities, states, and civilizations emerged independentlyin several places around the world.
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Unit 8 - Information and Communication Technology (Paper I).pdfThiyagu K
This slides describes the basic concepts of ICT, basics of Email, Emerging Technology and Digital Initiatives in Education. This presentations aligns with the UGC Paper I syllabus.
The Roman Empire A Historical Colossus.pdfkaushalkr1407
The Roman Empire, a vast and enduring power, stands as one of history's most remarkable civilizations, leaving an indelible imprint on the world. It emerged from the Roman Republic, transitioning into an imperial powerhouse under the leadership of Augustus Caesar in 27 BCE. This transformation marked the beginning of an era defined by unprecedented territorial expansion, architectural marvels, and profound cultural influence.
The empire's roots lie in the city of Rome, founded, according to legend, by Romulus in 753 BCE. Over centuries, Rome evolved from a small settlement to a formidable republic, characterized by a complex political system with elected officials and checks on power. However, internal strife, class conflicts, and military ambitions paved the way for the end of the Republic. Julius Caesar’s dictatorship and subsequent assassination in 44 BCE created a power vacuum, leading to a civil war. Octavian, later Augustus, emerged victorious, heralding the Roman Empire’s birth.
Under Augustus, the empire experienced the Pax Romana, a 200-year period of relative peace and stability. Augustus reformed the military, established efficient administrative systems, and initiated grand construction projects. The empire's borders expanded, encompassing territories from Britain to Egypt and from Spain to the Euphrates. Roman legions, renowned for their discipline and engineering prowess, secured and maintained these vast territories, building roads, fortifications, and cities that facilitated control and integration.
The Roman Empire’s society was hierarchical, with a rigid class system. At the top were the patricians, wealthy elites who held significant political power. Below them were the plebeians, free citizens with limited political influence, and the vast numbers of slaves who formed the backbone of the economy. The family unit was central, governed by the paterfamilias, the male head who held absolute authority.
Culturally, the Romans were eclectic, absorbing and adapting elements from the civilizations they encountered, particularly the Greeks. Roman art, literature, and philosophy reflected this synthesis, creating a rich cultural tapestry. Latin, the Roman language, became the lingua franca of the Western world, influencing numerous modern languages.
Roman architecture and engineering achievements were monumental. They perfected the arch, vault, and dome, constructing enduring structures like the Colosseum, Pantheon, and aqueducts. These engineering marvels not only showcased Roman ingenuity but also served practical purposes, from public entertainment to water supply.
Read| The latest issue of The Challenger is here! We are thrilled to announce that our school paper has qualified for the NATIONAL SCHOOLS PRESS CONFERENCE (NSPC) 2024. Thank you for your unwavering support and trust. Dive into the stories that made us stand out!
Model Attribute Check Company Auto PropertyCeline George
In Odoo, the multi-company feature allows you to manage multiple companies within a single Odoo database instance. Each company can have its own configurations while still sharing common resources such as products, customers, and suppliers.
Acetabularia Information For Class 9 .docxvaibhavrinwa19
Acetabularia acetabulum is a single-celled green alga that in its vegetative state is morphologically differentiated into a basal rhizoid and an axially elongated stalk, which bears whorls of branching hairs. The single diploid nucleus resides in the rhizoid.
Honest Reviews of Tim Han LMA Course Program.pptxtimhan337
Personal development courses are widely available today, with each one promising life-changing outcomes. Tim Han’s Life Mastery Achievers (LMA) Course has drawn a lot of interest. In addition to offering my frank assessment of Success Insider’s LMA Course, this piece examines the course’s effects via a variety of Tim Han LMA course reviews and Success Insider comments.
How to Make a Field invisible in Odoo 17Celine George
It is possible to hide or invisible some fields in odoo. Commonly using “invisible” attribute in the field definition to invisible the fields. This slide will show how to make a field invisible in odoo 17.
Operation “Blue Star” is the only event in the history of Independent India where the state went into war with its own people. Even after about 40 years it is not clear if it was culmination of states anger over people of the region, a political game of power or start of dictatorial chapter in the democratic setup.
The people of Punjab felt alienated from main stream due to denial of their just demands during a long democratic struggle since independence. As it happen all over the word, it led to militant struggle with great loss of lives of military, police and civilian personnel. Killing of Indira Gandhi and massacre of innocent Sikhs in Delhi and other India cities was also associated with this movement.
Synthetic Fiber Construction in lab .pptxPavel ( NSTU)
Synthetic fiber production is a fascinating and complex field that blends chemistry, engineering, and environmental science. By understanding these aspects, students can gain a comprehensive view of synthetic fiber production, its impact on society and the environment, and the potential for future innovations. Synthetic fibers play a crucial role in modern society, impacting various aspects of daily life, industry, and the environment. ynthetic fibers are integral to modern life, offering a range of benefits from cost-effectiveness and versatility to innovative applications and performance characteristics. While they pose environmental challenges, ongoing research and development aim to create more sustainable and eco-friendly alternatives. Understanding the importance of synthetic fibers helps in appreciating their role in the economy, industry, and daily life, while also emphasizing the need for sustainable practices and innovation.
Welcome to TechSoup New Member Orientation and Q&A (May 2024).pdfTechSoup
In this webinar you will learn how your organization can access TechSoup's wide variety of product discount and donation programs. From hardware to software, we'll give you a tour of the tools available to help your nonprofit with productivity, collaboration, financial management, donor tracking, security, and more.
Francesca Gottschalk - How can education support child empowerment.pptxEduSkills OECD
Francesca Gottschalk from the OECD’s Centre for Educational Research and Innovation presents at the Ask an Expert Webinar: How can education support child empowerment?
2. COVER: The Tibetan
Plateau in Central Asia
THIS PAGE: Peter
Stark and his fellow
travelers cross a
mountain pass in Tibet
THE SECOND DAY INTO THE MOUNTAINS OF THE
TIBETAN PLATEAU, EVERYTHING WENT WRONG.
OUR CANTEENS RAN DRY. WE STRUGGLED UP A
MOUNTAIN PASS BEHIND THE CARAVAN OF YAKS
THAT CARRIED OUR LUGGAGE. IT WAS SO STEEP
AND HIGH, IT FELT LIKE WE WERE PANTING OUR
WAY UP A 15,000-FOOT-TALL BLACK SAND DUNE.
Descending the far side, the yaks escaped
from the Tibetan herdsman who guided
them. Then, trying to round up the yaks,
we got separated from each other.
I grew dizzy from running in the thin air.
Eventually Amy and I found a little trail
that led into a deep stream canyon. Then
we lost the trail in the canyon’s brushy
bottom.
That’s when the thunderstorm struck. It
was late afternoon. Amy and I were alone
in the brushy bottom of the canyon on the
left bank of the stream. We didn’t know
what had happened to the yak caravan,
nor the Tibetan herdsman running along-
side them in his long black robe, nor the
Tibetan guide on horseback who carried
the rifle, nor the Chinese interpreter.
We thought they were somewhere ahead
of us in the canyon, and maybe on the
opposite bank of the stream, but we
weren’t sure.
3. THE SKY TURNED SUDDENLY BLACK.
Lightning rocketed among the moun-
taintops. Thunder crashed through the
canyon, echoing and reverberating, and
shaking the ground beneath our hiking
boots. White curtains of cold, driving rain
swept through the airy space between
the canyon walls, obscuring the far
side. The stream began to rise — fast —
smashing against its banks, churning
with whitewater. We followed it down-
stream, trying to get out of the canyon.
Soon we ran into a cliff that rose straight
out of the charging water. The only ways
past it were to climb high over the cliff or
to inch our way across it on narrow ledges.
Amy and I started to claw our way up the
side of the cliff, grabbing at roots of
bushes and moss to hold on. This was
what our honeymoon had become. Some-
where up ahead, this canyon was sup-
posed to lead to the headwaters of the
Yangtze River — our destination. Soon
I was edging out on a slippery, wet ledge,
clinging to the side of the cliff, 30 feet
above the raging stream. The ledge nar-
rowed. Then it ended in a big nose of
rock. I didn’t know where next to place
either hands or feet. I was stuck high
above the charging stream, growing dizzy
looking down between my boots at the
spinning rapids below.
We were traveling by yak caravan because
I wanted to write about the Yangtze River
and this was the only way to reach its
headwaters in these rugged, mountain-
ous regions of the Tibetan Plateau. Yak
caravans like ours, for many centuries,
had crossed these high mountains. They
traveled on one branch of the ancient
trade route known as the Silk Road. The
branch across the Tibetan Plateau linked
two civilizations, China’s and India’s. Other
branches linked Chinese traders with the
civilizations of the Mediterranean and
Europe, many thousands of miles away.
Some writers describe the Silk Road as
an ancient highway connecting distant
ends of continents. I like to think of it as
the Earth’s original Internet.
When we think of a major highway, we
usually imagine someone traveling a long
distance by car or bus or truck. But unlike
a modern highway, very few people tra-
versed the Silk Road from one end to the
other, from China to the Mediterranean,
or vice versa. (Marco Polo was one of the
TOP: Looking across
the Tibetan Plateau
at the Himalayan
Mountains
BOTTOM: Expedition
guide Ang Ya (with rifle)
and herdsman Lo
Da Ji adjust the packs
BIG HISTORY PROJECT LOST ON THE SILK ROAD 3 OF 10
4. BAGHDAD MERV
ASIA
Gobi Desert
Caspian
Sea
Black
Sea
Plateau of Tibet
Hindu
Kush
Altai Mountains
Manchurian
Plain
BAY OF
BENGAL
XI’AN
SOUTH
CHINA
SEA
EAST
CHINA
SEA
SEA
OF
JAPAN
EUROPE
AFRICA
Himalayas
Syrian
Desert
DAMASCUS
KASHGARSAMARKAND
Asia
Minor
Thai
Desert
Arabian
Peninsula
ARABIAN
SEA
OTHER TRADE ROUTE
THE SILK ROADS
DUNHUANG
ALEPPO
Mediterran
ean
Sea
famous travelers who did.) The Silk Road
really served, like the Internet does, as
a linked network of communication
“nodes.” In the way “packets” of informa-
tion are passed along the Internet from
computer node to computer node all over
the globe, so were actual packets of
goods passed from one trader’s caravan
to another, and from one caravan post to
another on the Silk Road. After months,
or even years, these packets had traveled
hundreds or thousands of miles along the
Silk Road from, say, China to France, a
distance of over 5,000 miles as the crow
flies, and closer to 10,000 miles by wind-
ing roads and paths.
The most famous of these packets of
goods traveling along the Silk Road con-
tained, as you might guess, silk. The Chi-
nese had invented this luxurious fabric
around 2700 BCE (or earlier) and man-
aged to keep the manufacturing process
secret for millennia, closely guarding the
silkworm that spins a cocoon of the finest
filament — the silk thread. Unraveled from
the cocoon, and woven together, the silk
threads formed a fabric so soft, so sheer,
so refined, that kings and queens, dukes
and duchesses, wealthy people of the
ancient world, were willing to pay extraor-
dinary prices to possess this luxury good
that traveled from hand to hand, caravan to
caravan, all the way from China to Europe.
Thus was born the Silk Road.
No official “date” marks the opening of
the Silk Road, but about 2,000 years ago,
The Silk Road
really served,
like the Internet
does, as a linked
network of
communication
“nodes.”
BIG HISTORY PROJECT LOST ON THE SILK ROAD 4 OF 10
5. Silk threads formed a fabric so soft, so
refined, that kings and queens were willing
to pay extraordinary prices to possess it
TOP: Chinese
women iron silk in a
12th-century painting
by Emperor Hui Tsung
BOTTOM: Silk fabric
was highly prized in
Europe
RIGHT: Silk merchants
at the bazaar in Cairo,
Egypt
6. during ancient China’s Han dynasty, a
government ambassador, Zhang Qian
(c. 200–114 BCE), was sent west by the
emperor to secure a trade route for silk
caravans. Zhang and his officers made
peace with some of the nomadic tribes of
Central Asia that had previously attacked
travelers. After Zhang’s intervention, it
became safer for the caravans carrying
silk to travel further west, and eventually
their trade goods made it all the way to
cities on or near the Mediterranean, such
as Aleppo, in today’s Syria. They then
traveled on sailing ships the rest of the
way to the ports of western Europe. Here
the fabric was tailored into the gowns
and luxury goods of royalty, aristocrats,
and wealthy merchants.
The new fabric was so thin and sheer
and revealing that some Roman authori-
ties considered it scandalous and tried to
ban it:
“I can see clothes of silk, if materials that
do not hide the body, nor even one’s
decency, can be called clothes,” wrote
the Roman philosopher Seneca the
Younger. “Wretched flocks of maids labor
so that the adulteress may be visible
through her thin dress.…”
Trade traveled both ways on the Silk
Road. China desired certain goods, too.
From the nomadic tribes of Central Asia,
Chinese merchants bargained for horses
and cattle, leather and furs, ivory and
jade. Silk Road caravans employed pack
animals such as camels (able to travel in
desert regions), yaks (sure-footed and
strong-winded for high mountains), and
horses. Each animal carried a load of
about 300 pounds (136 kilograms). Trad-
ing towns or posts lay at regular distances
along the Silk Road, as well as travelers’
inns known as caravansaries, where the
caravans could rest the night, resupply
with food, or trade their goods. The jour-
ney from one end of the Silk Road to the
other could take a year.
Its many branches ran south to India, to
Persia (now Iran), and to Bactria (what
is now Afghanistan). Major stops along
the ancient Silk Road, such as Baghdad,
Damascus, and Kashgar, today remain
important trading towns and desert oases.
Almost more important than the goods
that traveled along the Silk Road were the
ideas and inventions that it carried from
East to West and vice versa. It is believed
that the Chinese were first introduced to
grapes and wine, products of the Middle
East, via the Silk Road. Music, songs, and
stories traveled along the Silk Road, and
were shared around the campfires where
the camel caravans stopped. So did broad
ideas that changed the course of human
history. Buddhism first developed in India
in the sixth century BCE, and the Silk Road
helped carry the faith’s teachings to China
and elsewhere, until eventually it became
the dominant religion of much of Asia.
Those many centuries ago, before instant
communications, before electronic files
and even the printed book, it was difficult
to transmit knowledge accurately over
great distances. In order to learn, it was
best to travel to the very source of the
knowledge rather than wait for it to come.
Chinese monks traveled along branches
of the Silk Road to India so they could
read the original manuscripts of the
Buddha’s teachings, which were safely
kept at monasteries there. One of the
most famous Chinese novels, Journey to
the West, follows the adventures of a
character, Monkey, who a thousand years
ago makes this same pilgrimage to read
the Buddhist manuscripts. Monkey has to
cross a land of deep canyons and tower-
ing mountains very much like the Tibetan
Plateau, where demons lie in wait for him.
Knowledge actually traveled down a road
— or even a mountain path.
Almost more important than
the goods that traveled along the
Silk Road were the ideas
and inventions that it carried
from East to West and vice versa
BIG HISTORY PROJECT LOST ON THE SILK ROAD 6 OF 10
7. LEFT: A spice merchant
in Kashgar, China,
on the Silk Road, 1994
TOP: Tea was a popular
beverage in China more
than 3,000 years ago
BOTTOM: Peppercorns
from Asia have always
been a valuable com-
modity and were once
called “black gold”
In the way “packets” of
information are passed along
the Internet, so were actual
packets of goods passed
from one trader to another
on the Silk Road
8. Amy and I, like Monkey, were also tackling
a land of deep canyons and towering
mountains. As I clung to the point of rock
over the raging stream, she called out
from behind me. “Do you want me to try?”
Amy slithered past me on the wet, slip-
pery rock ledge. (Trained as a modern
dancer, she has a precise sense of bal-
ance and movement.) She then reached
around the nose of rock, groped for a
handhold, found one, and, hanging over
the rapids, swung herself around the
point of rock to the far side. She called
back to me, telling me where to put my
hand, and I followed.
An hour later, we stumbled out of the
stream canyon into a much larger can-
yon. Through it ran a much larger river.
This, I gathered, was the headwaters of
the Yangtze that we sought. The rain had
subsided and misty clouds clung to the
gorge’s cliff tops. We balanced across a
log footbridge over the churning stream.
The footbridge led us to a tiny hamlet of
mud-and-stone houses with Tibetan
prayer flags draped from house to house,
like giant cobwebs.
Waiting for us was Lo Da Ji, the Tibetan
herdsman who drove our yak caravan; all
the yaks; and the Tibetan guide, Ang Ya.
We would spend the night in a mud-
walled corral surrounded by stables —
like an old caravansary on the Silk Road.
Our host had constructed the mud corral
and houses with his own hands. He was
a short but powerfully built Tibetan yak
herder with gentle brown eyes. I couldn’t
pronounce his long Tibetan name, so I
thought of him as “Arnold” because his
muscles reminded me of Arnold Schwar-
zenegger.
I’d never been to a spot so remote and
so beautiful. Rock ledges towered hun-
dreds of feet over our head, blanketed
with grasses and wildflowers like hang-
ing gardens. The big river swirled past
the tiny hamlet strung with its graceful
web of prayer flags.
“What is the name of this place,” I asked,
“and how did you come here?”
Arnold then told us a story. Ang Ya had to
interpret it from Tibetan into Chinese for
our Chinese interpreter, Little Cheng, and
Little Cheng translated it to English for Amy
and me. This is how knowledge passed
from mouth to mouth, culture to culture.
LEFT: Peter Stark and
wife Amy Ragsdale
enjoy a meal of tsamba
(a Tibetan staple) at
a nomad encampment
RIGHT: A mountain
village on the road to
Ren Zong Da, Tibet
BIG HISTORY PROJECT LOST ON THE SILK ROAD 8 OF 10
9. “The name of this place is Ren Zong
Da or ‘The Foot of the Valley of the Many
Goats.’ Many wild goats used to live on
these cliffs. My father lived here, and my
grandfather, and before that I don’t know.
Many years ago, my mother and her
father made a pilgrimage from Tibet to
India to visit the birthplace of Buddha.
Her father became ill and died in India. To
find her way home again, she had to trav-
el alone through the mountains. Bandits
stole her horses and her food. She came
to this place and a man gave her food and
a warm place to sleep. She stayed and
married him. That man who helped her
was my father.”
I was touched by his father’s act of gen-
erosity. Arnold now passed on that same
generosity to us, giving us a place to
sleep in his stables, some warm milky
tea, and the makings for a Tibetan yak-
meat and yak-milk stew.
As we rested and ate at Many Goats, I
realized that Arnold’s mother had followed
one branch of the Silk Road to India, as
Monkey had. Our caravan, wandering
through these canyons and mountains,
had stumbled across her path.
Like all branches of the Silk Road, this
one offered adventure and challenge, and
had witnessed acts of incredible greed
and of incredible kindness. It spanned
thousands of miles, thousands of years,
and vastly divergent cultures. This
ancient route that wound across Asia,
I realized, served as a major thread that
wove together the peoples of the Earth.
This ancient route that wound across
Asia, I realized, served as a major
thread that wove together the peoples
of the Earth.
THIS PAGE: A nomad
encampment on
the Tibetan Plateau