The Silk Road

overview

In the 14th century, the fall of the Mongol Empire utterly reshaped the Silk Road. 

The emergence of other powers in the East would alter the trajectory of the network, notably including the Ming Dynasty in China - which traded invaluable commodities such as celadon and blue-and-white porcelain - as well as the Middle Eastern Timurid Dynasty, which established Samarkand and Herat as centres of craft production and caravan trade. 

But everything changed with the Conquest of Constantinople in 1453 BCE. As the Ottoman Empire began to control vast territories across Europe, Asia, and Africa, it also reigned supreme over key parts of the Silk Road.

As the Ottomans facilitated the exchange of ideas, technologies, religion, and artistic styles between East and West along the ancient route, European powers began to seek alternative routes to the East, which ultimately led to the discovery of maritime routes to Asia, ushering in a New Age of Exploration.

In her second lecture on the fascinating Silk Road, join Dr Lauren Mackay as she explores some of the most significant cities along the Silk Road during the  extraordinary Age of Empires.