The Eurasia Silk Trade From 3^rd Century BC To 6^th Century AD

The Hsiungnu Empire's military pressure towards the Chinese Empire, its controlling of, and influence on, the states of the Western Regions, and the mutual complement and repelling between the pastoral economy and the agriculture economy were the primary causes of the Eurasia silk trade's formation around 3rd century BC. Since there was not any country or race could control the entire course of the silk trade, the intermediary countries and the powers on the Silk Road could benefit from the trade with their advantages. Hence, as a result of this, the silk trade was a "fragile" trade based on the military power. The social economic structure of Rome was headed by small-scale agriculture, so it could not be affected by expensive silk trade in large scale.Eurasia silk trade does not only included the trade of silk, but also the goods needed by the countries and peoples who lived along the Silk Road for living and producing. As the hard currency, gold was the first goods that the nomads and barbarians, who needed to take part in the system of silk trade for exchanging, wanted to loot and extort from Byzantine. At the same time, in order to pay the Persians for relieving their invasions, the Byzantine government had to take the loose commercial policies, which contributed to a certain extent to the development of silk trade. From 4^th century to the end of 6^th century, the Hexi region of China became an important place for silk trade. When Hexi was captured by Northern Wei Dynasty, the businessmen form the Western Regions came to the interior of China for silk trade. Consequently, much gold flowed into such places as Luoyang. The relationship of the Buddhism's spread and silk trade was mutual dependency. The prosperity of silk trade was one of the reasons of the flourishing of Buddhism in Northern Wei Dynasty, and it may be the final direction of the gold which flowed into China from Roman-Byzantine Empire.In 5-6^th century, nomads rose in north and middle Asia one after another. As the areas of their activities expanded, they got in closer touch with the silk trade system. Later stage of 4^th century, the Rouran Empire in Mongolia Steppe marched westwards from the north of the desert, and then southwards to the east part of the Silk Road. It rose rapidly because of the trade. In the middle and later stage of 5^th century, Hephthalites rose in the east of the Silk Road, and this changed the regular mode of the nomads starting from Mongolia Steppe, and then marching southwards into the interior of China and westwards into the West Regions to control the east part of Silk Road. Hephthalites attacked the Persians in the west and marched eastward into the West Regions of China. Hence, Byzantine Empire persuaded them with economic benefits to control the Persians. In the beginning of 6^th century, under pressure from the Turkish Empire, Avars marched westwards into east Europe, extorted lots of gold and silk from Byzantine Empire with their strong military power in Balkan region, and then controlled the silk trade along the Black Sea. In the end of 6^th century, although the Byzantine Empire was able to defeat the Avars, the economy of Balkan was in ruin.In the later stage of 6^th century, the Turkish movement eastwards and westwards put the middle and east part of the Silk Road, namely, area from Mongolia Steppe to the West Regions and middle Asia, under the control of a single power for the first time. With the unity of northern China by Sui Dynasty, the Turkish Empire lost the advantages of using the Chinese splitting to benefit from silk trade. Consequently, with the military counter-attack and policy of befriending distant states while attacking those nearby of Sui Dynasty, the Turkish Empire could not benefit from the silk trade any more, which led to the fierce conflicts inside of the state, and finally, led to its dividing into two parts: the east Turk and the west Turk. However, Sui Dynasty could not get rid of them. Within the territory of the west Turkish Empire was the hometown of Sogdiana businessmen, so the Turks had good relationship with them and protected their trade activities out of concern for state benefits. But the west part of Silk Road was controlled by the Persians; therefore, the coalition of the west Turks and Sogdiana businessmen was ready to get through the west part of Silk Road. During this time, the Byzantine Empire also wanted to make converging attack on the Persians with others' help for cheaper silk. On this condition, there came the political and economic contacts between Europe and Asia. However, the strong military power of the Persians made it impossible for the west Turks and the Byzantine Empire to form military allies for converging attack. Due to different purposes of the two empires and the west Turk's strategy of controlling the east part of Silk Road, the coalition of the two had little effect. However, the frequent diplomatic activities of the two show that the farming empires and the nomadic empires on the Silk Road were connected by the silk trade.In 6^th century, since the Byzantine Empire failed to open up new silk roads, it monopolized the purchase and supply of raw silk to control the silk trade and guarantee the production of silk industry. Although it got the skill of keeping silkworm and drawing thread, the output could not satisfy the great need of raw silk. Since the area of planting Mulberry of the Empire was in Syria and the mountains of Asia Minor which were easy to be invade by the Persians, this industry was effected seriously by wars, so the normal activity in production could not be guaranteed, as the result of which, raw silk used in Byzantine silk industry depended on importing to a great extent. In order to maintain its normal silk industry, the Byzantine government monopolized the silk industry. Under the agriculture-based economic structure of Byzantine Empire, the silk industry could not take a leading role. Because the silk industry did not affect the overall situation of the social economy, the Empire could maintain the Eurasia silk trade for a long time and bear the high price of silk even if it was in the terminal of the Silk Road. After the monopoly of the silk industry in the Byzantine Empire, silk was connected with its social estate system due to the luxurious nature of silk products. Purple silk was the representative. This is the political reason why Byzantine Empire paid consistent attention to the silk trade even if it was not the main part in the state economy.