History 102 with WhatifAltHist's Rudyard Lynch and Austin Padgett

Explaining the Silk Road


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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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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
              • Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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                History 102 with WhatifAltHist's Rudyard Lynch and Austin PadgettBy Turpentine

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