How the Silk Road Made the World | Full Documentary
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- Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
- The Silk Road is one of humanity's greatest enterprises. For thousands of years across the vastness of Eurasia, a trade route linking east and west has deeply influenced history. Silk Road trade has helped to build and break empires, has fed revolutions and has profoundly affected civilisations. This episode explores how the Silk Road influenced conflict, from cavalry warfare to gunpowder.
The Silk Road - Light From Darkness: • The Silk Road - Light ...
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I just returned from Uzbekistan. This was a journey to see as much as possible. The five top cities are wonderful to see & experience. The Silk Road has been a passion of mine since 4th grade. At 82, I realized part of my dream. More digs have uncovered more. Next trip. My husband enjoyed the trip, too.
As someone who has been learning English through watching UA-cam videos, I found this video very informative and refreshing. Thank you, from Tokyo, Japan.
(It’s refreshing” since I’ve been in a bit depressed mood recently. For some reason, watching videos on ancient history seems to reduce my stress.)
Tabla rasa
@@tvismyonlyfriend Tabula rasa?
I find dating improves my mood. Hiding at home alone is a bad idea. Serious not a racists joke. Give it a try. People with a new boyfriend/ girlfriend look like their on drugs. In fact they are. love releases chemicals into your body from your brain. Makes you stupid but it's fun.
@@chriscarrol9373Bravo! Great advice! I've lived with clinical depression for decades,and exactly what you shouldn't do is what you do..isolate.
So happy for you being here!!!! Your English is excellent!
The best I've seen so far from Get.factual. I like the honesty in the presentation about where inventions like horse warfare and gunpowder actually came from. Students who have only been taught Western history have no idea that Chinese and other Asian societies were equally advanced, and in some cases advanced in the arts of civilization before the west. China and what is now Cambodia (at Angkor Wat) had cities of a million or more people at a time when London and Rome counted only a few dozen thousand. They had running water and urban sanitation systems, textile industries, and high culture, including epic written works, at the same time, or in some instances earlier than western civilization.
You cannot have a proper history that just completely overlooks half of the planet.
Get. factual deserves credit for being realistic about that.
How lucky we are to have free access to these sort of educational videos! Thank you 🙏
But you need to be careful and your own research, because some stories are told inorder to cover and hid the real stories.
0:55: 🌍 The Silk Road trade route connected the east and the west, shaping the world and creating a globalized society.
8:28: 🐎 The domestication of horses and the development of the recurved bow were key innovations in the history of cavalry warfare.
14:29: ⚔ The invention of the composite recurved bow and socketed arrowheads revolutionized warfare in Central Asia.
20:21: 💥 The development of cavalry in ancient warfare and its impact on Chinese military.
25:59: 🐎 The rise and impact of horse archers on the Silk Road and Eurasian history.
33:42: 🐎 The combination of stirrups, long swords, lances, and articulated plate armor allowed medieval knights to become powerful shock weapons on horseback.
41:34: 💥 Gunpowder, a Chinese invention, revolutionized warfare in Europe in the 13th century.
48:24: 💥 The Battle of Crecy marked the beginning of the end for Medieval knights and the rise of gunpowder as a decisive weapon.
Recap by Tammy AI
ALL of these time stamps are incorrect !!
Excellent documentary . Well presented & very interesting & informative. Thankyou.
So cool. So many smart people leaving comments. I'm pretty obsessed with Central Aisa,so I'm in my glory now.
Excellent documentary! So many fascinating and never thought of, at least by me, details about the progression of humanity via various mindsets and achievements. Not sure if this is a series... hope it is so I can enjoy and learn more.
We are glad you like this content :) Yes, this is a series of 3 episodes, so stay tuned next week for the Second Part! 🤩
You should also make a documentary on Indian Ocean Trade a.k.a maritime silk road. It is very underrated.
I have been saying that for years. Augustus built ports and shipyards a along the Red Sea for that purpose. Fascinating stuff . No one talks about it.
Yes, thank you! Just as when people think about a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, they automatically think of the French route, from St Jean Pied-de-Port to Compostela, completely ignoring the Portugal Route, let alone all the others.
Thanks for interesting historical - Silk Road trade between east & west ....🙏
This was a prolific documentary i was so staggered with the flow of information it seemed like a chain each one of them leaded to another one.thanks a lot 🌹
Hello, where can I get that amazing map at 15:45? It's wonderful how a great map can lend insight into history and the movements of people. Love all the details re compound bows. Great job, thank you for your efforts.
this was very educational and helpful
Entertaining and informative.
the silk road is the ultimate storytelling thing for the west and the far east. seems we still need to believe nothing else happened in between that entire stretch back then nor even now. thats an amazing historical thing
This is actually one of the more fascinating of documentaries on the subject matter.
The man said: The largest conquest empire that the Earth has ever seen , very proud of Mongol empire🌟😮
My (adopted) niece is Mongolian….In addition to being a brilliant & very sweet girl, she has the most gorgeous bone structure I’ve ever seen….Mongolians, like her, are the BEST advertisement for the greatness of the (country)….
Well people are proud when they're related to genius in some way. Even though it's through no effort of their own. Yes, nationalism does equal racism, even though it's usually associated with patriotism.
Why would you be proud of the mongol empire, they were one of the worst set of murders EVER. They were horrible people that killed a gigantic number of people. Only a racist would be proud of that, it’s like a German saying they are proud of the empire they were creating in the 40s.
@@quickchris10are you saying nationalistic Australian aborigines are racist then?
Knowledge of paper making was spread from East to West. After the Battle of Talas in 751 CE, Abbasid forces capture Chinese artisans whose knowledge of paper making spread into the Islamic World and then into Europe. Before that, people in the Middle East & Europe used velum, a leather parchment.
I love how important inventions and progress was made not by one culture, but by many together
The horse used to do fast attacks is what is called a Akhal Teke in modern times and by the Chinese the Heavenly Horse among other names along the silk road .
Chinese for Heavenly Horse--- Tian (Tien)
Ma.
The earlies documented mass production was the early Chinese interchangeable bronze crossbow triggers. The metal arrow points if researched would predate this claim. The middlemen in the spice/silk trade was the Sogdian metchants overseeing the entire route system as business men. Their story and culture is another fascinating aspect.
A difference between the Indo-European culture and the east Asian culture is Individualism and community. Indo-European cultures are more concerned about individualism while east Asian cultures are more about community.
Waiting for next episode.
i loved this
Enjoyed the doc. And the observation where the emphasis from a 'warrior,' turned into a 'solder.' If the arrows and bows were identical and completely interchangeable the horseback archers then too were identical and completely interchangeable as well. With the Roman armies those carrying the swords and shields were identical and completely interchangeable. In the last few centuries, clever individuals, like Einstein have been popularly been painted as 'heroic;' perhaps not as in the form of Achilles. The recent Hollywood movie, 'Oppenheimer,' the lead character was painted as a Hero in the form of an Einstein. With the advent of ai, society does have little public need for clever people. .... staying tuned.
It was an enjoyable, informative documentary about Slick Road effectiveness on war weapons progressed during historical decades
Great Great Great 😥♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
As I watch these documentaries about ancient history and battles, I really wonder about the support logistics for the size of the armies -- 40,000 Roman soldiers, 10,000 soldiers, including cavalry, and so on. Where did they get food supplies for 40,000 soldiers, not to mention the horses. Even allowing for foraging along the way, it takes pretty lush pasturage to support even 100 horses on the move and if the army is encamped for days or weeks, it becomes more problematic. I should think archaeologists would be digging up mass graves at these ancient battle sites and I don't hear anything about that. Did they not bury the dead, but leave them to be scavenged? If anyone has any insight about these things, please share.
Your concerns are truly genuine.
Very few of these documentaries list,/credit reference and source.
They had chuckwagons. Chuckwagons have always been a part and parcel of war. Time and distance to the enemy are the first two factors to consider. Everything is dependent upon that. When possible, go through fertile areas. This is described in Sun Tzu's "The Art of War," written in 900 A.D. Thank you so much for bringing that up!
Love from guwahati
TKS ❤❤❤ this is Episode 1 of 3😢
BTW, the scene on 40:15 where ordinary townspeople looking at and smelling unfamiliar spices is completely false. Spices were so expensive that even many aristocrats could not afford. Actually, they were dearer than gold of the same weight
This is excellent, thanks.
Thank you for the video. I grew up reading about The Spice Road due to spices being the overwhelming trade commodity. Silk was merely one of the products traded. Also there were many different routes including important maritime routes. The "silk road" is not only misleading but denies the many international routes that still are maintained and now elaborated in importance in our modern world. Romantically I refer to this early area of international contact as When the Legends Began. A modern genre of literature which has exploded in popularity is The Silk Road Fantasy category. The Spice Road appears eternal.
Another must for the cavalry: trousers.
Having no cavalry and chasing down units of horse archers in total war is the absolute worst! I empathize with the first Roman army to fight the Parthians lol.
Letter B is from recurve Bow
Ah, the hose archer. The fighter jet of the ancient world.
Early horses were'nt strong enough to carry a rider, they had to be bread into it. That's why chariots preceded cavalry. Early horses could pull a chariot easily.
That makes no sense to me considering the chariot horse had to pull atleast 1 person and most times 2 people along with the weight of the chariot itself. Not saying you're wrong but it doesn't make sense.
@@Blacksage129 The haunches of the horses where strong enough to pull a chariot, but their backs were to weak to carry a rider. I hope this helps.
Could it be it be it was a case of culture. Also when we talk about Chinese chariots they are more like wagons
Well anyways larger than Egyptian ones
@Kray You forgot that chariots had wheels. You will certainly move two sacks of potatoes with a wheelbarrow easier than put them on your shoulders.
Nepalese Newar merchants and artisans of Kathmandu Valley crossed the Himalaya and traded on the Silk Road from a thousand years ago.
The most important phrase in all these scenarios is “History suggests”. In other words, all these reports are based on interpretation of events and findings. You could speak to another historian, and they would give you a completely different interpretation of events
swim bladder glue must be invented by chinese. its considered an expensive nutrition supplement in ancient chinese medicine/ cooking since at least 2000 yrs ago according to ancient chinese text. it is still consumed in large quantities in southern coastal china in fujian, canton, hong kong. swim bladder is called flower-glue in cantonese cooking.
Up to page 16:42 we have actors using bow and arrows. They were not directed correctly to use the thumb to hook the string but to use index and mid fingers. Next they were not directed to use outside arrow rest but use inside arrow rest of modern style archery both are unfavorable for rapid launching for war.
Comanches used just short bow you did not need recurve bow for calvary
Also depends on if enemy is wearing armor and what kind of armor. But yes you are right.
The Comanche bow is made of wood, making it more inferior, and it can only be drawn to about 20 to 24 inches with a draw weight of around 50 to 60 lbs. Meanwhile, the recurve bow is made of composite materials, allowing it to be drawn further, up to 36 inches, with a draw weight of around 70 to 100 lbs or more.
Sooo… episode 2? It’s been a month 😕 also… any chance of uploading _Ancient Egypt: Chronicles of an Empire?_ I can’t find it anywhere 😔
First Century Romans didn't need the silk road. After they gained control of Egypt they sailed down the Red Sea, across the Indian Ocean to India where they traded for silk and spices. This was much faster than going overland.
Roman vs Parthian was not about which is better infantry or cavalry, it is about geography. Roman infantry was designed for the rocky, hilly, forested terrain of Europe. Parthian cavalry was designed for the Eurasian steppe. Roman or Parthian victory depended on the terrain that the battle was fought upon.
i am not agree with you. the editor indicated tactics that Parphians used nothing to do . in futhure Turks for example using the same war tactics smashed Est Romans Empire ar Atilla the Hun Empire also used Steep tactics aginst Roman legions. even Aleksandr the Greate was unsacsessful when he reached in Central Asia
The Romans had long been looking to cut out middlemen and trade with the chinese directly.
@@gulnare2759romans survived after Huns . The ottomans with Italian help finally took eastern Rome .
Alexander took Central Asia to the Jaxartes. No need to go further north . The trade cities were under his control . That’s all you need.
….Don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone as old as this host is, moving, riding-and talking- so fast….
Parthians never used stirrup because it wasn't invented much later in the east
I have heard that metal stirrups came with the Turks . Previous they may have had leather toe holds . But none of the contemporary art show any .
Explore Golgumbaz with Guide Jahangir
Have any of you read Thomas B. Costain's "The Black Rose? Granted, it's fiction, but quite detailed, and historically correct. Having been fascinated in history since I was a child, I studied it through 'University And Beyond,' just for fun, and I'm developing a bit of a solid library. That means that I can now comprehend a faint glimmer of Western and M.E. Civilizations, but not the Far East. Have any of you had similar experiences to these? Much respect to all of you. You are truly a learned clowder of cats.
That guy with a bow is look like young Gaddafi
Yes he does !!
Narssis is Greek words. Na- Reun- Ha- Da( korean phrase,became weary from Nal- Eu- Da/ transport mountain rocks), so he took a nap after carrying stuffs. Greek Olympic stars must be handsome and strong to work any heavy works. Later he must have took show business job which was easy or gladiators with iron armors but That avenue took him to Nal- Ak/ Na- Rock- Eui- Ro- PPa- Juh- Deul- Da into Tang- Za.
where is part 2?
Parthian Ingenuity: “Bring in the Hammer!”
32:17 "The western Roman empire was plunged into chaos, as barbarian tribes, dissatisfied with their lot, rebelled against Roman authority, and weak Roman emperors failed to crush them." -- sounds familiar⁉
The old man horse and bow guy is a wee bit hyper
6:00 Crassus was a fool. Maybe just a tiny mention of the abysmal performance of Roman leadership during this attempt at military glory by Crassus. He might have been wealthy, however, Pompeii had a loud fan club.
Nice presentation , reminds me of Connections.
I don’t understand why Chinese have to say about the nomadic archery. This should be addressed to nomadic people that used and manufactured these recurve bow.
They mean to say Black people invented everything but can't because of antiBlacknes.
The Battle of Crecy in a documentary about the silk road. How did that get there I wonder?
1382 - Battle of Beverhoutsveld is fought by rebels from the city of Ghent against the Count of Flanders. The army of Ghent fire a volley of light artillery at the count’s troops, which turn the tide in the battle. This is seen as the first successful European use of gunpowder weapons in battle.
Great
This video is about the development of ancient warfare, not about the exchange of goods and ideas between east and west. It barely mentions the 'silk road'.
It's also very China centric, with them claiming ownership of Tarim basin and other nomadic cultures.
Perhaps you've missed the point entirely. It's all of that.
Listen CAREFULLY AND ANALYZE ALL THE INFORMATION
Composite bow was made in central asia and Scythian were collective nomads who roamed from eastern Europe to east easia
Asia supplied the world back then, and it continues to supply in modern times.
They didn’t supply horses they traded for them
Hi there is a signifcant error in historical information at 9:24 of this film
There is said ...'' 160.000 -170.000 B.C. ?????
@tyson_the_savage635 ok. It was in tekst below . ;)
Love they had Mike Loades
With all that talk of bows and arrowheads I'm surprised no mention was given to the stirrup. I notice how all of the riders in this video are using stirrups. I've seen quite a bit of conflicting information on the use of stirrups in Asia, with introduction dates ranging from 800 BC up to 200 BC.
They talked quite a bit about the stirrup and what weapons it helped them use.
No mention of the Wusun? They helped the Han fight the Xiongnu . And Turkic speaking peoples also . I know it’s complicated for a short doc. But the Han were also able to divide the Xiongnu northern and southern
WHEN THEY WERE DISORDER FORTY THOUSAND ROMANS CATHOLIC CHURCH SENT TO REMOVE ALL THOSE WHO WERE STOPPING THEM FROM STEALING THE SILK WORMS
actually china invented guns,bombs and canons and spread across europe for them compete amongst themselves while upgrading the existing weaponry to new height
@Fansta9999 no in jin and song dynasty there are already bombs and guns
both are chinese dynasties
@Fansta9999 The Chinese invented different types of hand cannons which are the ancestors of guns. It's well documented.
@Fansta9999 chinese basically invented everything related to gunpowder and mongols brought it to europe.
Yeah didn't get there till late 20th century 😂😂😂😂😂
Here, we report five Yamnaya individuals well-dated to 3021 to 2501 calibrated BCE from kurgans in Romania, Bulgaria, and Hungary, displaying changes in bone morphology and distinct pathologies associated with horseback riding. These are the oldest humans identified as riders so far
Every documentaries is a political enhancement so did this one,while its okay for certain view points it is is not half story let alone the full but I enjoyed it.
That was a Sassanian cataphract, not Parthian.
they didnt talk about parthian inventions and achimenid empire vs greeks and romes rivalary with parthia
LoL Chinese describing Mongol army is like Irish describing Arab lifestyle. LoL
The one aficiado speaker says Attila the Huns cavalry vanished without a trace after a raid. Well, definitely an exaggeration. Probably less of a trace than an army, of course, but a tracker could obviously see horse tracks, etc., plus the obvious ruins and carnage! But otherwise I liked his contribution to the story, about how quickly the Hun cavalry appeared. Also, I'm surprised Arabian horses are among the world's most desirable rather than the steppe horses discussed here. I guess because the steppe ones weren't racehorses.
Ohh . . . .well whatever great mind was at work; synchronicity shows us that people across the world are sometimes on the same page.
LITTLE BILLIONS DO NOT KNOW THAT THE ROMANS CATHOLIC WAS THE SMUGGLER OF THE SILK WORMS INFORMATION FROM MARCO POLO'S FILMS
recurved bow
ohhhh yeahh 🎄🔖👰⚠🕧 !!!!!!!!
While we in the West called it the Silk Road, the Chinese called it the Horse Road or the Gold Road.
Actually no. They are different. In South China, there was a Tea - horse road. The northern roads are indeed called silk road.
The Hun was the Xiongnu that were defeated by the Han Chinese. After the defeat, they migrated west. The Kushan empire was by the Yuezhi people that were defeated by the Xiongnu. Both of them were on the north of ancient China. The Yuezhi people migrated west to central Asia, defeated the Saka people there and established the Kushan empire.
I have to say that David Anthony says several nonsensical things in this documentary.
Wrong title, its just a military docu
Another important reason for the success of the Turks was their superior military technology and art of war. These nomads from the steppes could be credited with introducing the age of the horse'. The Turks used iron stirrup and horse- shoes that reinforced their striking power and the stamina of the cavalry, while horse- shoes provided greater mobility to the horse, stirrup gave the soldiers a distinct advantage.
Like inbreeding?
The main reason was their extreme faith in Allah.
@@knight91066
I thought it was from having sex with animals and children?
Their extreme faith in buggering animals and bearded women made the turks unstoppable
Aga niye Allahtan emir inmiş gibi her yere Türki içerik atıyon sjeioawl yorulmuyor musun? İçinde Türk unsuru geçen yerleri insanlar merak edip videolara geliyorlar zaten.😂
Çok copy paste ve cringe duruyor yer yer söyliyim.
Spice Road 🤔
İpek yolu bu
Spice road is maritime trade road. From east africa to south asia to maritime southeast asia. If you go to this region, you will see dish like curry(it will/may called differently but it will used spices). The one of southern Thailand cuisine is curry. Why? Because of spice road in the past.
Very unpleasant that Bashkortostan is called south russia. 😢
I pity the fool that listens to this grandpa's bedtime stories, lol.
He speaks with an enthusiasm for horror that would make Alfred Hitchcock proud.
I knew for the first time that why called Silk Road over this footage,Chinese govern might be want revival again of this Eurasia path through the project so called one belt one road
Can u pls change the title of this documentary, most of the video is about horses and cavalry.... Not silk road no offense
Bro, do u think the silk road made itself? Think for once
Scary woman at 31:30 in the picture. CHECK IT OUT!
The new "SILK ROAD" will do exactly the same America is scared .
at 43:34 chinese buddhist scroll dating 950 CE?? are you sure ?? buddha was born around 500 CE !!
Jumping on the back of a horse is easy? Especially if it doesn’t want you to? Then factor in no saddle, no bridle, no bit, no stirrup… way later, and all had to be invented as you go. Probably way less dangerous to have them pull you on a platform with wheels.
How the heck did gunpowder end up in England before Genoa? The Genoese and Venetians (rivals) dominated trade on the eastern silk roads and conveyed all these goods to the West. If gunpowder was discovered in the far East and then made its way west via silk routes, how'd it end up all the way in England first? Makes no sense.
Well, Britannia was part of the Roman Empire. I'm just extrapolating. Britannia was the front line, where fighting was fierce, not Genoa. I am just a slight warfare aficionado. The Romans may have been experimenting with it when they got to Britannia; they did absorb any knowledge they could through their conquests, maybe even failed ones. The army could have gotten a hold of a shooting weapon, not through trade but by theft. Like a freak accident. Attila the Hun could have brought it.
@@quickchris10 Well, gunpowder is thought to have been a 9th Century CE invention with origins in China. The Western Roman Empire had already collapsed 4 centuries prior. I'm not denying that England was first in Europe to get a hold of it, but how that actually happened is a mystery.
@@themaskedman221 I thought this doc said it was in evidence in China around 200. Maybe people were experimenting w/it for 500 years.
My DNA Haplogroup U5 b1 b2 is connected directly with the Princess Xiaohe (The little river princess of Tarim Basin of Loulan) Bronze Age and a Neolithic Group in Southern Caves of France.
Why this insistence in using “bce”. Did the date years change once the decision was made to use BCE instead of BC ?
The BCE/CE dating system has been used since the 1700s.
Well narated...but biased. As there's no mention of advanced Cavalry and Bows/arrows being used in the Indian Peninsula at least 2500 BC, which is recorded history and also in available Archaelogical findings...!
All that is old
They were using arrows in times of the mongols and before
Romans perhaps had too much red wine
With lead additives?
Really corn was traded on the silk road???????