cover of episode Origins of the Silk Road

Origins of the Silk Road

2024/5/4
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The Ancients

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Dr. Miljana Radivojevic
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Tristan Hughes
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Tristan Hughes: 本期节目探讨了丝绸之路的起源,指出青铜时代中亚草原的游牧民族在连接东西方贸易网络中扮演着关键角色,他们不仅进行金属贸易,还传播了技术和文化。 Dr. Miljana Radivojevic: 公元前3500年,中亚游牧民族已开始进行贸易和知识交流,向商朝、印度河流域文明、美索不达米亚文明等供应铜锡等金属。丝绸之路并非仅仅是商品交换,更是文化和技术的交流,中亚游牧民族的贸易网络连接了大西洋和太平洋沿岸地区,促进了金属冶炼、马匹驯养、战车发明等技术的传播。丝绸之路的概念应包含所有参与贸易和交流的文明,草原游牧民族的社会结构虽然不同于农业社会,但同样复杂且文明。中亚草原地区的金属矿藏丰富,青铜时代矿业生产效率高,大规模金属冶炼可能对青铜时代的碳排放峰值产生了影响。大约4000年前,草原居民居住在简陋的半地穴式房屋中,以畜牧为生,进行季节性迁移。他们的流动性促进了东西方文明之间的联系。考古发现的谷物种子是早期欧亚大陆贸易和交流的证据,古代DNA研究证实了中亚草原地区人群的迁移和流动。“青铜化”现象指的是欧亚大陆范围内青铜器贸易和生产的广泛传播,中亚草原地区在其中起到了关键作用。中亚草原地区出产的青铜器在当时非常流行,其冶炼技术具有创新性,生产效率高。中亚草原地区不同地区的冶炼技术和规模存在差异,一些地区专注于冶炼,另一些地区则主要进行贸易。中亚草原地区大规模的金属冶炼活动对当地环境和气候造成了影响,资源的枯竭可能与青铜时代崩溃有关。中亚草原地区的游牧民族在欧洲和中国之间的金属贸易中扮演了中间商的角色,他们不仅传播金属,还传播了食物、战车、马匹驯养技术以及毡制品等。“青铜时代大博弈”指的是中亚草原地区在欧亚大陆贸易网络中的战略地位及其在不同文明之间的作用。

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The Silk Road was a pivotal ancient exchange network that connected the grassy steppes of Asia and the Middle East with the western world. The passage of goods, ideas and technologies along this bustling commercial artery was crucial to the development of the ancient East and West. It was, quite simply, the glue that held the ancient world together. But what were the origins of this first global exchange network? 

In today’s episode of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes seeks to answer that very question. Speaking to Dr. Miljana Radivojevic they discuss how people living in Bronze Age Central Asia helped build the world’s first and most famous trading route. 

This episode was produced by Joseph Knight and edited by Aidan Lonergan 

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