Would glass have been traded over the Silk Road? Who was producing it, and who needed to have it imported? Also, was it only a product for the rich, or something available to many people?

by omegasavant

I've found almost nothing on google, but the information has to be out there, right? Glass doesn't just rot away over centuries; it's basically a rock, if a brittle one.

Taure

It's important to remember that "The Silk Road" does not refer to a literal road but rather the collection of trade routes between Europe and China. This includes land routes but also sea routes driven by the Monsoon. In fact the sea route was far safer, cheaper and faster and therefore used far more.

It's also important to note that it was not normal for a single trader to travel the entire length of the silk road. Rather, goods would change hands multiple times from trader to trader, each time increasing in price, and eventually make their way to China/Europe. When it comes to silk, for example, a Chinese trader in Roman times would generally only trade as far as Sri Lanka. An Indian trader would then buy the silk and sell it in a port along the Malabar coast like Muziris. Greek and Arab traders would then take over, taking the silk to Dioscordia (Socotra), and then onwards to the Red Sea via the Bab el Mandeb. Once in Egypt the silk would travel down the Nile to Alexandria, where Greek Roman and Italian Roman ships would carry it across the Mediterranean.

Finally, you haven't specified a time period. Obviously over different time periods the political situation is going to change, as is technology. This has a significant impact on the dynamics of the silk road. You won't find any Greek traders in India after the rise of Islam, for example: Europeans were pretty much shut out of the Indian ocean until Vasco da Gama rounded the Cape of Good Hope and sailed from Europe to India, 1497-99.

However, to answer your question at its core: yes, glass was traded along the Silk Road, including in the ancient world. Roman glass has been found all along the length of the silk road, all the way to China itself.

Sources:

"When Glass Was Treasured in China" by A. Jiayao (2002)

A Splendid Exchange: How Trade Shaped the World by William Berstein

The Sea and Civilization: A Maritime History of the World by Lincoln Paine

MoreSourPlz

As a followup question, how would glass have been transported over such a long distance? It seems awfully fragile for a good that would be riding on mounts across the Silk Road; Was glass an inherently riskier, and pricier, good because of this?

Searocksandtrees

Hi, no comment in these threads about whether or not glass was traded on the Silk Road, but thought you may be interested in a bit about who, what, and how it was produced