The Silk Road: Connecting the ancient world through trade - Shannon Harris Castelo

Put svile: prva "svetska mreža" u istoriji - Šenon Haris Kastelo (Shannon Harris Castelo)

Prevodilac: Jelena Jevtić Lektor: Mile Živković

A banker in London sends the latest stock info

Bankar u Londonu šalje poslednji tržišni izveštaj

to his colleagues in Hong Kong in less than a second.

svojim kolegama u Hong Kongu za manje od sekunde.

With a single click, a customer in New York

Samo jednim klikom, mušterija u Njujorku

orders electronics made in Beijing,

naručuje elektroniku iz Pekinga,

transported across the ocean within days

transportovanu preko okeana u nekoliko dana

by cargo plane or container ship.

teretnim avionom ili brodom.

The speed and volume at which goods and information

Obim i brzina kojom se robe i informacije

move across the world today is unprecedented in history.

kreću planetom, jedinstvene su u istoriji.

But global exchange itself is older than we think,

Ali globalna razmena je starija nego što mislimo,

reaching back over 2,000 years along a 5,000 mile stretch

doseže preko 2000 godina unazad, putanjom od oko 8000 km,

known as the Silk Road.

poznatom kao "Put svile".

The Silk Road wasn't actually a single road,

Put svile nije jedan put,

but a network of multiple routes

već mreža više puteva

that gradually emerged over centuries,

koji su se postepeno pojavljivali tokom vekova,

connecting to various settlements and to each other

povezivajući se sa raznim naseljima, i jedni sa drugima,

thread by thread.

nit po nit.

The first agricultural civilizations were isolated places

Prve poljoprivredne civilizacije su smeštene u izolovanim mestima

in fertile river valleys,

oko plodnih rečnih dolina,

their travel impeded by surrounding geography

njihovo putovanje je bilo ograničeno okolnim terenom

and fear of the unknown.

i strahom od nepoznatog.

But as they grew,

Ali kako su se razvijali,

they found that the arid deserts and steps on their borders

otkriili su da su aridne pustinje na njihovim granicama

were inhabited, not by the demons of folklore,

bile nastanjene, ne demonima iz narodnih priča,

but nomadic tribes on horseback.

već nomadskim plemenima na konjima.

The Scythians, who ranged from Hungary to Mongolia,

Skiti, koji su se kretali od Mađarske do Mongolije,

had come in contact with the civilizations of

su stupili u kontakt sa civilizacijom

Greece, Egypt, India and China.

Grčke, Egipta, Indije i Kine.

These encounters were often less than peaceful.

Ovi susreti su često bili nasilni.

But even through raids and warfare,

Ali i kroz napade i sukobe,

as well as trade and protection of traveling merchants

kao i sa trgovinom i zaštitom trgovaca na putu

in exchange for tariffs,

u zamenu za carinu,

the nomads began to spread goods, ideas and technologies

nomadi su počeli da razmenjuju robu, ideje i tehnologiju

between cultures with no direct contact.

između naroda koji nisu bili u direktnom kontaktu.

One of the most important strands of this growing web

Jedan od najvažnijih ogranaka ove mreže puteva

was the Persian Royal Road,

je bio persijski Kraljevski put,

completed by Darius the First in the 5th century BCE.

kojeg je završio Darije prvi, u petom veku pre nove ere.

Stretching nearly 2,000 miles from the Tigris River to the Aegean Sea,

Pružajući se bllizu 3000 km, od reke Tigar do Egejskog mora,

its regular relay points allowed goods and messages

njegove redovne usputne stanice omogućavale su da roba i poruke

to travel at nearly 1/10 the time it would take a single traveler.

putuju oko 1/10 vremena koje je inače bilo potrebno jednom putniku.

With Alexander the Great's conquest of Persia,

Sa osvajanjem Persije Aleksandra Velikog,

and expansion into Central Asia through capturing cities like Samarkand,

i širenjem do Centralne Azije kroz osvajanje gradova kao što je Samarkand,

and establishing new ones like Alexandria Eschate,

i osnivanje novih kao što je Aleksandrija Eshata,

the network of Greek, Egyptian, Persian and Indian culture and trade

mreža grčke, egipatske, persijske i indijske kulture i trgovine

extended farther east than ever before,

se pružala istočnije nego ikada,

laying the foundations for a bridge between China and the West.

gradeći temelj mosta između Kine i zapada.

This was realized in the 2nd century BCE,

Ljudi su ovo shvatili u drugom veku pre nove ere,

when an ambassador named Zhang Qian,

kada je ambasador po imenu Šeng Čian,

sent to negotiate with nomads in the West,

poslat da pregovara sa nomadima na zapadu,

returned to the Han Emperor with tales of

vratio vladaru dinastije Han sa pričama

sophisticated civilizations, prosperous trade

o prefinjenoj civilizaciji, naprednoj trgovini

and exotic goods beyond the western borders.

i egzotičnoj robi van zapadnih granica.

Ambassadors and merchants were sent towards

Ambasadori i trgovci su poslati

Persia and India to trade silk and jade for horses and cotton,

ka Persiji i Indiji da razmene svilu i žad za konje i pamuk,

along with armies to secure their passage.

zajedno sa vojnicima da bi osigurali njihov put.

Eastern and western routes gradually linked together

Istočni i zapadni putevi su se vremenom spojili

into an integrated system spanning Eurasia,

u integrisani sistem preko čitave Evroazije,

enabling cultural and commercial exhange

omogućavajući kulturnu i trgovinsku razmenu

farther than ever before.

dalje nego ikada.

Chinese goods made their way to Rome,

Kineska roba je dospela do Rima,

causing an outflow of gold that led to a ban on silk,

uzrokujući odliv zlata, što je dovelo do zabrane trgovinom svile,

while Roman glassware was highly prized in China.

dok je rimsko staklo bilo visoko cenjeno u Kini.

Military expeditions in Central Asia

Vojne ekspedicije u Centralnoj Aziji,

also saw encounters between Chinese and Roman soldiers.

takođe su praćene susretima kineskih i rimskih vojnika.

Possibly even transmitting crossbow technology

Moguće je da je tako preneta veština upravljanja samostrelom

to the Western world.

u zemlje zapada.

Demand for exotic and foreign goods

Potražnja za egzotičnom i stranom robom

and the profits they brought,

i profitom koju je donosila,

kept the strands of the Silk Road in tact,

očuvala je sve delove Puta Svile netaknutim,

even as the Roman Empire disintegrated

čak i kada se raspalo Rimsko carstvo.

and Chinese dynasties rose and fell.

a kineske dinastije pale i bile ponovo osnovane.

Even Mongolian hoards, known for pillage and plunder,

Čak i mongolske horde, poznate po pljačkama i otimanju,

actively protected the trade routes, rather than disrupting them.

aktivno su štitile trgovinske rute, umesto da ih ometaju.

But along with commodities, these routes also enabled

Zajedno sa robom, ove rute su isto tako omogućile

the movement of traditions, innovations, ideologies and languages.

razmenu tradicije, izuma, ideologija i jezika.

Originating in India, Buddhism migrated to China and Japan

Osnovan u Indiji, budizam je migrirao u Kinu i Japan,

to become the dominant religion there.

da bi tamo postao dominantna religija.

Islam spread from the Arabian Penninsula into South Asia,

Islam se širio od Arabijskog poluostrva do Južne Azije,

blending with native beliefs

mešajući se sa narodnim verovanjima,

and leading to new faiths, like Sikhism.

i vodeći do novih religija, kao što je sikizam.

And gunpowder made its way from China to the Middle East

Barut je pronašao svoj put od Kine do Srednjeg istoka,

forging the futures of the Ottoman, Safavid and Mughul Empires.

i tako skovao budućnost Osmanskog, Safavidskog i Mogulskog carstva.

In a way, the Silk Road's success led to its own demise

Na neki način, uspeh Puta svile je vodio do njegove propasti,

as new maritime technologies, like the magnetic compass,

jer su nove pomorske tehnologije, kao što je kompas,

found their way to Europe, making long land routes obsolete.

pronašle put do Evrope, čineći stare kopnene puteve zastarelim.

Meanwhile, the collapse of Mongol rule

U međuvremenu, propast Mongolskog carstva

was followed by China's withdrawal from international trade.

je praćen povlačenjem Kine iz međunarodne trgovine.

But even though the old routes and networks did not last,

Bez obzira na to što stare veze i putevi nisu potrajali,

they had changed the world forever

promenili su svet zauvek,

and there was no going back.

i nije bilo moguće vratiti se unazad.

Europeans seeking new maritime routes

Evropljani su, tragajući za novim morskim putevima

to the riches they knew awaited in East Asia

i bogatstvom koje je čekalo u Istočnoj Aziji,

led to the Age of Exploration

doveli do velikih geografskih otkrića,

and expansion into Africa and the Americas.

i širenja do Afrike i Amerike.

Today, global interconnectedness shapes our lives like never before.

Danas, globalna povezanost oblikuje naše živote kao nikada do sada.

Canadian shoppers buy t-shirts made in Bangladesh,

Kanadski potrošači kupuju majice napravljene u Bangladešu,

Japanese audiences watch British television shows,

japanska publika prati britanske tv programe,

and Tunisians use American software to launch a revolution.

a Tunižani koriste američki softver da bi pokrenuli revoluciju.

The impact of globalization on culture and economy is indisputable.

Uticaj globalizacije na kulturu i ekonomiju je neosporiv.

But whatever its benefits and drawbacks,

Ali bilo koje da su prednosti i mane,

it is far from a new phenomenon.

ovo je daleko od novog fenomena.

And though the mountains, deserts and oceans

I mada su planine, pustinje i okeani

that once separated us

koje su nas

are now circumvented through super sonic vehicles,

nekad razdvajale sada lako premostivi supersoničnim vozilima,

cross-continental communication cables,

prekookeanskim komunikacijskim kablovima,

and signals beamed through space

i signalima koji su usmereni putem svemira,

rather than caravans traveling for months,

a ne karavanima koji putuju mesecima,

none of it would have been possible

ništa od toga ne bi bilo moguće

without the pioneering cultures

bez pionirskih kultura,

whose efforts created the Silk Road:

čijim trudom je stvoren Put svile:

history's first world wide web.

prva svetska mreža u istoriji.