Reflection Week 3

In the readings the chapter that stood out to me the most was Chapter 8 because it talked about the process of globalization. It also talks about why trade was significant. Trade was huge in our history. I found it interesting to read about why trade was so significant in our past. It was interesting to read about how disease was passed through trade routes and how religious ideas we also passed through trade route. Silk was monopolized and became high in demand, explains why it still is and people top dollar for it. I never knew this. Exchange in Eurasia turned in to what we call "Silk roads" Strayer explains how silk roads came to be, these networks did best when large states provided security for trade. Most goods that traveled on the "silk roads" were for the elite they were luxury goods. It is so interesting to me how important silk actually was back then and how it was considered a symbol of high status and how that has carried out into today's society. Who would have thought something as simple as silk would have kept such an elite status thousands of years later. I found it also interesting that culture was more important than goods when in transit. Buddism became really big.