Paper was first created in China, under the Han Dynasty, and was an extremely valuable object that spread from China to the West and through the world, through the routes of the Silk Road. Paper became a widespread necessity, after it was discovered that it was a relatively inexpensive, strong, and flexible material that could be used for keeping records and writing. Paper was an object that traveled the routes of the Silk Road, and allowed for the flow of religions, cultures, and people. The history of the Silk Road would not be the same, for without the production and exchange of paper, there would not have been the variety of movements, networks, and connections along the routes.
Paper was originally created by mixing water with the fibers from the bark of a mulberry tree, and pounding it into a sheet. Papermaking was able to originate in China, for the mulberry plant that is native to China. It was then discovered that the quality of paper could be improved, by adding materials such as the fibers of hemp, rice straw, and seaweed. Paper was produced by pouring the fibrous pulp upon cloth covered frames, or molds. The process was then advanced to dipping the molds directly into macerated liquid metal. The change of method led to the rapid production of paper, for it allowed the artisans to create better quality paper, as well as produce it in greater quantities.
After paper was first created in China, Buddhist Monks in China began to work on ways of mass-producing prayers. By 650 A.D they were block printing prayers, which was when texts were carved into wooden blocks, and then covered in ink and pressing paper to the block to print the text on a page. The use of paper was crucial to the spread of religions including Buddhism, and Islam. Paper was an unknown product in the Mediterranean before the spread of Islam. Islam emerged as a religion amongst early nomadic tribes and traders. This religion was able to rapidly spread, and eventually dominate the entire southern half of the Mediterranean, due to its followers that were travelers and traders. The spreading of the Islamic religion became not only a religious, but political, and military mission. The first copies of the entire text of the Qur’an, which was Gods revelation to his prophet Muhammad, were originally transcribed on parchment codices. After Muslim armies conquered Central Asia in the late 7th and 8th centuries, paper was discovered among the Muslim community for the first time. The full text of the Quar’an was then printed on paper. It would not have been possible, without the production of paper, to spread these texts as rapidly as they had, which led to the spread of the religion. Sacred religious texts written on paper allowed for the preservation of the text as well.
Chinese paper traveled the Silk Road into Central Asia before the technology of paper production. It replaced the use of barks, papyrus, and animal skins for writing purposes. From Central Asia the process of papermaking than moved toward India. The technology of papermaking was then introduced into the Islamic world, after Muslim armies invaded Central Asia. Paper became an extremely useful product in the Muslim community, and a papermaking factory was established in 796 in Baghdad. Baghdad was an Islamic capitol, and famous as a city of culture and learning. Muslims did not have access to the mulberry plant, which was originally used in China to produce paper, so they substituted materials such as cotton and hemp. Elizabeth Grotenhuis article about paper’s significance along the Silk Road writes that, “Paper helped link the Islamic world across three continents- Asia, Africa, and Europe. By the twelfth century, paper itself, the technology of its production, and the knowledge written on it began to travel from Spain and Sicily to the rest of Europe”. For traders on the silk road, paper had a large advantage. It absorbed ink, thus it could not be erased. This made forgery of trades and business deals much more difficult, as well as allowed texts and documents to be preserved.
The development and production of paper that spread to the West, aided to European education, political, and commercial activities. As paper reached West Asia, artisans began to make books out of paper, rather than large scrolls that were traditionally used in India and China. Books were much more portable than scrolls, and much more feasible to travel with. The production of books than spread Eastward with the travelers and traders, and books began to be produced in China and India as well. Western education, medicine, and science would not have become so successful without the use of paper for record keeping and texts. Paper was an object that not only spread sacred texts along the silk road, it was also a means that spread human culture. Paper, along the silk road, was a very valuable commodity and was traded and exchanged along the silk road routes for other materials such as spices, fabrics and ivory of the same economic value. Paper was such an influential object along the Silk Road, because it was used in a variety of ways, changing the way that education and religious traditions were taught and practiced.
Paper is an object that changed the human experience. It was created originally in China, under the Han Dynasty, and traveled to Central Asia. From there, the production of paper moved into India, and eventually to the West to Europe. The process of producing paper evolved and advanced, and new materials were discovered that produced better quality and larger quantities of paper. Paper was able to become a widespread necessity, through the routes of the Silk Road. It was brought along with merchants, travelers, and traders, and exchanged along the routes for materials such as spices, ivory, and silk. Travelers and traders quickly discovered that paper was a cheaper and easier way to produce mass texts, as opposed to previous means such as papyrus. Paper was not only an object that was traded along the Silk Road routes as an exchange for other materials, or currency. It was an object that allowed for the flow and exchange of religious ideas, beliefs, and cultures. It provided an economical and convenient means for transmissions of ideas and texts. Without the widespread expansion of paper, through the routes of the Silk Road, fields such as technology, science, medicine, politics, and education would not have been able to flourish throughout the world as they did.
History of the Silk Road 