Animals played a big role in daily life along the Silk Road and in faraway regions that relied on its trade. Horses were a major trade good sold on the daily, though they have a much deeper use along the Central Asian Steppe that cannot be told of in this article. However, other animals such as cattle, camels, sheep, goats, and pigs were all domesticated animals that were universally used by many populations. Furthermore, many supplies can also be exchanged via the trade of these various animals. As seen for example in a market located in Turfan, “The largest goods from the west were animals: gelded Turkish steeds and Persian camels, which could have been walked to Turfan and would have found ready customers among the officers in the Tang armies stationed there”[1]. Camels and horses naturally served as beasts of burden, though camels did not see a highly intensive use among the Chinese when compared to the steppe peoples to the north of China.
Animal trading along the Silk Road is nothing new or recent, it has happened since the very beginning of time. The Central Asian Steppe is very rugged, hilly, and covered in grass. As a result, this environment allowed many herd-based animals such as goats, sheep, cattle, camels, and horses to evolve here. Since the first days of man, animals such as sheep have been a staple trading good along the Silk Road. Through archaeological evidence found in the Alay Valley in modern Kyrgyzstan, findings showed how “Across all periods, sheep appear to have been the most important taxon for pastoral subsistence in the Alay Valley. Ovis species dominate the small faunal assemblages at Chegirtke Canyon, as well as the remains from nearby Chegirtke Cave”[2]. From sheep, one could get products such as meat, wool, and even milk from ewes. Goats were also the same in this category, in that they provided the same products as sheep. However, sheep appeared to be more common than goats.
The most animal trading that took place however would arguably be in times of empires ruling over the Silk Road. No finer an example of this could be seen than in the Umayyad Caliphate, who held control over the westernmost markets along the Silk Road. The Caliphate devised a scheme to allow Arab spice traders to select their business partners, even those of other faiths and ethnicities. Though, there was a price: “…the Umayyad caliphs demanded that those who benefited from this system, especially Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, Zoroastrians, and Nestorian Christians who traded in aromatics, horses, camels, precious metals, silk, and other textiles, were expected to direct a significant portion of their earnings back to the power base of the Umayyad dynasty”[3]. Camels were especially utilized because they were beasts of burden, arguably better than horses because of their passive adaptation of being able to go without water for long periods of time. When traveling along the Steppe, having animals that do not require much food nor water makes travel much easier. Furthermore, camels can also be used for products such as leather, meat, and milk. Clothing, tents, and blankets are but a few things that nomadic tribesman and many a customer looking for exotic wares would be willing to get from a beast of burden not encountered all too much.
A Mongol Caravan traveling along the Steppe with their horses, camels, and dogs. Bactrian camels were more commonly seen compared to Dromedary camels due to Bactrian camels having thick fur to survive in the winter compared to their Arabian cousins.[3]
[1] Sogdian merchants commonly traded camels with the Tang Chinese because of them having access to such beasts. Muslim merchants such as Arabs and Persians also commonly came to Turfan selling camels and Middle Eastern breeds of horses. The Arabian steed was an especially beloved breed, due to its unique adaptability to many environments.
[2] The trading of sheep by nomads is one of the biggest reasons as to why the Silk Road was allowed to flourish. As the nomadic steppe tribes were constantly on the move and encountering other peoples of whom to trade with, they can be credited as the original founders of the Silk Road. Cattle, camels, and horses were also sold by these same steppe tribes: though not as early when compared to goats and especially sheep.
[3] Dromedary camels, the camel breed native to the Arabian Peninsula, Levant, and Saharan Desert were often seen as exotic by many eastern civilizations. Primarily, due to their higher resilience against heat when compared to the Bactrian camels that were native to the Central Asian Steppe. It should be noted that camel trading grew highest during the times of Islamic occupation, as camels were also seen as halal according to the Qur'an. Of course, halal meaning that it is allowed to be consumed and is not haram, or forbidden to be eaten such as pork or alcohol.
Hansen, V., 2017. The Silk Road. New York City: Oxford University Press.
Nabhan, Gary Paul. Cumin, Camels, and Caravans: A Spice Odyssey. Berkeley, UNITED STATES: University of California Press, 2014. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/pitt-ebooks/detail.action?docID=1597002.
Taylor, William, Svetlana Shnaider, Aida Abdykanova, Antoine Fages, Frido Welker, Franziska Irmer, Andaine Seguin-Orlando, et al. “Early Pastoral Economies along the Ancient Silk Road: Biomolecular Evidence from the Alay Valley, Kyrgyzstan.” PLOS ONE 13, no. 10 (October 31, 2018): e0205646. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0205646.
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0205646
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/pitt-ebooks/detail.action?docID=1597002