ShmoopTube

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So we probably don't spend too much time contemplating roads [boy in class thinking about roads]

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but humans have spent thousands of years perfecting them we think we're long

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overdue in showing them some RESPECT Aretha-style okay

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fine not Aretha style.. so roads are pretty old as long as [ancient people walking along a road]

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people have been walking around they've been leaving trails behind them as

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cities got bigger and trade and transportation became more common the

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roads got bigger too now when we say roads we really mean bumpy dirt paths and [a big muddy dirt road]

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even though that doesn't sound quite as nice as roads many civilizations made

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dirt paths work for them.. like the Inca's who maintained a huge network of flat smooth [Inca's walking along a dirty road]

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dirt roads but the Incas didn't have wheels wagons horses or oxen and that's

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not because they just didn't get around to domesticating them they're seriously

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weren't any cattle or horses in the Americas until the Europeans brought [Ship docking into shore]

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them over so what was going to pull their wagons

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chupacabras well probably not well for societies that did have wheeled vehicles [wheeled vehicle falling into a dirt road]

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dirt roads were a problem wheels made deep ruts in the dirt heavy loads sank

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into the mud and weather could erode the roads entirely still most societies [rain filling up the dirt filled road]

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dealt with these issues spectacularly well

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by the first century CE the Silk Road was a 4,000 mile trade route leading [A judging panel on the Silk Road]

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from eastern China to southern Europe and no it wasn't made of silk, come on that would

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have been worse than dirt and they would have had to pay the silk forum serious [a road covered in silk]

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overtime and the Silk Road wasn't a single route either it was a major

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transportation network well everything from silk to sculptures to precious [trade goods on a wheeled vehicle travelling on a silk road]

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metals to world religion travelled that route let's have a slow clap for all

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those Silk Road wagons well the first stone Road was built in IR or modern

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Iraq around 4000 BCE not coincidentally at the same time cattle were hauling [cattle hauling a heavy load down a stone road]

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their first heavy load stone roads remained really rare until about 2000

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BCE when metalworking became more advanced once people had metal [Metal grinder sawing a rock in half]

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tools that could cut stones... More stone roads started appearing around the world

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and if you're wondering why did we have to wait until little tool showed up well [Boy asking why he had to wait for the metal tool]

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then go outside and try to cut some stone with a stick and now see what

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happens we'll wait all righty now that

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that's out of your system let's move on to the Minoans wait who are the Minoans [minoan people gathered together]

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Oh glad you asked okay fine we asked whatever they're none other than an

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awesome matrilineal civilization on the island of Crete where legend says the

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Minotaur once gobbled up virgins like popcorn well the amazing Minoans [minotaur eating virgins in a popcorn bag]

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actually built a 30-mile sandstone road that even had drains along the side and

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mortar holding the stones together well the Minoans loved their shiny new [stone road with mortar holding the stones]

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road that is until a volcano erupted and ended their entire civilization or maybe [lava gushing down a road and minoans run away]

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it was a minotaur gone wild

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