The Silk Road is a network of trade and cultural transmission routes that were central to cultural interaction through regions of the Asian continent connecting the West and
East by merchants, pilgrims, monks, soldiers, nomads, and urban dwellers from China
and India to the Middle East and the Mediterranean Sea during various periods of time.
Extending 4,000 miles, the Silk Road derives its name from the lucrative trade in
Chinese silk carried out along its length, beginning during the Han dynasty.
The Silk Road was important because it allowed for the
exchange of goods between Asia and the Middle East
exploration of China by the Roman army
development of agriculture by the nomadic people of Central Asia
movement of Chinese armies through Southeast Asia