Silk Road

This episode explores the Silk Road - a vast network of trade routes that connected China to the Mediterranean from the 2nd century BCE to the 15th century CE. We'll look at how it carried not just silk and spices, but also religions, art, and ideas across continents. From its origins under the Han dynasty and the Roman Empire, to its height under Islamic and Mongol rule, and its decline with the Ottomans and the Age of Discovery - this episode unpacks how the Silk Road shaped global history and why scholars now call it the 'Silk Routes.'