Small Beginnings

Arguably themost significant trade routeof ancient Chinese civilisation, the Silk Road, or Silk Route as it is sometimes known, was named in the mid-19th century by German scholar, Baron Ferdinand von Richthofen. However, the route itself was in use since around the 2nd Century BC. Itsoriginal purpose had been political rather than economicand a court official from the Han Empire was sent westwards on a diplomatic mission, becoming the first traveller along what would become the most important east-west link ever. It was to be decades before his return, and when he did, the goods and information he'd gathered on his journey would spark the desire for trade.

Corridor of cultural exchange

Over time, the route became a playsilks conduit for the exchange of information and goods - it was to people of the time as the Internet is to us today; a means of linkage between diverse and geographically isolated civilisations.

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