The Silk Road in World HistoryThe Silk Road was the contemporary name for a complex of ancient trade routes linking East Asia with Central Asia, South Asia, and the Mediterranean world. This network of exchange emerged along the borders between agricultural China and the steppe nomads during the Han Dynasty (206BCE 220CE), in consequence of the inter dependence and the conflicts of these two distinctive societies. In their quest for horses, fragrances, spices, gems, glassware, and