历史小径·世界史英语30篇（4）

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丝绸之路：连接大陆的纽带

For over 1,500 years, a network of trade routes linked China, Central Asia, India, Persia, and the Mediterranean.
Merchants carried silk, spices, paper, and horses, while also exchanging religions, languages, and technologies.
Buddhism traveled west from India along these paths, reaching China by the 1st century CE.
Camel caravans crossed deserts and mountains, relying on oasis towns for water, food, and shelter.
The Roman Empire valued Chinese silk so highly that its import drained silver reserves significantly.
Papermaking spread westward after the Battle of Talas in 751, when captured Chinese artisans shared their craft.
Diseases like the Black Death later moved along the same routes, showing how deeply connected the world already was.
Though not a single road, this web reshaped economies, art, and thought across Eurasia.