When Did the Silk Road Begin?

The Silk Road is a network of overland and maritime trade routes connecting China with Central Asia, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean. While informal exchanges occurred much earlier, the routes were formally opened around 130 BC when Chinese envoy Zhang Qian returned from his diplomatic mission to Central Asia, reporting on potential trade partners. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty then established regular caravan routes. Silk, porcelain, paper, and spices flowed westward; glass, gold, wool, and horses moved eastward. The routes also carried ideas: Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, technologies, and diseases (including the Black Death) all spread along the Silk Road. The network declined in the 15th century as maritime trade routes became dominant.