## TL;DR

The Silk Road was a network of trade routes connecting East Asia to Europe from ~130 BCE to 1453 CE. It transported not just silk, but ideas, technologies, religions (Buddhism, Islam, Christianity), and diseases (Black Death). Not a single road — a web of land and sea routes across Eurasia.

## Core Explanation

Goods traded: Chinese silk, spices, precious stones, ceramics, paper. Cultural exchange: paper-making spread from China to Islamic world (8th century) to Europe. Compass, gunpowder, printing also traveled. Marco Polo (1271-95) documented his journey. Decline: Ottoman Empire blocked routes (1453), prompting European maritime exploration (Age of Discovery).

## Further Reading

- [The Silk Roads: A New History of the World (Peter Frankopan)](https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/silk-roads-9781408839973/)