Silk Road Trade between the Han and Tang Dynasties and Rome

Timeline

1. 1–100Hexi Corridor and Western Regions · Hexi CorridorThe Eastern Han consolidated control over the Hexi Corridor, and figures like Ban Chao operated in the Western Regions, reopening the trade routes between the Central Plains and Central Asia and laying the foundation for long-distance trade.
2. 50–150Parthian and Syrian trade routes · MesopotamiaChinese silk was transshipped via Parthia and other intermediaries to the Mediterranean. Roman aristocrats had an intense demand for silk, creating a one-way high-value trade, while Roman gold and silver coins also flowed indirectly into the East.
3. 100–200Samarkand and Luoyang · Silk RoadGlassware, gems, spices, and Buddhist art traveled east along the trade routes, while Chinese lacquerware and iron goods moved west. Eurasian cities prospered through entrepôt trade, marking a peak of long-distance exchange in the classical era.