130 BCEReputable sourceWell documented
The Silk Road Opens
On the timeline · around 130 BCE · The First Empires: Qin & Han
What happened
Around 130 BCE the Han emperor Wu, seeking allies against the nomadic Xiongnu, sent the envoy Zhang Qian west into Central Asia. His reports of distant lands opened the network of trade routes later called the Silk Road, along which Chinese silk travelled toward Rome and goods, religions, and ideas flowed back east.
Why it matters
The Silk Road linked China with India, Persia, and the Mediterranean, carrying not only trade but Buddhism, technologies, and diseases, and connecting China to the wider ancient world for centuries.
Sources
- World History Encyclopedia. Silk Road · Reputable source