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Definition
Silk Road
The Silk Road was a network of ancient trade routes, formally established during the Han Dynasty of China in 130 BCE, which linked the regions of the ancient world in commerce between 130 BCE-1453 CE. The Silk Road was not a single route...
Definition
Silk in Antiquity
Silk is a fabric first produced in Neolithic China from the filaments of the cocoon of the silk worm. It became a staple source of income for small farmers and, as weaving techniques improved, the reputation of Chinese silk spread so that...
Article
Social, Political & Economic Landscapes in Kautilya's Arthashastra
The Arthashastra (or Arthaśāstra) is one of the oldest surviving treatises on statecraft. There is considerable debate about the dating and authorship of the text; it underwent compilation, recension, and redaction several times over the...
Article
How an Adventure-loving American Saved the Thai Silk Industry
Bangkok was once more commonly known as the Venice of the East due to the intricate network of waterways that crisscrossed the city in the 19th century CE. There were few roads in the 1800s CE so the city's inhabitants travelled and traded...
Article
Roman Roads
The Romans built roads over ancient routes and created a huge number of new ones. Engineers were audacious in their plans to join one point to another in as direct a line as possible whatever the difficulties in geography and costs. Consequently...
Definition
Sea Peoples
The Sea Peoples were a confederacy of naval raiders who harried the coastal towns and cities of the Mediterranean region between c. 1276-1178 BCE, concentrating their efforts especially on Egypt. They are considered one of the major contributing...
Definition
Native Peoples of North America
The Native Peoples of North America (also known as American Indians, Native Americans, Indigenous Americans, and First Americans) are the original inhabitants of North America believed to have migrated into the region between 40,000-14,000...
Video
All Roads Lead to Rome: The Roads of Ancient Rome
Did you know that Roman roads were dug through mountains and across rivers? This video is all about Roman roads, how they were built, and how they lasted for centuries. Roman roads were, then, the arteries of the empire. They connected...
Image
A Bowl of Raw Silk & Silk Cocoons
A Bowl of Raw Silk and Silk Cocoons on display at the Jim Thompson House Museum in Bangkok, Thailand. This photo was taken in July 2019 CE.
Image
The Roads of Ancient Rome
An infographic illustrating the typical structure of Roman roads. It is believed that the Romans adopted the craft of road construction from the Etruscans, and as the empire grew, they incorporated ideas and techniques from other cultures...