In a discovery that promises to reshape our understanding of cultural and genetic interactions along the Silk Road, an international team of researchers has unraveled the complex roots of the Sogdians, an ancient community of merchants originating from Central Asia. Using ancient DNA analysis, this groundbreaking study sheds light on their genetic and cultural legacy, […]
Silk Road
Posted inAntiquity, Geography
The Stone Tower, the place marking the midpoint of the Silk Road and whose coordinates Ptolemy mentions, has never been found
Throughout the centuries, the mythical Stone Tower has been a fascinating enigma for geographers, historians, and archaeologists worldwide. This location is mentioned in Claudius Ptolemy’s Geography as the midpoint on the Silk Road, the vast network of trade routes connecting Europe and Asia, facilitating the exchange of goods, cultures, and ideas. The Stone Tower, known […]
Posted inAntiquity
The Travels of Zhang Qian, the Chinese Ambassador who Opened the Silk Road while Seeking a Military Alliance
The Silk Road was born over two millennia ago, a network of commercial and cultural routes interconnecting much of continental Asia and branching out to the islands of Southeast Asia, East Africa, and the Mediterranean. The Road emerged around the 1st century BC, not for economic reasons but strategic ones, initiated by China, which sent […]
Posted inMiddle Ages, Travel
Merv, the City in Present-Day Turkmenistan that was the World’s Largest City in the 12th Century
To the south of present-day Turkmenistan, near the modern town of Mary, lie the remnants of what was once one of the most important oasis cities on the Silk Road. So significant was it that not only did it become the capital of the Seljuk Empire, but during the 12th and early 13th centuries, it […]
