THE RECORD
What changed
Chinggis Khan and his successors formed khanates and operated relay stations while protecting envoys and merchants.
EVIDENCE
What remains
The Secret History, Persian and Chinese chronicles, travel accounts, coins and relay sites record conquest and rule.
WHY IT MATTERS
Why it matters
Continental connections accelerated exchange and knowledge, while disease and warfare travelled the same routes.
OPEN QUESTION
Where interpretation begins
The phrase Pax Mongolica can obscure regional violence, instability and division within the empire.