THE RECORD
What changed
Han expansion into the Western Regions helped link older regional networks across Eurasia.
EVIDENCE
What remains
Documents, textiles, coins, glass and shipwrecks from sites such as Niya and Dunhuang reveal multidirectional movement.
WHY IT MATTERS
Why it matters
People who never met could still transmit objects and ideas through chains of intermediaries.
OPEN QUESTION
Where interpretation begins
The singular term Silk Road was coined in the nineteenth century; it was neither direct nor only about silk.