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Illustration
This map indicates trading routes used around the 1st century CE centred on the Silk Road. The routes remain largely valid for the period 500 BCE to 500 CE.
Geographical labels for regions are adapted from the Geography of Ptolemy (c. 150 CE), some trading centre names date from later (c. 400 CE). Relying on Ptolemy's names is wrong but neutral.
The following contemporary trading centres (or possible trading centres) are not marked:
Red Sea - Myos Hormos, Berenica, Ptolemais Theron, Adulis, Muza, Ocalis, Aualites, Malao.
Arabia - [South] Saue, Sana, Saphar, Eudaemon Arabia, Cane, Mosyllon, Moscha
Persian Gulf - Asabon, Charax, Gerra, Ommana, Apologos
Persia - Persepolis, Alexandria Areion, Kandahar
Africa - [East Africa/Kush/Axum] Coloe, Axum, Akhmim, Panopolis, Aromaton Emporion, Opone, Sarapion, Dongola. [Mediterranean] Cyrene, Leptis Magna, Carthage, Caesarea, [Beyond map] [East Africa] Juba, Maji, Sennar, [Trans-Saharan] Sijilmassa, Tamanrasset, Murzuk, Tingis.
Europe - Gades (Cadiz), Augusta Treverorum (Trier), Aquileia, Ostia, Athens
India - [Arabian Sea] Horaia, Barbaricum, Barake, Astakapra, Suppara, Kalliena, Semylla, Mandagora, Palaepatmae, Melizeigara, Erannoboas, Byzantion, Naura, Tymdis, [Central] Paethana, Tagara, [South] Muziris, Nelcynda, Bacare, Balita, Colchi, Palaesimundu, [East] Argaru, Poduca, Sopatma.
Silk Road - Ecbatana, Yarkand, Jiaohei, Kitai, Kaifeng. (Note - both summer and winter routes around the Takla Makan are shown)
China - Chengdu, Kunming, Cattgara
South East Asia - Trang, Thaton
License & Copyright
Based on Wikipedia content that has been reviewed, edited, and republished.
Original image by Shizhao. Uploaded by Jan van der Crabben, published on 26 April 2012. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: GNU Free Documentation License. Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.
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Cite This Work
APA Style
Shizhao. (2012, April 26). The Silk Road. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/146/the-silk-road/
Chicago Style
Shizhao. "The Silk Road." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified April 26, 2012. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/146/the-silk-road/.
MLA Style
Shizhao. "The Silk Road." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 26 Apr 2012. Web. 21 Dec 2024.
