Includes bibliographical references and index.

At the Crossroads of Central Asia : The Kingdom of Kroraina -- Gateway to the Languages of the Silk Road : Kucha and the Kizil Caves -- Midway Between China and Iran : Turfan -- Homeland of the Sogdians, the Silk Road Traders : Samarkand and Sogdiana -- The Cosmopolitan Terminus of the Silk Road : Historic Chang'an, Modern-day Xi'an -- The Time Capsule of Silk Road History : The Dunhuang Caves -- Entryway into Xinjiang for Buddhism and Islam : Khotan -- Conclusion: The History of the Overland Routes Through Central Asia.

In The Silk Road, Valerie Hansen describes the archeological finds that revolutionize our understanding of these trade routes. Hansen explores seven oases along the road, from Xi'an to Samarkand, where merchants, envoys, pilgrims, and travelers mixed in cosmopolitan communities, tolerant of religions from Buddhism to Zoroastrianism. There was no single, continuous road, but a chain of markets that traded between east and west. China's main partners were the peoples of modern-day Iran, whose tombs in China reveal much about their Zoroastrian beliefs. Silk was not the most important good on the road; paper had a bigger impact in Europe, while metals, spices, and glass were just as important as silk. Perhaps most significant of all was the road's transmission of ideas, technologies, and artistic motifs. --from publisher description