In the second century BCE, the Han Dynasty began expanding existing trade routes to send lucrative Chinese silk to markets in western Asia, North Africa, and eventually the Mediterranean. For
the next sixteen centuries, merchants traveled these routes exchanging a variety of goods and cultures between these lands. This series covers the life stories of four acclaimed travelers and
the legacy that their voyages had upon the diverse communities they encountered. The cultural transmission that occurred between these explorers and the local people they met resulted in the
wide dissemination of transcultural knowledge, technology, belief systems, literature, trade, foods, goods, traditions, and practices.
