Throughout history, few human systems have had greater significance than the Silk Road in human experience. The Silk Roads, which lasted from approximately 100 BC to 1450 AD, were a series of trade routes stretching nearly 4,000 miles across Asia. The long-distance political and economic relationships developed between civilizations have catalyzed the development of all parties involved. For Asia as for Europe, the Roads constituted a key point of cultural interaction between civilizations, particularly during the first voyages of goods and philosophies. To first understand the Silk Road, we must look at a general overview of its history. Although the Silk Road was not officially established until the first century BC, its precursors date back to the early Neolithic revolutions. The domestication of pack animals slowly increased both the quantity and scope of trade, eventually leading to contacts between China and Central Asia around 2000 BC. As early as 1000 BC, Chinese silk reached ancient Egypt,[1] and by 800 BC, Chinese art began to show significant steppe nomadic influences. Around 500 BC, the Persian Empire created a route that stretched roughly from the Mediterranean to the Persian Gulf. This route supported regular trade between neighboring India, Mesopotamia and the Mediterranean. [2]. The Greeks made the first direct "Western" contact with Asia in the second century BC, and for the next hundred years, Chinese expansion and exploration by the Han dynasty led to efforts to create a route which linked them to both India and the West. This route, once described as the beginning of the Silk Road, [3] was developed and patrolled in 100 BC through direct settlements and trade agreements with neighboring powers. As Rome's empire expanded middle of paper. ....... . Egypt". Nature 362 (6415).[2] "The Royal Persian Road". Livius: Articles in Ancient History. Retrieved February 22, 2014[3] Gary K. Young,Rome's Eastern Trade: International Trade and Imperial Politics, 31 BC- ed. Andy Burnham[6] JN Hays (2005).[7] Foltz, Richard C. (1999). in the 15th century New York: St Martin's Press.[8] Jerry H. Bentley, Old World Encounters: Cross-Cultural Contacts and Exchanges in Pre-Modern Times.., 1993)