| BC |
|
| 3200
BC |
Horse domesticated on south Russian steppe. |
| 3000
BC |
Silk first produced in China. |
| 700
BC |
Earliest known mounted nomads. |
| 500
BC |
Chinese adopt nomadic style, wear trousers and ride
horses.
Pazyrk carpet buried in a Scythian chieftain's tomb
in the Altai Mountain. |
| 400
BC |
Empire of Alexander the Great expands into Asia. Greek
culture evident in Central Asia. |
| 300
BC |
Chinese complete The Great Wall as defence against the
invasion of northern nomads. |
| 200
BC |
Domestication
of the camel allows desert travel.
The Silk Road under China's control and the route to
the West now open. |
| AD |
|
| 1
AD |
Silk first seen in Rome.
The Silk Road becomes a popular north – south
trade route.
|
| 100
AD |
The four great empires of the day, the Roman, Parthian,
Kushan, and Chinese, bring stability to the Silk Road.
|
| 200
AD |
Across Asia silk is woven into cloth using Chinese thread.
|
| 300
AD |
Secret of sericulture begins to spread west along the
Silk Road. |
| 400
AD |
A Chinese princess smuggles some silkworm eggs out of
China. Silkworm farms appear in Central Asia. |
| 500
AD |
Silkworm farms appear in Europe.
Turkish Kaganate split into Eastern and Western Kaganates.
Western Turks move to Central Asia from Mongolian plateau.
The Eastern Turks are in control of eastern Central
Asia. |
| 600
AD |
Tang dynasty rules in China. The Silk Road reaches its
golden age. The Islamic religion founded. Muslims control
the silk and spice routes. |
| 700
AD |
Arabs conquer Spain in Europe, much technology and science
introduced from the East to Europe. Ikat weaving possibly
introduced to Central Asia from India or China. |
| 1100
AD |
Genghis Khan unites Mongols. Expansion of Mongol Empire
begins.
Silk production and weaving established in Italy. |
| 1200
AD |
Death of Genghis Khan. Mongols invade Russia, Poland,
and Hungary.
Central and Western Asia controlled by Mongols. Silk
Road trade prospers again. Kublai Khan defeats China
and establishes the Yuan dynasty. Marco Polo travels
through Central Asia as far as the Chinese capital. |
| 1300
AD |
Tamerlane rises and conquers Persia, parts of southern
Russia and northern India. Third Silk Road route appears
in north. Mongol Yuan Dynasty collapses. Chinese Ming
Dynasty begins. |
| 1400
AD |
Tamerlane defeats the Ottoman Turks. Death of Tamerlane
leads to the decline of Mongol power. Ottoman rises
again in Central Asia. Ottomans conquer Constantinople.
China closes the door to foreigners. Ming China dramatically
reduces trade and traffic along the Silk Road.
The Silk Road comes to an end for the purposes of silk
trade.
Vasco da Gama discovers the sea route from Europe to
the East via the Cape of Good Hope to Calcutta in India.
|
| 1600
AD |
Uzbek Turks appear from the north and settle in today's
Uzbekistan.
Manchuria rises and invades China. Qing Dynasty established.
|
| 1700
AD |
By the early 1700s the distribution of people through
Central Asia was much as it is today. |
| 1800
AD |
Xinjiang Province created under Qing Dynasty.
Younghusband crosses the Gobi Desert, pioneering a new
route from Peking to Kashgar via the Muztagh Pass. Buried
cities along the old Silk Road unearthed.
Tsarist Russia and British India expand into Central
Asia. |
| 1900
AD |
Chinese revolution spells the end of Chinese dynasties.
Europeans begin to travel along the Silk Road.
Tibet under China's control.
Karakoram Highway from Islamabad to Kashgar built by
China and Pakistan,
the modern day Silk Road. |
