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Which goods were exchanged along the Silk Road between China and the Hellenistic world?
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Hellenistic age
The figure, who is possibly Dionysus, riding a panther, a Hellenistic opus tessellatum emblema from the House of Masks in Delos, Greece, 2nd century bce.
During the Hellenistic age, the expansion of trade routes facilitated the first significant exchange of goods between China and the West along the Silk Road.
As Chinese military power advanced into Turkistan during the 2nd century BCE, trade flourished with the following goods being exchanged:
- Exports from China: The Chinese primarily exported silk and other textiles, bamboo, and iron.
- Imports to China: In return, China received vines, various trees and plants, wine, olives, woolen goods, and artwork, the latter of which notably influenced Chinese artistic styles.1
This trade network was vital to the economic integration of the era, connecting the Hellenistic worldāparticularly through centers like Seleucia on the Tigrisāto the resources of the East.1