For example, the Black Death plague that devastated Europe in the 14th century is believed to have come via the Silk Road from Central Asia, where plague is endemic among local rodents. One theory ...

Important periods for the Silk Road were the Chinese Han dynasty (206 B.C.E.-C.E. 220), the Chinese Tang dynasty (C.E. 618-907), and the Mongol Khanate (13th and 14th centuries ... goods to Japan. The ...