Spoken Past

Silk Road

Articles tagged Silk Road.

Byzantine Silk The Monks Who Stole China’s Secret

Byzantine Silk: The Monks Who Stole China’s Secret

Dec 22, 2025-By Caiden Pannell

In Justinian’s Byzantium, silk meant power. Two monks crossed Asia with a hidden cargo, and Constantinople’s markets were never the same again.

Map of major overland and maritime Silk Road routes

Silk Road Plants: How Ancient Flora Crossed Continents

Aug 20, 2025-By Caiden Pannell

What archaeobotany, ancient DNA, and residue analysis reveal about how pepper, apples, saffron, and frankincense moved across the Silk Road.

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