The Silk Road was a trade route that ran from China to Eastern Europe and connected East and West between the 2nd Century and the 18th Century. The routes extended along the borders of China, India, Persia, what is now Turkey, Arabia, and ending along the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea. Besides silk, most of what was traded was considered "luxury" or valued goods such as spices, teas, wool, silver, and gold. It is known that Marco Polo traveled along the Silk Road as he explored regions and rou