NewarchaeologicaldiscoveriessuggestthattradebetweenEuropeandAsiaalongtheSilkRoadprobablybeganinsomeformmanycenturiesearlierthanoncethought.Thefindings,coupledwithawideningrangeofscientificandhistoricalresearchcouldaddafascinatingnewpagetotheepic(史诗)oftheSilkRoad.
ThemostsurprisingdiscoveryispiecesofsilkfoundinthehairofanEgyptianmummyfromabout1000BC,longbeforeregulartrafficontheSilkRoadandatleastonethousandyearsbeforesilkwaspreviouslythoughttobeusedinEgypt.Otherresearchmayextendhumanactivityalongthisroutebackevenfurther,perhapsamillionyearstothemigrationofhumanancestorsintoeasternAsia.
TheofficialoriginofEast-Westtradealongtheroadisusuallyplacedinthelate2ndcenturyBCwhenanagentoftheChineseEmperorWu-direturnedfromadangeroussecretmission（使命）acrossthedesertintotheremotehighcountryofCentralAsia.Theagent,ZhangQian,travelledasfarasAfghanistanandbroughtbackknowledgeofevenmoredistantlandssuchasPersia,SyriaandaplaceknownasLijien,perhapsRome.Historianshavecalledthisoneofthemostimportantjourneysinancienttimes.Hisjourneyopenedthewayforwhathavebeenthoughttobethefirstindirectcontactsbetweentheancientworld’stwosuperpowers,ChinaandRome.Chinesesilk,firsttradedtocentralAsiantribesforwarhorsesandtotheParthianforacrobatsandostricheggs,wassoonfindingitswaythroughanetworkofmerchantstotheluxury(奢侈品)marketsinRome.
ButthenewdiscoveriesshowthatChinesesilkwasapparentlypresentintheWestlongbeforetheHanemperorstartedorganizedtradeovertheSilkRoad.TheresearchcouldchangethinkingabouttheearlyhistoryofworldtradeandprovideinsightsintothemysteryofjusthowandwhenEuropeandtheMediterraneanlandsfirstbecameawareofthegloriouscultureattheotherendofEurasia.
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