The Silk Road in 40 Key Dates
by Aindiché AZADHARF2 min read
Contents
500-330 BC: Use of the Persian Royal Road under the Achaemenid Empire (World History Encyclopedia).
334-323 BC: Alexander the Great's conquests (World History Encyclopedia).
330 BC: Foundation of Alexandria-Escheate by Alexander the Great (World History Encyclopedia).
247 BC: Establishment of the Parthian Empire (Wikipedia).
171-138 BC: Reign of Mithridates I of Parthia, expansion of Parthian influence over trade routes (World History Encyclopedia).
138 BC: Zhang Qian's mission to the west, beginning of official trade contacts (World History Encyclopedia).
129 BC: Parthians control Mesopotamia, key to routes to China (World History Encyclopedia).
53 BC: Battle of Carrhae, Crassus defeated by the Parthians, consolidation of Parthian control over routes (Wikipedia).
20 BC: Peace treaty between Rome and Parthia, stabilization of trade routes (Wikipedia).
224 AD: Foundation of the Sasanian Empire after the fall of the Parthians (Wikipedia).
260 AD: Shapur I's victory over the Romans at the Battle of Edessa (Wikipedia).
330 AD: Foundation of Constantinople, a crucial hub for the Silk Roads (Lumen Learning).
483 AD: Trade agreements between Byzantium and Sasanian Persia (Wikipedia).
541 AD: First bubonic plague pandemic reaching Constantinople via the Silk Roads (World History Encyclopedia).
565 AD: Death of Justinian, impact on trade with Persia (Wikipedia).
602-628 AD: Byzantine-Sasanian War, disruption of trade routes (Wikipedia).
651 AD: Fall of the Sasanian Empire after the Islamic conquests (Lumen Learning).
661 AD: Establishment of the Umayyad Caliphate, reopening of trade routes (Lumen Learning).
750 AD: Fall of the Umayyads and rise of the Abbasid Caliphate, Baghdad becomes a major trading center (Lumen Learning).
751 AD: Battle of Talas, Abbasids defeat Chinese Tang, Abbasid control of routes (World History Encyclopedia).
1258 AD: Sack of Baghdad by the Mongols, major impact on trade (History Skills).
1295 AD: Conversion of Ghazan Khan to Islam, strengthening of trade relations with Persia (Lumen Learning).
1370-1405 AD: Reign of Tamerlane, re-establishment of trade routes through conquest (History Skills).
1453 AD: Capture of Constantinople by the Ottomans, closure of land Silk Routes (Wikipedia).
1498 AD: Vasco da Gama reaches India, beginning of the era of maritime routes, impact on land routes (History Skills).
1514 AD: Battle of Chaldiran, Ottoman Empire defeats Safavids, Ottoman control over Anatolia (Lumen Learning).
1598 AD: Foundation of the Safavid dynasty, restoration of trade routes in Persia (Wikipedia).
1623-1639 AD: Ottoman-Safavid War, dispute over control of routes (Lumen Learning).
1722 AD: Fall of the Safavids, period of decline for trade routes (Lumen Learning).
1796 AD: Foundation of the Qajar dynasty, attempt to re-establish routes (History Skills).
1830 AD: Treaty of Turkmenchay between Russia and Persia, increasing Russian influence on routes (Lumen Learning).
1911 AD: Persian Constitutional Revolution, modernization of infrastructure (Wikipedia).
1921 AD: Coup d'état by Reza Khan, reorganization and securing of trade routes (Wikipedia).
1935 AD: Change of Persia's name to Iran, continued modernization efforts (Lumen Learning).
1941 AD: Allied occupation of Iran during World War II, strategic importance of routes (Lumen Learning).
1979 AD: Iranian Revolution, impact on international trade and routes (History Skills).
1980-1988 AD: Iran-Iraq War, major disruption of trade routes (History Skills).
1991 AD: End of the USSR, opening of new trade routes in Central Asia (Wikipedia).
2000 AD: Chinese initiatives to revitalize the Silk Roads, impact on Iran (History Skills).
2013 AD: Launch of China's Belt and Road Initiative, increased collaboration with Iran
