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The Journal of the Royal Institute of Thailand Vol. 27 No. 2 Apr.-Jun. 2002 ‡ â π∑“ß “¬‰À¡ Abstract The Silk Road Petcharee Sumitra Fellow, the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences, the Royal Institute, Thailand The Silk Road refers to the routes used since ancient times for trade between China and the Mediterranean World. The eastern end of this road went as far as Loyang and Sian (Chiangan) which were alternate capitals of China at the time. There are a number of trails through Central Asia which were utilized at different times de- pending on various considerations and security issues. Because transport was on the backs of ani- mals, only expensive and highly valuable commodities would be worth transporting. Silk, which China had developed at a very early time, was one such commodity. Traders sold silk to the Romans at a price which is estimated to have been one ounce of gold for one ounce of silk (the resulting drain on the Roman economy was so serious that the Romans called for laws to stop trading). During the Han Dynasty (206 BCE-221 CE), the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE) and the Mongol Dynasty (1200-1360 CE), the Chinese controlled much of Central Asia and could offer security to traders for a great distance beyond China proper. As Chinese power waxed and waned over the centuries, as did the power of more temporary kingdoms in Central Asia, the trade on the routes also rose and fell. Except for the early centuries, the Silk Road was not the only trade route to the West. In the seventh Century, Arab ships traded at Canton and other Chinese ports, until the Portuguese came on the scene in the sixteenth Century. By the end of the nineteenth Century, Russian advances towards Central Asia closed off the possibility of using the Silk Road to others, except for local trade and travel. Key word : Silk Road Ù˜ˆ ÒÚ. China reconstructs, vol XXXI; 1985. ÒÛ. Fitzgerald CP. China, A short cul- tural history. London; 1950. ÒÙ. Stein MA. Innermost Asia, vol I, New Delhi; 1981. Òı. Grousset R. Chinese art and cul- ture, London; 1959. Òˆ. Carter TF. The invention of printing and its spread westward. New York; 1955. Ò˜. Wright. Buddhism in Chinese his- tory. Stanford, CA; 1959. Ò¯. Chou HsK. A history of Chinese Buddhism. India; 1956. Ò˘. Eberhard W. A history of China from earliest time to the present day. Cali- fornia; 1960. Ú. Olschki L. Marco Poloûs Asia : an introduction to his description of the world called Il Milione. Berkeley, CA; 1961.