Silk Road - Silk Road

Japanese: 絹の道 - きぬのみち（英語表記）Silk Road

An elegant name for an ancient East-West transportation route through Central Asia. It was coined by German Richard Richthofen, who also called it the "Silk Road," and was later named the Silk Road by British architect Stein. It is derived from the fact that silk, a specialty of China, was brought to the West via this route. From Luoyang and Chang'an, it passed through the oases on the southern edge of the Taklamakan Desert via Dunhuang (Southern Tianshan Route, which leads south from Khotan to Kashmir in northern India), or through the oases on the southern foot of the Tianshan Mountains on the northern edge of the desert (Southern Tianshan Route, Northern Route), or through the northern side of the Tianshan Mountains (Northern Tianshan Route). The oasis cities along the route were inhabited by Aryan peoples from ancient times, and prospered through East-West trade and the trade of jade from Khotan. From here, it passed through Parthia, crossed the Euphrates River, and arrived at Antioch on the Mediterranean coast. It was a major route for East-West trade and cultural exchange, and was often a target of struggle between various ethnic groups.

Source: Obunsha World History Dictionary, Third Edition About Obunsha World History Dictionary, Third Edition

Japanese:

中央アジア経由の古代の東西交通路の雅称。「シルク−ロード」とも呼ばれる
ドイツのリヒトホーフェンの造語で，これをうけてイギリスのスタインがSilk Roadと称した。中国特産の絹がこの道を通って西方にもたらされたことに由来する。洛陽・長安から敦煌 (とんこう) をへてタクラマカン砂漠の南縁のオアシス群を通る（天山南路，この途中のホータンから南進すれば北インドのカシミールに達する）か，または砂漠北縁の天山山脈の南麓のオアシス群を通る（天山南路北道）か，天山の北側（天山北路）を通るかして中央アジアに達した。沿道のオアシス都市は古くからアーリア系民族が居住し，東西の貿易やホータンの玉の取引きで栄えた。ここからパルティアをへてユーフラテス川を渡り，地中海岸のアンティオキアに出る。東西貿易と東西文化交流の幹線路であり，しばしば諸民族の争奪の的となった。

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