Since the concept of the Silk Road as an avenue of inter-civilizational exchange emerged more than 130 years ago, scholars from both Eastern and Western societies have conducted persistent research to advance the field. Still, however, not nearly enough research has been conducted, and scholars present conflicting theories.

This book, written and compiled by Jeong Su-il, a prominent Silk Road expert of South Korea, aims to rectify the common misconception of the Silk Road being a simple trade route and shed light on the aspect of an interconnected global circuit of inter-civilizational exchange. The more than 2,000 entries in this encyclopedia explore all the exchanges that occurred between civilizations as a direct result of the Silk Road, showing artifacts and written records to track the paths of such exchange along the Silk Road and its neighboring regions. To write this book, the author has consulted a wide range of material, including overseas texts concerning Silk Road civilizations, world-renowned travelogues, and data extracted from on-site studies.