brought to the region. Greek art and architecture melded with the style of India, and a distinct new school of art emerged in the Middle East.2 This region became a mixture of Persian, Indian and Greek influences. After the Greeks, people from Syria and then Parthia occupied the region. Although these peoples used the Greek language and coin systems in this region, they also introduced their style of sculpture and art.3 After the Parthians came the Yuezhi people from the Northern borders of the Taklimakan. In the first century A.D., they moved into this area, bringing Buddhism. They, too, adopted much of the Greek system that already existed. This created a fusion of Greek and Buddhist art into a new form in which many Buddhist sculptures bore a strong likeness to Heracles.4 The Romans then defeated the Greek empire. Even at this time, small quantities of Chinese products, including silk, were reaching the west. They are assumed to have arrived with individual merchants and traders looking for new markets.5
             The Eastern End – Eastern Borders of China
             The eastern end of the route developed more slowly. The Qin Dynasty was the first to unite the warring states of China in 221 B.C. In an attempt to stop the Xiongnu people from invading the northern b
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