It's difficult for me to isolate what I hate most about you because there is so much to hate. But very near the top is your relentless talent for ignoring everything that is interesting and beautiful about our species in favor of pedantic sniveling in which no one loses or gains anything of value. I'm going to go put on a collared shirt because we're here to tackle the big picture. INTRO So the Silk Road didn't begin trade, but it did radically expand its scope, and the connections that were formed by mostly unknown merchants arguably changed the world more than any political or religious leaders. It was especially cool if you were rich because you finally had something to spend your money on other than temples. But even if you weren't rich, the Silk Road reshaped the lives of everyone living in Africa and Eurasia as we will see today. Let's go straight to the Thought Bubble.