by Korka, E.
ABSTRACT
The ancient Silk Road formed the first bridge between the East and the West forming an important network that extended over land, but also included sea trading routes. This paper examines how a historic network of routes enabled the exchange not only of silk and other expensive goods, but also cultures, ideas, discoveries and religions, shaping the world as we know it today. It is being discussed how the case of the interconnection between the Chinese and Greek civilizations through the mutual exchange of artistic ideals proves to be a timeless pattern governing the interaction between cultures transcending historical periods, cultural spheres of inspiration and geographic locations.