The Silk Road moved more than silk. Spices, grain, livestock and a thousand other items were on offer along the loose network of roads and maritime routes that also played a central role in the movement of religious and cultural ideas across the ancient and medieval worlds. But we don’t call it the Spice Road, or the Grain Road. While the term “Silk Road” is a 19th century invention, it reflects the importance of the silkworm that produces the raw material for what’s arguably the most famous