Editing Silk Road (section)

=== Southwestern route ===
{{See also|Tea Horse Road}}

The southwestern route is believed to be the [[Ganges]]/[[Brahmaputra]] Delta, which has been the subject of international interest for over two millennia. Strabo, the 1st-century Roman writer, mentions the deltaic lands: "Regarding merchants who now sail from Egypt&nbsp;... as far as the Ganges, they are only private citizens." His comments are interesting as Roman beads and other materials are being found at [[Wari-Bateshwar ruins]], the ancient city with roots from much earlier, before the [[Bronze Age]], presently being slowly excavated beside the Old Brahmaputra in Bangladesh. Ptolemy's map of the [[Ganges Delta]], a remarkably accurate effort, showed that his informants knew all about the course of the Brahmaputra River, crossing through the [[Himalayas]] then bending westward to its source in [[Tibet]]. It is doubtless that this delta was a major international trading center, almost certainly from much earlier than the Common Era. [[Gemstones]] and other merchandise from [[Thailand]] and [[Java]] were traded in the delta and through it. Chinese archaeological writer Bin Yang and some earlier writers and archaeologists, such as Janice Stargardt, strongly suggest this route of international trade as [[Sichuan]]–[[Yunnan]]–[[Burma]]–[[Bangladesh]] route. According to Bin Yang, especially from the 12th century, the route was used to ship bullion from Yunnan (gold and silver are among the minerals in which Yunnan is rich), through northern Burma, into modern [[Bangladesh]], making use of the ancient route, known as the 'Ledo' route. The emerging evidence of the ancient cities of Bangladesh, in particular Wari-Bateshwar ruins, [[Mahasthangarh]], [[Bhitagarh]], [[Bikrampur]], Egarasindhur, and [[Sonargaon]], are believed to be the international trade centers in this route.<ref>Yang, Bin. (2008). ''Between Winds and Clouds: The Making of Yunnan''. New York: [[Columbia University Press]].</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=28 September 2010 |title=History and Legend of Sino-Bangla Contacts |url=http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/wjb/zwjg/zwbd/t756682.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928233453/http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/wjb/zwjg/zwbd/t756682.htm |archive-date=28 September 2013 |access-date=17 April 2013 |publisher=Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Seminar on Southwest Silk Road held in City |work=Holiday |url=http://www.weeklyholiday.net/Homepage/pages/UserHome.aspx?ID=10&date=03/09/2012 |url-status=live |access-date=17 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130615070316/http://www.weeklyholiday.net/Homepage/pages/UserHome.aspx?ID=10&date=03%2F09%2F2012 |archive-date=15 June 2013}}</ref>