Chapter 1
The bizarre shopping list
Chapter 2
The invisible hitchhikers
Chapter 3
Ideas, espionage, and stolen secrets
Chapter 4
Legendary beasts and extreme travelers
Ch 4 · Legendary beasts and extreme travelers
misslily Marco Polo's Unicorns
Marco's unicorn! Marco's unicorn! It's just a hairy rhino in the mud!
BETA
misslily Guide caravans through beastly trails to learn how goods and germs traveled the Silk Road.
misslily To fight nomadic raiders, the Han Dynasty sought strong horses from Uzbekistan, discovering legendary beasts that bled when sweating.
Quiz
Why did Chinese emperors call the horses of Fergana 'heavenly' and believe they sweated blood?
Quiz
What did Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty do to acquire these legendary Fergana horses?
misslily Resilient camels traveled weeks without water to keep Silk Road trade moving.
Quiz
Which specific animal species was the primary pack animal used to cross the cold deserts of Central Asia?
Quiz
Approximately how many pounds of cargo could a healthy Bactrian camel carry across the Silk Road?
Fun Fact
Sweating blood: The legendary 'heavenly horses' of Fergana actually bled from their skin due to tiny parasites, making them look terrifyingly fierce in battle.
Quiz
Which famous Chinese monk defied an imperial ban to travel to India and retrieve sacred Buddhist texts?