How was the Silk Road a source of both stability and innovation?


A
Using the same route for hundreds of years, groups of traders began to form alliances that eventually grew strong enough to challenge local kingdoms.

B
Cities along the Silk Road gained wealth and power by collecting fees from traders which they used to hire armies of mercenaries to control use of the roads.

C
Across the centuries, trade along the Silk Road became less about transporting necessities like grain and livestock and more of a source for luxury goods.

D
Although the Silk Road was always a pathway for trading luxury goods, it also allowed religions like Islam and Christianity to spread throughout the world.