Ecological variability and early agriculture along the Proto-Silk Roads

The concept of the Silk Road revolves around the intricate and extensive cultural interconnections spanning the Eurasian continent. However, cultural interactions on this continent trace their origins in prehistoric times, well before the establishment of the narrowly defined historical Silk Road approximately 2200 years ago. These prehistoric interactions, referred to as Proto-Silk Roads, were predominantly linked to the emergence and diffusion of agricultural systems, as well as the migrations of agriculturalist societies together with their crops and livestock. These migrations were associated with the exploitation of the diverse ecological landscapes present across the continent. Moreover, they played a pivotal role in the development of some of the world’s largest language families that persist to the present day. This chapter introduces the theories and advancements concerning the physical environments of the Eurasian continent, the origins of agriculture, and the farming/language dispersal hypothesis, to facilitate an understanding of the early cultural interconnections that predate the historical Silk Road.