Susan Whitfield's book: Life Along the Silk Road. Pick one of the following themes: religion, trade, gender, conflict, and the environment. Choose one of these themes and explain its importance as a frame for understanding the Silk Road.

How do these stories illustrate the tension in history between structures and individual agency?

Does your theme unify or divide?

Does your theme clarify or complicate how we think about the Silk Road?

What are the limits to your theme as a frame for understanding the Silk Road?