Silk was the major trade item on the Silk Road.
Silk Road . While the term is of modern coinage , the Silk Road derives its name from the lucrative trade in silk ( and horses ) carried out along its length , beginning during the Han dynasty ( 207 BCE -- 220 CE ) . Though silk was certainly the major trade item exported from China , many other goods were traded , as well as religions , syncretic philosophies , and various technologies .