Ways of Scientific Exchange

The trading routes across Asia permitted not only the passage of goods but also of ideas. Scientists and scholars travelled along these routes too, moving from court to court, and so scientific knowledge was dispersed across Asia. Astronomy was one of the first sciences to emerge, as a navigational tool, and was developed by medieval Indian and Iranian astronomers.  Mathematics, chemistry, and alchemy also passed along the trade routes, and from these sciences developed the technology for making medicines.