西亚的两河流域地区是丝绸之路的重要贸易站点。在汉朝丝绸之路开辟以前，以西亚两河流域地区为中心，就已经存在了若干条商业贸易路线和发达的国际贸易商路网络。两河流域的南部被称为巴比伦尼亚。巴比伦尼亚被认为是古代的贸易国家，可与古典时期的希腊相媲美。巴比伦尼亚这一名字源自于“贸易”。由于缺乏矿产与木材等自然资源，两河流域依赖于对外贸易，从外部世界获取所缺的资源。

The Mesopotamia in West Asia was an important trading stop on the Silk Road. Before the opening of the Silk Road in the Han Dynasty, there were already several commercial trade routes and a well-developed international trade route network centered on Mesopotamia in West Asia. The southern Mesopotamia is called Babylonia. The name Babylonia originated from "trade". Due to the lack of natural resources such as minerals and timber, Mesopotamia relies on foreign trade to obtain the scarce resources from the outside world.