Gazetteer of Place Names from Chapter 3, "The Road to a Christian East" in Peter Frankopan's "The Silk Roads." Christianity had solidified itself in Rome, but its roots in Asia still held deep. At this point, the Roman Empire was shrinking, and this chapter's place names reflect the other forces that began encroaching, such as the Xiongnu and Alans. This chapter also highlights some of the earliest and largest Christian communities in Asia like Merv and Kashgar. Frankopan's message is to highlight the reach of Christianity in Asia occurring centuries before missionaries reached England or France.