Final answer:
The initial phase of traveling from Ravu to Hor on the Silk Road involved navigating challenging terrains like the Gobi Desert and facing potential threats from bandits, with merchandise being passed along a network of trade routes that connected distant civilizations.
Step-by-step explanation:
The initial phase of the journey from Ravu to Hor along the Silk Road was a venture into a vast and interconnected series of trade routes that spanned from China to parts of Central Asia, India, and the Middle East. This route, established during the Han Dynasty, allowed trade and cultural exchange to flourish between distant lands. The travels were fraught with challenges, including perilous geography such as the Gobi Desert, which travelers had to cross. These roads were not perfectly maintained highways but rather a sequence of roads linking with oasis towns and market cities where caravans stopped to rest at caravansaries. Merchants along the Silk Road often traveled in caravans for safety from bandits and harsh environmental conditions, with goods being exchanged numerous times and increasing in price the farther they were transported from their origin.