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The central location of Iran in the overland routes of trade and communication between western and eastern Asia, throughout the historical and up to the early modern period, has been long acknowledged by the scholarly community. Yet the overland trade routes, networks of East/West trade and exchange, or the products of exchange of this world in late antiquity and the early medieval periods have yet to attract the scholarly attention that they deserve. This lacuna is especially felt in the Late Antique period of Iranian history (circa 500-900 CE). This workshop, conceived as an interdisciplinary dialogue, seeks to further highlight the parameters of research on this important aspect of Late Antique history of western Asia. How central was Iran, if at all, to the networks of trade and exchange in the Late Antique world? What role did it play, if any, in connecting the Byzantine Empire to China, and what are some of the analytical tools through which we can further investigate the socio-political and cultural contexts and implications of the East/West trade at this crucial juncture of world history.