除了駱駝，馬在絲綢之路上也是很重要的運輸工具。
In addition to camels, horses were also a significant mode of transportation on the Silk Road.
在這裡我們可以看到東西方使用的三種馬挽具。最左邊的是頸帶挽具，這種挽具出現的非常早，在4500多年前的古埃及就已經有了，但這種挽具主要是勒在馬脖子上的，容易使馬呼吸不暢，所以拉不了太重的東西。中國秦漢和古羅馬時期出現了一種胸帶式挽具，從示意圖上您可以看出來，這種挽具主要是勒住了馬的胸部，而不是脖子，可以防止馬呼吸不暢。但這種挽具也有一個缺點，那就是固定的不夠死，很難發力。到了公元前1世紀，中國和古羅馬又改良了馬挽具，還是用頸帶式，但是呢，在頸帶裡填充了軟的東西，這樣馬就不會覺得勒，也很好發力了。不過這種頸圈式挽具在古羅馬只是曇花一現，要到1000多年後才在西方流行開來。
Here are three kinds of harnesses used in both China and other countries. The one on the far left is a neck harness, which first appeared in ancient Egypt more than 4,500 years ago. However, as this kind of harness is fastened to the horse’s neck and can easily cause breathing difficulties, the horses wearing these harnesses were often unable to carry heavy loads. The chest harness appeared in China during the Qin and Han Dynasties and also ancient Rome. As you can see from the schematic diagram, this harness is fastened to the horse’s chest instead of its neck, preventing breathing problems. However, it also has a disadvantage, that is, loose fastening, which hinders the horse to exert its full force. In the 1st century BC, China and ancient Rome both improved horse harnesses but continued using neck harnesses. They stuffed the neck straps with soft materials, so the horses would not feel strangled or pressure when exerting force. However, this type of neck harness was only a flash in the pan in ancient Rome and did not gain popularity in Europe until over a millennium later.
如果不用馬來拉車，直接騎在馬背上的話，也需要一件很重要的工具——馬鐙。馬鐙是一件非常便利的工具，它可以支撐人的雙腳，從而解放雙手，甚至能夠讓人在馬背上做出各種高難度動作，比如，左邊這塊展板上，就展示了古人打馬球的場景，這裡的騎手們腳踏馬鐙，一邊飛馳，一邊打球。在這裡有兩匹馬的模型，一匹馬有馬鐙，一匹沒有，您可以都騎一騎，體會一下有馬鐙和沒馬鐙的區別。
If you ride directly on horseback instead of sitting in a horse drawn cart, you might need an important tool–horse stirrups. The stirrups are a handy tool that supports your feet, frees your hands, and even allows you to perform various tricks on horseback. If you look at the display panel on the left, it shows a scene of ancient polo being played, where riders with their feet in stirrups play polo while galloping around. Over here stand two horse models, one with stirrups and one without. You can try both of them to experience the difference between having stirrups and not having them.
裝備也備齊了，交通工具也有了，接下來我們就到左邊，去看看馬可波羅具體是走的哪條路。
Now we have the equipment and transportation. So, let’s move to the left to see which road Marco Polo took.