The Silk RoadOUP USA, 11. okt 2012 - 304 pages The Silk Road is as iconic in world history as the Colossus of Rhodes or the Suez Canal. But what was it, exactly? It conjures a hazy image of a caravan of camels laden with silk on a dusty desert track, reaching from China to Rome. The reality was different, and far more interesting, as revealed in this new history. In The Silk Road, Valerie Hansen describes the remarkable archaeological finds that revolutionize our understanding of these trade routes. For millennia, key records remained hidden--often deliberately buried by bureaucrats for safe keeping. But the sands of the Taklamakan Desert have revealed fascinating material, sometimes preserved by illiterate locals who recycled official documents to make insoles for shoes or garments for the dead. Hansen explores seven oases along the road, from northwest China to Samarkand, where merchants, envoys, pilgrims, and travelers mixed in cosmopolitan communities, tolerant of religions from Buddhism to Zoroastrianism. Hansen notes that there was no single, continuous road, but a chain of markets that traded between east and west. China and the Roman Empire had very little direct trade. China's main partners were the peoples of modern-day Iran, whose tombs in China reveal much about their Zoroastrian beliefs. Hansen writes that silk was not the most important good on the road; paper, invented in China before Julius Caesar was born, had a bigger impact in Europe, while metals, spices, and glass were just as important as silk. Perhaps most significant of all was the road's transmission of ideas, technologies, and artistic motifs. The Silk Road is a fascinating story of archeological discovery, cultural transmission, and the intricate chains across Central Asia and Southeast Asia. |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
ancient archeologists armies Aurel Stein Beijing bolts of silk Buddha Buddhist texts camel capital caravan Central Asia century Chang’an China Chinese Chubanshe cloth Dandan Uiliq Daoist Wang desert Dunhuang emperor envoys excavated Faxian figure finds fire first five Frantz Grenet Gansu Ganzhou Gaochang gold Hedin identified India inscriptions Iranian Islam Karakhanid Kashgar Kharoshthi Kharoshthi documents Khotan Khotanese king Kingdom Kizil Kroraina Kucha Kuchean Kumarajiva language letter library cave living Loulan Lushan manuscripts merchants miles missing missing monasteries monks Mount Mugh Muslim Niya northern oasis official histories ofthe paintings Panjikent paper Pelliot plate record region residents Rong Xinjiang route rulers Samarkand Sanskrit Sasanian scholars script Silk Road Silk Road trade silver coins Sogdian stupa surviving Taklamakan Tang dynasty textiles Tibetan Tocharian tomb translation Trombert Turfan Uighur Uighur Kaghanate Vaissiere wall Wenwu Western Xi’an Xinjiang Xiongnu Xuanquan Xuanzang Yarkand Yuezhi Zhang Zoroastrian