Bibliograph

The Silk Road, a new history, Valerie Hansen

Type

Label

The Silk Road, a new history, Valerie Hansen

Language

eng

Bibliography note

Includes bibliographical references (pages [243]-290) and index

Illustrations

platesmapsillustrations

Index

index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

The Silk Road

Nature of contents

bibliography

Oclc number

757838314

Responsibility statement

Valerie Hansen

Sub title

a new history

Summary

In The Silk Road, Valerie Hansen describes the archeological finds that revolutionize our understanding of these trade routes. Hansen explores seven oases along the road, from Xi'an to Samarkand, where merchants, envoys, pilgrims, and travelers mixed in cosmopolitan communities, tolerant of religions from Buddhism to Zoroastrianism. There was no single, continuous road, but a chain of markets that traded between east and west. China's main partners were the peoples of modern-day Iran, whose tombs in China reveal much about their Zoroastrian beliefs. Silk was not the most important good on the road; paper 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. --from publisher description

Table Of Contents

At the crossroads of Central Asia : the Kingdom of Kroraina -- Gateway to the languages of the Silk Road : Kucha and the caves of Kizil -- Midway between China and Iran : Turfan -- Homeland of the Sogdians, the Silk Road traders : Samarkand and Sogdiana -- The cosmopolitan terminus of the Silk Road : historic Chang'an, modern-day Xi'an -- The time capsule of Silk Road history : the Dunhuang caves -- Entryway into Xinjiang for Buddhism and Islam : Khotan -- The history of the overland routes through Central Asia

Target audience

adult

Classification