The Silk Road

A New History

Nonfiction, History, Asian, China, World History, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Anthropology
Cover of the book The Silk Road by Valerie Hansen, Oxford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Valerie Hansen ISBN: 9780199939213
Publisher: Oxford University Press Publication: July 17, 2012
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author: Valerie Hansen
ISBN: 9780199939213
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication: July 17, 2012
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

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 up 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 archeological finds that revolutionize our understanding of these trade routes. For centuries, key records remained hidden--sometimes 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 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 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. 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 China.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

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 up 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 archeological finds that revolutionize our understanding of these trade routes. For centuries, key records remained hidden--sometimes 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 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 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. 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 China.

More books from Oxford University Press

Cover of the book Overcoming Alcohol Use Problems by Valerie Hansen
Cover of the book Matching, Regression Discontinuity, Difference in Differences, and Beyond by Valerie Hansen
Cover of the book The Evolutionary Biology of Human Female Sexuality by Valerie Hansen
Cover of the book Vanishing Bone by Valerie Hansen
Cover of the book Corporate E-Learning by Valerie Hansen
Cover of the book Al-Azhar: Oxford Bibliographies Online Research Guide by Valerie Hansen
Cover of the book The Nature of Suffering and the Goals of Medicine by Valerie Hansen
Cover of the book The Cyprus Problem : What Everyone Needs to Know by Valerie Hansen
Cover of the book Xenophon's Anabasis, or The Expedition of Cyrus by Valerie Hansen
Cover of the book CDC Health Information for International Travel 2014: The Yellow Book by Valerie Hansen
Cover of the book No Small Courage by Valerie Hansen
Cover of the book The Hound of the Baskervilles Level 4 Oxford Bookworms Library by Valerie Hansen
Cover of the book Human Rights and Human Well-Being by Valerie Hansen
Cover of the book Teaching Music Through Composition by Valerie Hansen
Cover of the book Opening Bazin by Valerie Hansen
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy