China's main partners were the peoples of modern-day Iran, whose tombs in China reveal much about their Zoroastrian beliefs. China and the Roman Empire had very little direct trade. There was no single, continuous road, but a chain of markets that traded between east and west. 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. 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. For centuries, key records remained hidden-sometimes deliberately buried by bureaucrats for safe keeping. 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. 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 Silk Road is as iconic in world history as the Colossus of Rhodes or the Suez Canal.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |