Silk Road Art and Archaeology

3 credits · Undergraduate

The course will outline art and archaeology of the Silk Roads from the 5th century BCE to the 10th century CE. A number of specific sites located along the Silk Roads will be selected and explored in depth, as examples which reveal the manifold cultural currents along the trade routes. Special attention will be paid to the eclecticism in Silk Road cultures brought about by the movement of peoples and merchandise which facilitated the spread and fusion along these trading routes of various ideas, cultural forms, art styles, and religious concepts. The social and political underpinnings of this eclecticism will be examined.