The History of the Silk Road

Catalog description

The Silk Road has been a museum exhibition sensation as well as inspiration for Indiana-Jones-type of adventures, ever since the name was coined in 1877. As appealing as the name is in all kinds of media, it is never quite clear what the Silk Road actually entails. What does it mean to you, for instance? Searching for an answer, you will encounter numerous websites, books, scholarly and popular articles, or TV documentations that seek to unravel its many mysteries and even travel agencies that aim at revealing its myths. By consulting archaeological as well as written sources this course is going to evaluate all aspects of early Silk Road history – trade, travel, war, religion, ideologies, and cultural exchange – from its earliest age through the Mongolian Era (13th century). The main goal is, however, not to look at every aspect in isolation as it is often done, but to bring them all together. This way it will become clear that actual reality was considerably more complex than is generally claimed. Only the interplay of several factors allowed The Silk Road to become a pre-modern ‘success story’ probably only rivaled by the internet. Pre-requisites: None. Fulfillment: CORE SSPC or HPC; IPC; GCS China and the World; Humanities Other Introductory Courses / Survey Courses (18-19).