Lives along the Silk Roads: Global Interactions before the Nation States

Catalog description

Starting around the 3rd century BCE, monks, merchants, and soldiers carried new ideas, goods, and even diseases across the sedentary and nomadic civilizations of the Eurasian continent, from East Asia to the Mediterranean. These intense interactions led to the creation of unique religious, cultural, and social experiences that continue to shape the contemporary world. In exploring the question, “How did individuals and communities survive and thrive while living across different systems of values and natural environments?” students from diverse academic backgrounds will bring their specific skills to group projects that focus on both the cultural and material challenges faced by premodern Eurasian communities. Drawing from disciplines such as political, military, religious, art, and economic history, as well as archaeology, anthropology, sociology, epidemiology, and environmental sciences, students will be invited to reimagine the lives of ancient individuals in various regions and contexts.