Silk Roads: Peoples, Cultures, Landscapes

by Susan Whitfield (Editor)

The Silk Roads continue to capture the imagination of the public, and, in 2014, a section of the land routes was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Yet there was no single "Silk Road." Instead, a complex network of trade routes spanned Afro-Eurasia’s mountains, plains, deserts, and seas. From silk to spices, religion to dance, traffic in goods and ideas was crucial to the development of civilizations through rich cultural interactions and economic activity.
 
Centered around the dramatic landscapes of the Silk Roads, this beautiful volume honors the great diversity of medieval Afro-Eurasian cultures. Each section—from steppe to desert to ocean—includes maps, a historical and archaeological overview and thematic essays by leading scholars worldwide, as well as sidebars showcasing objects that exemplify the art, archaeology and architecture of the Silk Roads.
 

Genres: History, Nonfiction, China, Art, Asia

480 pages, Hardcover

Published October 1, 2019

About the author

Susan Whitfield is an English historian and librarian who works at the British Library in London, England. She obtained a PhD in historiography from the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, and now specialises in the social and intellectual history of the Tang Dynasty, and the history of the Silk Road.

She is currently director of the International Dunhuang Project, and in this capacity is involved in research and cataloguing of Central Asian manuscripts at the British Library. She has a particular interest in identifying forged manuscripts from Dunhuang.

Reviews

[Phillip · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0 / 5.0

Cultural Tour de Force. Divided into 40+ digestible segments. Covers wide range of trade related topics and links nicely to historical patterns. Side panels are nice add ons to basic text description. Nice selection of pictures. Packed with good information and suggestions for additional reading.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This a beautiful book. I really enjoyed the maps and the wide variety of pictures. It covered a diverse array of topics and I learned a lot. That said, I wish that there had been more reference to present day countries, because I was often confused about where the locations mentioned were. The maps helped some, but because they were so detailed and covered such a large expanse, it was not always possible to locate the cities or sites being discussed. I also would have liked some more information on bandits, which were clearly important to travelers on the silk roads, but which were not discussed in detail. Overall, however, this a beautiful and interesting volume.

[Wing · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written by scores of academic contributors, some having a rather dry style, this eclectic collection of essays on archeological artefacts and material remains are hard for the reader to peruse. There’s a lack of focus and that maybe the point. The title, one of the contributors explains, is a misnomer. Silk roads were not single roads but webs and they were not primarily about silk to boot. This web engendered hybridisation, cross-fertilisation, and syncretism of tastes, technology, and cultures. In spite of the presence of competing empires, the network was decentralised and immensely cosmopolitan. One underlying theme is the ephemerality of prosperity. Cities rose to their great heights and declined inexorably due to the fickleness of fortunes. The book therefore is filled with breathtaking photographs of gorgeous artworks and wistful ruins. It’s certainly a generous coffee table book. There are also fascinating pieces of information but the reader may find them tricky to find because the book is otherwise quite soporific.

[Lupo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Splendido libro di storia, geografia, geologia, botanica, movimenti umani, di corpi e di idee. Grande opera Einaudi (non ve lo potete certamente leggere in viaggio) organizzata per grandi temi divisi in capitoli con immagini bellissime cha vanno dalle fotografie naturali alle immagini di tessuti, pitture, ceramiche, pietre preziose e spezie. La sua lettura si assapora seguendo i luoghi e i tempi attraverso le carte geografiche presenti nel libro, e si viene continuamente spinti a cercare altrove ulteriori notizie sui tanti luoghi e le tante persone citate. Un viaggio bello e lungo che fa sognare di seguirne almeno in parte le tracce attraverso terre che hanno oggi nomi spesso diversi di quelli di mille anni fa e che hanno ospitato popoli e lingue a volte estinti.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a beautiful book and a great synthesis of so many disciplines. It is a fun introduction to the history of Afro-Eurasia and does a nice job of indicating where you can learn more if you'd like to.

[Tony Gualtieri · Rating 5 out of 5]

A coffee table book on the Silk Road! Beautiful illustrations with tantalizingly brief texts on various aspects of the region, history, and society.

[Barrowsend · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wide-ranging, comprehensive and totally fascinating.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to go there. This is a wonderful introduction. I can understand why people decide to spend time in these parts.

[Susu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Übersicht über die gesamte Weltregion der Seidenstraßen - Geschichte, Handel, Archäologie - ein weit gespannter Bogen