Session: #106

Theme & Session Format

Theme:
2. From Limes to regions: the archaeology of borders, connections and roads
Session format:
Regular session

Title & Content

Title:
Archaeology of the Silk Road: Ancient Pathway to the Modern World
Content:
The Silk Road used to be a crucial link between Europe and Asia where commodities, religions and entire philosophies were exchanged. Accordingly, there was a good reason why the cultures along these trade routes prospered. However, the migratory practices of the Silk Road also had the potential to allow for the spread of infectious diseases and cultural conflicts. This session explores the ways in which these roads were instrumental in transforming frontier regions over their period of use, circa 130BC to 1453AD. In doing so, it sets to expand new evidence of intercultural exchange in both directions along the Silk Road. What were the impacts of the trade routes on building and preserving the settlements? How did the trade network affect daily life in regions it went through, in terms of health and lifestyle? What could the blend and dissemination of art tell us about the travel of people, their ideas and beliefs? We are interested in interdisciplinary approaches, theoretical interpretations, and new imagery technologies. We welcome new findings on civilian settlements in the regions of the trade routes, the spread of infectious diseases as well as the molecular genetics results on ancient DNA. We also encourage interpretations of material remains that were transported back and forth on the Silk Road including coins, textiles, and ceramics. The geographical areas of our interest are Europe, The Caucasus, and the Near East. However, papers from other regions are also welcome.
Keywords:
Silk Road, Intercultural exchange, Health and lifestyle, Cultural conflicts
Session associated with MERC:
no
Session associated with CIfA:
no
Session associated with SAfA:
no
Session associated with CAA:
no
Session associated with DGUF:
no
Session associated with other:

Organisers

Main organiser:
Branka Franicevic (United Kingdom) 1
Co-organisers:
Krisztina Hoppál (Hungary) 2
Affiliations:
1. University of Bradford, UK
2. MTA-ELTE-SZTE Silk Road Research Group