Publisher's Synopsis
A celebration of the cultural heritage of the countries along the Silk Route, this book explores the ancient trade route between Europe and the Far East, more specifically between Rome and the old Chinese capital of Xi'an. It examines the beautiful works of art discovered in each country, and sets them in their historical and geographical context. The author provides a comprehensive history of the Silk Road. Drawing freely on anecdotes, and literary and historical sources, he examines the lives of the merchants and other travellers who used this route and the way in which their activities related to the works of art that were created. Vignettes and poems from the heyday of the great trading route punctuate a lively and colourful book, which also benefits from Antonia Tozer's exceptionally evocative photographs of landscapes and people.;Chapters range from "Precursors" and "The Manufacture of Silk", through "China" and "Central Asia" to "Rediscovery in the 20th Century" and "Lost Art of the Silk Road". There is a glossary to foreign and technical terms, as well as chronologies for each period of history for the main sections of the Silk Road, and a bibliography and index.
