Five objects from the British Museum tell the story of the movement of goods and ideas, along the Silk Road out of China, to Korea and even as far as East Anglia
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- A History of the World in 100 Objects
- The Silk Road And Beyond (400 - 700 AD)
The Silk Road And Beyond (400 - 700 AD)
Available now on BBC iPlayer
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Listen to the latest programme
Silk Princess Painting
Listen now (15 minutes)
Available since Fri, 11 Jun 2010.
5/5. Neil MacGregor examines a painting from the Silk Road.
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Also available
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Korean Roof Tile
Listen now (15 minutes)
Available since Thu, 10 Jun 2010.
4/5. Neil MacGregor looks at what was happening in 7th-century Korea.
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Moche Warrior Pot
Listen now (18 minutes)
Available since Wed, 9 Jun 2010.
3/5. Neil MacGregor examines a pottery warrior figure from a forgotten people in Peru.
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Sutton Hoo Helmet
Listen now (15 minutes)
Available since Tue, 8 Jun 2010.
2/5. Neil MacGregor with one of the most sensational finds from Anglo-Saxon Britain.
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Gold Coins of Abd al-Malik
Listen now (15 minutes)
Available since Mon, 7 Jun 2010.
1/5. Two gold coins from Syria which sum up one of history's greatest political upheavals.
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Featured
The Silk Road and Beyond (AD 400 – 800)
46. Gold coin of Abd al-Malik
47. Sutton Hoo helmet
48. Moche warrior pot
49. Korean roof tile
50. Silk princess painting
The Silk Road from China to Europe was at its peak between AD 500 and 800, the time of the so-called ‘Dark Ages’ in Western Europe. This trade route connected a revived Tang China with the newly formed Islamic Caliphate, which conquered the Middle East and North Africa. It was not only people and goods that spread along the Silk Road but also ideas. Buddhism spread from India into China along the Silk Road and also into the newly formed kingdom of Korea. Silk Road products even made their way to remote Britain, as shown by the South Asian gems found in the Sutton Hoo burial. Meanwhile the first organised states in South America were beginning to flourish.
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