Editorial: The Silk Roads

Read The Historian 161: The Silk Roads

Although the term ‘the Silk Roads’ was coined over 150 years ago, it has found new resonance with historians interested in a broader, international history, part of the ‘global turn’ in the discipline. The contributions to this issue arise from a research collaboration between historians and archaeologists working at either end of Eurasia over the past few years under the rubric of Nara to Norwich: art and belief at the ends of the Silk Roads, AD 500–1000. All of the contributors are members of the extended research network that has developed over the past six years. The wide-ranging papers reflect the vitality of contemporary Silk Road studies.

The idea of the Silk Roads is not without its critics, but as the papers presented here demonstrate, Silk Road studies provide a useful framework within which scholars expert in their own fields can interact and gain new insights on material familiar to them. Becoming acquainted with case studies comparable to those with which we normally work has encouraged us to explore seemingly local themes and processes through a Eurasian lens. There is sometimes a tendency to regard many historical figures, events and processes in isolation, requiring a focus on context and contingency. While this is doubtless essential to the historian’s craft, we hope that the contributions here will open up new ways of exploring interconnectivity and recognition of the significance of long-distance travel, often undertaken in challenging circumstances demanding resilience and determination. Such travel was anything but rare in the past: and indeed a seasoned walker could cover the distance from Nara to Norwich in little more than a year, even if on foot.

The first millennium saw the expansion of literate religions, Christianity, Buddhism and Islam, impacting dramatically on the societies, cultures and landscapes they encountered. This expansion was facilitated by the development of land and sea routes linking disparate parts of Afro-Eurasia, a process that had already been taking place for centuries. We were curious about the cross-fertilisation of new religious ideas and practices, and the role that art and other material culture played in their dissemination: monasticism, the importance of written sacred texts, the development of hagiography, and the construction of new forms of monuments, sometimes involving shifting effort from building elaborate burial mounds for elites to churches and temples. We encountered many commonalities as well as significant divergences through the history of the Silk Roads. 

The subjects in this issue cover a broad geographical expanse, but we realise that even as we range from East Anglia to the Japanese archipelago, from Norwich to Nara, taking in the Swat valley of Pakistan, the caravanserai of central Asia, and the pilgrimage routes that led through the Mediterranean and holy lands, there is still much more to explore, in particular through Africa, southeast Asia and India. Exciting new discoveries continue to be made both in the field (for example as reported by Hutcheson and Olivieri), and through careful re-analysis of existing collections, including the treasures from the great complex of Buddhist cave temples at Dunhuang acquired by Aurel Stein, as discussed by Whitfield and Wang. These discoveries are revitalising Silk Road studies, adding greatly to a rich history of research that stretches back into the nineteenth century. Our project has taken us from Norwich, the city famous for silk and woollen fabrics and the greatest concentration of medieval churches north of the Alps, to Sweden and the burial grounds of Valsgärde and Gamla Uppsala; to Istanbul where we considered the impact of Buddhism and Islam on the Byzantine world; to Gyeongju, the Golden Capital of the Korean kingdom of Silla and its exceptional Buddhist temples and monuments, many with complex biographies of their own; and to Nara, home to
the so-called eastern terminus of the Silk Roads, the eighth-century imperial treasury at Tōdaiji temple, the Shōsōin. Along the way we have enjoyed stimulating discussions with a rich diversity of specialists, all of whom responded positively to our enquiries and were patient with our misunderstandings and misconceptions. The Nara to Norwich project is contributing to the dynamic field of Silk Road studies. The papers by Olivieri, Whitfield, Wordsworth, Duomy and Wang in this issue demonstrate the potential of exploring both the centres and extremities of the Silk Roads.

We feel greatly honoured to be invited to guest edit this issue of The Historian, which appears as we launch a travelling exhibition at the Forum Millennium Library in Norwich from 20–25 May, in conjunction with the Norfolk and Norwich Festival. We also publish a new phase of our online exhibition at www.naratonorwich.org. These and the contributions to this issue, notably Cubitt, Howarth, Hutcheson, Hedernstierna-Jonson, Price and Pritchard, show how Silk Road connections affected (and continue to) the lives of people across Asia and Europe in many different ways, and look forward to major exhibitions on the Silk Road in London this autumn. The week in May will witness Nara actually coming to Norwich as we welcome a group of Buddhist priests from Hasedera temple in Nara, who will accompany an immense image of the Eleven-Faced Kannon Bōsatsu, the Buddhist deity of compassion (known in China as Guanyin, and in Sanskrit as Avalokitesvara). We will also welcome the representatives from the Sacred Island of Okinoshima and Associated Sites in the Munakata Region UNESCO World Heritage Site. This tiny island in many ways embodies the spirit of the Silk Roads, being the focus of devotional deposits intended to ensure safe passage for travellers: diplomatic envoys, traders and pilgrims.

Nicholas Kinloch

The Historian is very sorry to announce the recent and sudden death of Nicolas Kinloch. A valued member of our editorial board since 2021, Nicolas brought wit, wisdom, and warmth to every meeting. He was always ready to offer a helping hand, and his intellect was second to none. He will be sorely missed by us all, and we send our deepest condolences to his family and friends. A full obituary, written by his friend Sean Lang, will appear in the next issue of HA News.