For Educators: Traveling the Silk Road
This exhibition takes you along the world's oldest international highway, on a voyage that spans six centuries (AD600-1200). It showcases four representative cities: Xi'an, China's Tany Dynasty capital; Turfan, a bustling oasis; Samarkand, home of prosperous merchants; and Baghdad, a meeting place for scholars, scientists, and philosophers.
Educators Guide and Materials
More Resources For Educators
Use these free online resources to further explore themes presented in the Traveling the Silk Road exhibition.
Article
Silk Road Fables
As merchants, missionaries, and other travelers made their way between the cities of Asia, they told stories. See three of the tales that traveled the Silk Road.
Activity
Sounds of the Silk Road
Because travelers along the Silk Road often spoke different languages, music was a good way from them to communicate. Sample some of the music they shared.
Activity
Make Your Own Paper
Today we take paper for granted, but it was once a treasured item. Discover this ancient secret by making your own paper using everyday items!
Article
Meet the OLogist: Laura Kendall
Whether curating an exhibit about mythic creatures or studying the history and languages of Japan and China, Laurel Kendall’s work focuses on cultural anthropology. Learn more about what she studies.
Asian Ethnography
The Museum's holdings in Asian ethnology make up the finest collection in the Western hemisphere. A large part of the collection was made by early anthropologists, who gathered extraordinarily detailed documentation. The collection is comprehensive and includes virtually all object types made of every conceivable material. The objects in this collection span an immense range of diversity of cultures: form semi-sedentary agriculturalists in the rain forests of Malaysia, to Bedouin nomads, and to the peasants and poets, philosophers and statesmen of India and China, the world's oldest enduring civilizations.
Additional Resources: Collection Database | Curatorial Research