2024-2025 Catalog

FYS 189 Silk Roads and Sea Routes: East-West Trade and Intercultural Exchange in Pre-Modern Times

From the 2nd c. BCE to the 15th c. CE, the Eurasian continent was profoundly transformed by the "Silk Roads," a series of overland and maritime trade routes stretching between China and Rome. This course will explore not only the exotic goods that were traded, including silk, porcelain, gold, and even horses, but also the transmission of religious beliefs (Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity), artistic and musical practices, and technologies between peoples of vastly different cultures.

Instructor

Furniss