ARTH 180 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Mongol Empire, Exotic Birds, Ming Dynasty
Document Summary
No trader or item ever travelled the entire silk road a to z. First major period - roman empire and han dynasty. Mogao caves decorated caves in dunhuang china; center for buddhism. Borrowing of images, ideas, and techniques from another culture: buddhism travelling to china and japan. Vajrapani buddha"s guardian; borrows ideas of herakles; exists independently. Late 2nd century ad: stands on a sparrow symbol for swiftness, depicted in drama, action, art. Second major period islamic caliphates and the sui and tang dynasties. Islamic empires start to form in the west. Chinese become unified again in the east. Tang dynasty is the golden age of china: recognizes the importance of the silk roads. Additional routes are added spice route. China loses silk monopoly in battle of. Silver makes it to china and becomes more valuable than gold. The more silver in a tomb the richer and higher status the individual.
