page_title: Silk Road transmission of art
hierarchical_section_title: Silk Road transmission of art
caption_attribution_description: Chinese jade and steatite plaques. 4th-3rd century BCE. Special exhibition at the British Museum, August 2005. Personal photograph.
context_page_description: Many artistic influences transited along the Silk Road, especially through the Central Asia, where Hellenistic, Iranian, Indian and Chinese influence were able to interact. In particular Greco-Buddhist art represent one of the most vivid examples of this interaction.
  As shown on the 1st century CE Silk Road map, there is no single road but a whole network of long-distance routes: mainly two land routes and one sea route.
  The Silk Road served as an outlet to connect cultures with goods, ideas, religions, artistic influences and more. These routes fostered shared cultures, transcended existing borders and laid the foundation for collaborative cultural development politically, economically, and socially. The Silk Road acted as the world's first superhighway linking China and Japan to Europe across Central Asia from ancient times via caravans and bazaars. This allowed for artforms to have a blend of different cultures from areas separated by bodies of water or large land masses. The common theme among different regions of the Silk Road is that art lives in ritual acts. The ritualistic component is rooted in tradition and helped religions survive.
context_section_description: Many artistic influences transited along the Silk Road, especially through the Central Asia, where Hellenistic, Iranian, Indian and Chinese influence were able to interact. In particular Greco-Buddhist art represent one of the most vivid examples of this interaction.
  As shown on the 1st century CE Silk Road map, there is no single road but a whole network of long-distance routes: mainly two land routes and one sea route. 
  The Silk Road served as an outlet to connect cultures with goods, ideas, religions, artistic influences and more. These routes fostered shared cultures, transcended existing borders and laid the foundation for collaborative cultural development politically, economically, and socially. The Silk Road acted as the world's first superhighway linking China and Japan to Europe across Central Asia from ancient times via caravans and bazaars. This allowed for artforms to have a blend of different cultures from areas separated by bodies of water or large land masses. The common theme among different regions of the Silk Road is that art lives in ritual acts. The ritualistic component is rooted in tradition and helped religions survive.
caption: Chinese jade and steatite plaques, in the Scythian-style animal art of the steppes. 4th-3rd century BCE. British Museum.
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