9 years ago
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The Lost Empire that Ruled the Silk Road
Today, the city of Samarkand in Uzbekistan is relatively remote, known mostly for its magnificent medieval ruins. But over a millennium ago, it was one of the richest cities on the infamous trade route known as the Silk Road. Back in the 600s CE, that route was called simply "the road to Samarkand."
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Well, this is timely. I'm lecturing about the Silk Road and Samarkand tomorrow, and this gave me some new ideas for presenting the Sogdians' place in that story. They're kind of hard to sum up, and this article does a very good job of it. Thanks!
Glad it helps! Serendipity or what?
No kidding! The article's author even cites two of the books on which my lectures are based. Crazy. I highly recommend Hansen's book, by the way, for anyone interested in getting a sense of what the Silk Road was really like.