Until recently, few archaeological discoveries of Chinese porcelain in India had been reported, despite Chinese porcelain having a reputation for being of very high quality and therefore highly sought-after. In contrast, large quantities had been found in other Southeast Asian countries, including the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. Then, in 1950 more than 70 celadon and blue-and-white items were discovered in the Palace of Firuz Shah Tughlaq in Delhi.
The maritime routes of the Silk Road were the main porcelain and Spice Roads, as well as direct avenues of contact between the East and the West. Throughout time, maps and charts have reflected the cultural exchanges taking place between the East and the West, including international trade and religious activities Shifts in knowledge, power and culture resulting from the Silk Routes have been captured in a rang of maps, including the Ptolemy World Map (150 AD), the Islamic World Map (1154 AD), the Catalan Atlas (1375), and the Korean World Map 1402.
The Jurchen tribes, who established the 120 year Chin dynasty in the early 12th century AD, had a significant influence on the destiny of East Asian peoples. Archaeological research indicates that the Northern Jurchen culture of Priamurye had a distinctive character with traditions firmly rooted in the local cultural-historical past. The Jurchens were probably one of the most advanced ethnic communities at the time, having experience of offensive and defensive combat.
The Three Kingdoms and the Unified Silla were periods when foreign music was most vigorously accepted into Korean popular culture. Although a part of the musical culture was accepted from China, the instrumentation and modal systems of T'ang music in Silla were also closely related to the musical culture of Central Asia, which China had also accepted via the Silk Road. Korea appropriated foreign music but remodeled it rather than overly and unilaterally accepting it.
Kyongju, the capital city of the Silla dynasty, was slow to be influenced by foreign elements arriving from the northwest owing to its situation on the peninsula. This meant that Silla was able to assimilate foreign influences that arrived via the Silk Roads slowly rather than accepting them directly and indiscriminately. After unification on the peninsula, Silla became increasingly exposed to external influences.
Over time, the overland Silk Road and the maritime ‘Spice Road’ both played important roles in the transfer and enrichment of art forms in the regions through they traversed and connected. The development of Buddhist art provides clear evidence of the development of Asian art during this time. Buddhist art started in India and was modified in Central Asia and the Southeast Asian regions.
It is no coincidence that Venice is emblematic of the profound enrichment, interweaving and diversity of cultures, science, philosophies, religions and art that The Silk Route wove together along its course. Other silk routes acted as arteries for change too, including an overland silk route that linked the Orient to the Occident. This route is famous for tales – whether true or false – of famous individuals, including Alexander the Great, Jesus Christ, Marco Polo, travelling on it to spread their influence.
During the last 1,000 years, the vast and highly diverse area that stretches from the Mediterranean across to Sind in Pakistan has been an extraordinary melting pot of cultural and aesthetic diversity. Islam embraced this diversity and translated it into cultural dialogues, which the development of the silk routes facilitated.
The middle decades of the 16th century saw the revival of the spice trade routes through the Red Sea and the Gulf. It was also a time that Portugal built up its eastern empire with considerable speed, using their naval power to occupy strategic points and gain control of the Indian Ocean. Portugal was able to monopolise the stream of merchandise from Asia by blockading the entrance to the Red Sea and the Gulf and diverting supplies via the Cape of Good instead of via the Mediterranean.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the city of Izmir played an important role in the as an international port, especially after its revival as a trading centre after Ottoman-Iran war of 1615-18, when it surpassed Aleppo in Syria. At this time, most silk came from Iran, but with supplies being disrupted by warring states, Izmir also offered was a more secure with the Ottamans investing in the port to make it an attractive proposition for traders.
