Xuanzang was not afraid to break the rules. This Buddhist monk lived in Tang China during the 7th century AD. Although the imperial court banned foreign travel due to security concerns, this did not deter Xuanzang from slipping out of the country undercover in AD 629.| World Archaeology
We now know that there were many Silk Roads. Back in the 19th century, an attempt to chart how ancient exotic goods travelled east and west produced two lines on a map, running westwards from China. Today, the picture looks rather different. An increasingly intricate web of connections can be glimpsed, linking Asia, parts of Africa, and Europe. A new British Museum exhibition is examining this network, revealing both the wonders this flow of materials and ideas made possible, and the horrors ...| World Archaeology