The Silk Road with Sam Willis
Sam Willis reveals how the Silk Road was the world's first global superhighway where people with new ideas, new cultures and new religions made exchanges that shaped humanity. Sam Willis start in Venice and explores how its Renaissance architecture and art has been shaped by the east and by thousands of exchanges along the Silk Road. Then he travels to Xian, the ancient capital of China, and reveals the tale of the silk trade deal in the Han dynasty. Sam continues to his journey towards the West along the Silk Road, through Tajikistan, Uzbek, Iran, and Turkey, tracing the footsteps of the ancient silk traders.
| Episode 1 - China |
Episode 1 - China
From Venice Sam Willis travels to China's ancient capital, Xian. Here, Sam's story takes him back in time to reveal the tale of an emperor who was so desperate for horses to help protect his borders that he struck one of the most significant trade deals in human history.
Episode 2 - Central Asia
Sam Willis travels west to central Asia, a part of the Silk Road often overlooked and yet the place of major innovations, big historical characters and a people - the Sogdians - whose role was pivotal to its success.
Episode 3 - Iran, Turkey, and Venice
Sam Willis continues his journey through Iran and Turkey along the Silk Road, and he returns to Venice. Visiting Marco Polo's house, Sam reminds us how the great traveller's book was one of the first to link East to West and how the ideas and products that trickled down the Silk Road.
| Related Links |
| The Silk Road - wikipedia The Silk Road or Silk Route was an ancient network of trade routes that were for centuries central to cultural interaction through regions of the Asian continent connecting the East and West from China to the Mediterranean Sea. |
| The Silk Road (NHK) This is a documentary series created through the joint cooperation of China's CCTV and Japan's NHK, exploring China's historical sites, villages, religions and cultures along the ancient trade route. |
| The Silk Road II (NHK) This is a eighteen-part documentary series produced by Japan's NHK, exploring the western reaches of the Silk Road beyond China and Mongolia, eventually arriving in historic old Rome. |
| Marco Polo: Journey to the East This is a collection of eBooks and films about the Venetian adventurer and trader - Marco Polo - such as The Travels of Marco Polo and Marco Polo: Journey to the East. |