Week 5: The Sogdians

Greetings travellers,

I write to you today to talk about a group of people called The Sogdians, whom upon discovery along my travels greatly interested me. This group of people played a vital role in the trans-Asian trade, as they exchanged a great deal of goods, ideas, and languages. Apart from trade, The Sogdians also exemplified the effects of migration, through the blending of Chinese culture and traditions with their own. The influence this group of people played in relation to their role on the Silk Road is undoubtably huge. However, what separates The Sogdians from any other clan of people who travelled the ever so popular Silk Road path?

By embracing new languages and practicing them, The Sogdians were able to gain the trust and respect of the fellow tribes they passed during their travels. This allowed them to make allies with other groups and thus, trade within one another. The result of this, then is that trade improved communication, as it is amply seen in The Sogdians' eagerness to learn new languages and their bravery to use such a skill to their advantage. Apart from exemplifying their excellent ability to trade, The Sogdians used their trade routes to migrate across the Silk Road, eventually inhabiting North-West China. Their meshing of cultures can be seen in traditions such as burial services adopted from the Chinese and embraced by The Sogdians. They were not afraid to take risks; they were not afraid to travel; and thus, not afraid to grow. This set The Sogdians apart as notable historic figures.

Tune in next week as I continue my adventure along the Silk Road.

Yours truly,
~A.V.

Week 4: The Spread and Migration of Religion

Greetings travelers,

It has been some time since I have kept you up to date with my adventure! I write to you now after further discovering the significance of religious pilgrimages, as I came across an article entitled, Xuanzang: A Buddhist Pilgrim on the Silk Road. The tale of Xuanzang and his sixteen-year migration across the Silk Road illustrated a key influence in the spread and acceptance of Buddhism, and the fight needed to pursue such a mission. Events such as this one made me realize how a single idea could manifest into a nation-wise mission,taking the ideals of Buddhism by force and spreading them across both the northern and southern silk routes. However, keeping this in mind, have our methods of spreading religious thought and ideals changed like many other traditions, or, have they continued through to the twenty-first century?

The development of technology continues to baffle and amaze us, as it has evolved so much so fast. It can take a minute to send an email, and it can be said that since everything has been made so easy for us, we are forgetting about history and the significance of such. Xuanzang dedicated his life to the spread of something he truly believed, and yet we can send our thoughts to anyone around the world in a minute. Does this, however, mean that technology is a bad thing? Can an idea be more important if it it took an individual a minute to come up with rather than a lifetime? 

Tune in next week as I continue my adventure along the Silk Road.

Yours truly,

~A.V.

Week 3: The Interpretation and Manipulation of Art

Greetings travellers,

I find myself urging to write to you to keep you up to date with my travels and discoveries. I am constantly being blown away on a daily basis by the rich and deep histories of the Silk Road, and the role of art in history's preservation. I have always been an avid art lover and so recovering ancient pieces have truly astounded me. In my previous blog entry I touched on questions regarding the Power of History, and whether it can truly be accounted as "fact" simply because it is what we have always believed. Art, in my mind follows a similar pattern, as the way in which it is interpreted can, for obvious reasons, differ. So, the question arises again, whether art, like history can be looked to as a means of understanding our historical roots, and more importantly, why that matters to us.

The Kushan sculptures tell us stories: stories of the past, stories of trade, stories of life. Historians look to pieces of art  such as these sculptures on a regular basis in an attempt to try and understand a way of life that is alien to us. Art was idolized back then and was used not only to illustrate ways of life, but also in religious practice and rituals. When we go to a church, temples, or any place of worship now a days, we still see magnificent art pieces showcased and in most cases, they are the centre of our attention. Art grabs our attention because everyone can relate to it in some way since it is interpretive. The problem with this, I suppose, is that when we want to find an accurate history of a certain group of peoples or place, we don't want interpretations, we want fact. But... where do we find this thing we claim exists? Where do we find facts?

At the end of it all, I guess my question truly wonders why we try so hard to look at art in history and try with all our might to understand it. Maybe if we were truly happy with our world and the way in which it has grown, we wouldn't be so focussed on figuring out its roots.
Maybe.

Tune in next week as I continue my adventure along the Silk Road.

Yours truly,
~ A.V

Week 2: The Power of History

Greetings travelers,

What an exciting few weeks it has been! I have been hard at work discovering ancient mummy burials, and visiting famous monuments and museums. However,  along my journey I have been confronted on more than one occasion with stories or myths as a means of explaining the history of civilizations and of geographical locations. It puzzled me the power these myths have, and how they are being taken for fact, and taught as such. So the question of how and why these stories are so powerful arose in my mind. Can a myth be responsible for the reconstruction of history, and will it continue to bear such importance with the technological advances that continue to arise in our world? Was the reason Chinese historians were able to write their own history using myths due to the fact that story telling was the peoples’ only source of communication and sustainability?

The idea of a myth bearing such importance seems to trouble me. I believe such is the case because I find it silly that a “story” can be accounted and believed as fact. However, if history and its roots are traced back far enough, isn’t it all accounted by the human tongue, or written by the human hand? What sets a myth apart from any other historical “fact”, and why does the term myth carry such a negative connotation?

At the end of it all, the questions at stake seem to wonder how closely someone’s culture is tied with their history, and therefore, what are the various impacts that a history can produce within a culture? Whether it be a reliable history or an unreliable one, how does it influence such culture? 

Tune in next week as I continue my adventure along the Silk Road.

Yours truly,

~A.V

Week 1: How does language contribute to a culture's identity?

Greetings travelers, 

or shall i say हेल्लो, meaning “hello” in the ancient Sanskrit tongue. 

My adventure begins with discovering the roots of language itself and its manipulation and transformation over the years into the roughly 6,000 languages spoken, studied, and taught worldwide today. I believed it to be beneficial to have some historical background with regards to language, as the study of the Silk Road is contingent on different cultures and the language of such cultures. However, a question which continually stood out in my mind was how does language contribute to a culture’s identity? 

Language, like religion, is constantly evolving, constantly adapting, and constantly growing. David Crystal states that:  “Literacy is often introduced into a community by the spread of a religion” (Crystal, 388). This, to me, shows how language and religion are almost interdependent to one another, acting as twin forces in their sustainability. In order to spread religion you must use language, either through word of mouth or scripture, and through that spread of religion a new language is introduced to a new culture.  Language also provides an outlet for religious teachings through its sacred texts and preachings. Some ideas, however, are limited to the words used to express them, as similar values can be drastically altered when expressed in different languages. Overall, I believe that the main string connecting language and its contribution to a culture's identity is the fact that language is the main thing with which we can understand each other through, and therefore the main thing with which our culture is founded upon. 

Tune in next week as I continue my adventure along the Silk Road.

Yours truly,

~ A.V