Life Along the Silk Road

469 Pages·2001·9.38 MB·English

by  Susan Whitfield

Life along the Silk Road
Life along the Silk Road
SECOND EDITION
Susan Whitfield
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS
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University of California Press
Oakland, California
© 2015 by Susan Whitfield
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Whitfield,
Susan, 1960– author.
Life along the Silk Road / Susan Whitfield.—Second
edition.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-520-28059-5 (pbk. : alk. paper) ISBN 978-0-
520-96029-9 (ebook) 1. Silk Road—History. 2. Silk
Road—Biography. 3. Asia—History. I. Title.
DS33.1.W45 2015
950—dc23
2014026794
Manufactured in the United States of America
24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
In keeping with a commitment to support environmentally
responsible and sustainable printing practices, UC Press has
printed this book on Natures Natural, a fiber that contains 30%
post-consumer waste and meets the minimum requirements of
ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 (R 1997) (Permanence of Paper).
To the memory of Sir Aurel Stein, for his excavations along the
Silk Road, and to Professor Edward Schafer, for his equally
rigorous literary excavations. This book owes a great debt to
the treasures discovered by each man.
CONTENTS
List of Illustrations
Preface to the Second Edition
Note on Transliteration and Names
Map
Introduction
Prologue: The Shipmaster’s Tale
1 The Merchant’s Tale
2 The Soldier’s Tale
3 The Horseman’s Tale
4 The Princess’s Tale
5 The Courtesan’s Tale
6 The Pilgrim’s Tale
7 The Writer’s Tale
8 The Official’s Tale
9 The Nun’s Tale
10 The Widow’s Tale
11 The Artist’s Tale
Epilogue
Notes
References
Index
ILLUSTRATIONS
1. Coin of King Joel, Axum
2. Kushan coin
3. Sasanian design woven on silk
4. Sogdian silver wine ewer
5. Four-armed Nana on a lion
6. Letter from a Sogdian merchant
7. Plan of eighth-century Chang’an
8. Plan of Tibetan fort at Miran
9. Plan of battle sites in Wakhan and Little Balur
10. Southwest corner of the Kansir fort
11. The tarpan with its erect mane but no forelock
12. Man in hufu (foreigners’ robe), with falcon and saluki
dog
13. Chinese Tang hairstyle and phoenix hair ornaments
14. Chinese girl dressed in hufu (foreigners’ robe)
15. Uygur princess holding a lotus bud
16. Sogdian dancer
17. Musicians on a bullock cart
18. Charm for ensuring order in the house
19. The sacred area and main stupa of Amluk-dara
20. Buddhist temple at Beshbalik
21. Vaiśravaṇa, Heavenly King of the North
22. Sands of the Taklamakan desert with ruins
23. Map of the world by Al-Idrisi
24. Elephant chess piece in black stone
25. Dragon-head pin
26. Detail from frontispiece of The Diamond Sutra 147
27. Detail from Zhai Fengda’s calendar
28. Tārā, a Tantric Buddhist deity
29. Demon supporting a heavenly king
30. Demon guarding the gate to Hell
31. The Star God, Rahu
32. Ploughing scene from a Dunhuang cave temple
33. Printed prayer sheet prepared by a woodblock carver
34. The story of Śāriputra, illustrated manuscript
35. Buddha on a lotus throne, pounce and ink on paper
36. Silk and painted banner of the Buddha’s image