The Wick List

Viewing Silk Roads at The British Museum

The Wick Culture - ‘The Franks Casket' ©The Trustees of the British Museum

Above ‘The Franks Casket’ ©The Trustees of the British Museum

The Wick Culture - Ceramic figure of a camel ©The Trustees of the British Museum

Above Ceramic figure of a camel ©The Trustees of the British Museum

The Wick Culture - Ceramic figure of a lute player © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

Above Ceramic figure of a lute player © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

The Wick Culture - Gold Shoulder Clasp ©The Trustees of the British Museum

Above Gold Shoulder Clasp ©The Trustees of the British Museum

Above ‘The Franks Casket’ ©The Trustees of the British Museum

Above Ceramic figure of a camel ©The Trustees of the British Museum

Above Ceramic figure of a lute player © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

Above Gold Shoulder Clasp ©The Trustees of the British Museum

Silk Roads

The British Museum
26 September 2024 – 23 February 2025

The Silk Roads hold a particular place in the collective imaginary – calling to mind the trading of luxurious fabrics and rare spaces. This exhibition at The British Museum tries to get past the stereotypical and exoticised view of the Silk Roads and get a bigger picture of the impact of these overlapping networks of global trade routes that linked communities all over Asia, African and Europe.

The Silk Roads’ history is vast and stretches over millennia, but this exhibition focuses on the period between AD 500 to 1000, a definitive moment during which the rise of universal religions made connections across continents more powerful. Highlights of the display – which includes objects on loan from 29 different national and international partners – include pieces from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan shown in the UK for the first time and giving a startling new perspective on the role of Central Asia in the Silk Road story.