Traces of the Silk Road in Northwest Europe
Prof Susan Whitfield,
University of East Anglia
Date: 18th of March 2026
Time: 20:00
Venue: Zoom
The Silk Roads is often presented as a trade route between the Chinese and Roman empires but, as with most history, the reality is much more interesting and complex. In her talk, Susan Whitfield will considers the web of trade, military and diplomatic routes by land, river and sea across Afro-Eurasia and show how the activities on these routes even left traces at its very edges: in Japan and in Britain and Scandinavia.
About the speaker:
Professor Susan Whitfield is a leading scholar of the Silk Road, specializing in its historiography, art, and cultural exchange, having previously curated the British Library’s International Dunhuang Project (IDP) and authoring numerous influential books on the subject. Her research now focuses on expanding the understanding of Silk Road interactions and their impact on art and belief, as seen in her current project, Nara to Norwich. She is a Professor of Silk Road Studies at the University of East Anglia and lectures and writes widely on the topic for diverse audiences worldwide.
Image attribution – “Smiling_Buddha_(4995358503)” by Hallgren, Sören. Historical Museum/SHM, (CC BY 4.0)
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