**Course registration sold-out. A limited number of single course tickets will be available at the box office the same day as the lecture.**
The fabled Silk Routes were a series of global trade networks that transported luxury goods, decorative objects, people and ideas across some of history’s most extraordinary civilizations. Using rich archeological and archival materials, this series will explore how that cross-cultural exchange impacted artworks around the world between the first Millenium BC and the Medieval Era. As we survey the opulent treasures of Egyptian Pharaohs and Chinese Dynasties, Persian Kings and Indian Emperors, we’ll give particular attention to the stunning artifacts on display this fall at the Aga Khan Museum’s hotly anticipated Caravans of Gold exhibit. We’ll take a whirlwind tour of the arts and cultures that dazzled the ancient world.
Led by Professor Sudharshan Durayappah, who teaches in the Department of Historical and Cultural Studies at the University of Toronto. A leading scholar of art history, religion and culture, he has also served as a lecturer at the Aga Khan Museum and a history teacher at the Royal Ontario Museum.
Oct. 18 Prelude to the ‘Silk Road’: The Tombs and Treasures of the Pharaohs
Archeological evidence from ancient tombs has provided us with evidence of a remarkable global trade network criss-crossing the world. As we survey the exquisitely crafted treasures lurking in the Egyptian tombs of King Tutankhaman and Pharaoh Hatshepsut, we’ll explore how long distance land and sea routes connected cultures and kingdoms as far afield as Asia, Africa and Scandinavia.
Oct. 25 The Dragon Rises: The Art and Artifacts of Ancient China
From the neolithic period onwards, the kingdoms of ancient China emerged as an artistic hotbed, with skilled artisans developing innovative new forms of ceramics, pottery, painting and calligraphy. In this session we will explore tomb objects from the Shang, Han and Tang dynasties and the international trade routes that brought them to the world.
Nov. 1: Darius The Great: A Bridge Between Cultures
Few ancient leaders did more to connect far-flung artisans, traders and empires than the Persian King Darius. By building a Royal Road connecting his capital to the coast, and the famous canal connecting the Red Sea to the Nile, he controlled the flow of goods and ideas across the Mediterranean and had a lasting impact on artistic cultures across the Middle East.
Nov. 15 Alexander the Great: Connecting East and West
With his far-reaching imperial campaigns, Alexander the Great seized control of the lucrative trade networks connecting East and West and produced an unprecedented hybridization of Greek, Persian and Asian cultures. His conquests boosted the wealth of traders and artisans from the Mediterranean through Iran to Pakistan, and exposed the world to exquisite new objects and artifacts.
Further Viewing | The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble (12:45 PM)
Nov. 22 The Kushan Empire: Greco-Buddhist Art
After the fall of Alexander, the regions of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Northern India were ruled by the mighty Kushan empire, famed for its Gandaran, or Greco-Buddhist, art. As the region’s celebrated artisans merged Greek, Syrian, Persian, and local artistic influences, the Buddha was depicted in art in human form for the first time.
Nov. 29 From West Africa to the World: The Caravan of Gold
We’ll close our cross-continental journey by exploring the fascinating artifacts and cultures at the centre of the Aga Khan Museum’s groundbreaking exhibit this fall. As lucrative trade routes developed across the Sahara Desert in the 8th Century, West African gold fueled an extraordinary migration of peoples and cultures, arts and beliefs, across North Africa, the Middle East and Europe.