The Silk Roads

c. 200–900 CE

Ceramic camel figurine with a rider and cargo in a museum display case

A vast trade network that connected people across Asia and helped to spread religions like Buddhism

The Han Dynasty

206 BCE–220 CE

Confucianism and Daoism are revived, Buddhism arrives, and trade along the Silk Roads flourishes

Ancient T-shaped Chinese banner with intricate patterns, featuring animals and abstract designs, predominantly in red and brown hues.

Important terms and concepts

Han dynasty

Xin Zhui (Lady Dai)

Silk

Lacquer

Archer Yì 後羿

Cháng’é 嫦娥

Nüwa

Period of Division

220–589 CE

The four hundred years between the fall of the Han dynasty and the reunification of China by the Sui dynasty

Banner with the text "IN THE WORKS!" in bold letters, surrounded by illustrations of classical architectural elements and sculptures on circular backgrounds.

Sui Dynasty

581-618 CE

A short-lived period of unification before the golden age of the Tang dynasty 

Banner with the text "IN THE WORKS!" in bold letters, surrounded by illustrations of classical architectural elements and sculptures on circular backgrounds.

Tang Dynasty

618–906 CE

A period marked by cosmopolitanism and a blossoming of arts and culture

Han Gan, Night-Shining White, c. 750, Tang dynasty, ink on paper, handscroll, Image: 12 1/8 x 13 3/8 in. (30.8 x 34 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Important terms and concepts

Silk Roads

Trade route

Sancai

Ink painting

Cultural diffusion

Buddhism

Tang dynasty Bactrian camel sculpture in the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco
Ancient stone Buddha statue with intricate carvings

The Seljuq Empire

10th–14th centuries

A large empire that spanned West and Central Asia

A Seljuq ceramic bowl with a camel caravan

Important terms and concepts

Seljuqs (Seljuks)

Min’ai ware

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