Silk Roads

Used for more than a millennium, the Silk Roads were an intricate network of trade routes that spanned across Europe, Asia and Africa. Valuable materials were shared along these routes, from gold to wool, spices to porcelain, though these were not the only kind of exchanges to take place; religious and philosophical beliefs also spread across continents thanks to the Silk Roads. Looking at a 500-year period of activity between AD 500–1000, this exhibition at the British Museum presents more than 300 objects, artefacts and artworks drawn from collections around the world (26 September–23 February 2025). These have been grouped into five sections, each exploring a different geographical area along the ancient route. Highlights include seven ivory chess pieces from Uzbekistan, which are believed to be the oldest set in existence, colourful Byzantine works of glass and ceramic figurines from Tang-Dynasty China.

Find out more from the British Museum’s website.

Preview below | View Apollo’s Art Diary

Map of the world from al-Idrisi’s Nuzhat al-mushtaq fi ikhtiraq al-afaq (Pleasure of He who Longs to Cross the Horizons), 1533 manuscript of a 1154 original. Photo: © The Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford.

Ceramic figure of a camel (618–907), Tang-dynasty China. Photo: © The Trustees of the British Museum

Glass drinking horn, AD 550–600, Italy. Photo: © The Trustees of the British Museum