Volume 5 Number 1

Note to readers: Should you need to install the Adobe Acrobat reader (free), which is necessary to read pdf files, click here.

For the full pdf text of The Silk Road, Vol. 5, No. 1 (Summer 2007), click here.

CONTENTS

	From the Editor's Desktop: Richthofen's "Silk Roads": Toward the Archaeology of a Concept	1
	On the 130th anniversary of Ferdinand von Richthofen's publication of the term "The Silk Road" (Seidenstrasse), this article examines what he actually meant, which is both narrower and broader than what many subsequently have assumed.

Georgia: A Culinary Crossroads, by Darra Goldstein

The culinary history of Georgia is especially rich and varied, thanks to the country's natural abundance and its location at a crossroads of cultural and political interaction in western Asia. Georgian food is an important component of national identity and is celebrated in literature and the arts. The article includes several wonderful recipes.

Food, Medicine and the Silk Roads: The Mongol-era Exchanges, by Paul D. Buell

The Mongol Empire made possible an unprecedented level of cultural exchange across Eurasia. Among the to date least well known aspects of this is culinary exchange and connection with the spread of medical knowledge. Texts preserved in China document vividly the Yuan-era acquisition of information from the Islamic Middle East. The court cuisine of the Mongol rulers drew upon a wide range of spices and recipes; there is good reason to believe that the famous Blue and White porcelain became a sought-after commodity because it was ideally suited to the new imperial cuisine.

	In Search of Mongolian Barbecue,
	by Debra McCown	36
	Today's enthusiasts for barbecue will travel far to enjoy its delights, as did the author in discovering what real Mongolian barbecue (hodog and boodog) is. The labor-intensive process of preparing this traditional food reveals a great deal about Mongolian culture today.

Investigation of a Xiongnu Royal Complex in the Tsaraam Valley. Part 2: The Inventory of Barrow No. 7 and the Chronology of the Site, by Sergei S. Miniaev and Lidiia M. Sakharovskaia

This article expands on the report published previously in The Silk Road concerning the excavation of a major elite tomb in Buriatiia, just north of the border with Mongolia. Among the finds were a Han bronze mirror, which had been ritually broken into several pieces, a Chinese chariot, largely painted in lacquer, and several "dolls" which each were provided with a varied burial inventory. The article concludes with a summary of the evidence about the date of the burial complex.

A Chinese Inscription from a Xiongnu Elite Barrow in the Tsaraam Cemetery, by Michèle Pirazzoli-t'Serstevens

One of the finds in Tsaraam Barrow No. 7 was the remains of a lacquered box with a Chinese inscription. Its text suggests that the box had been made in the Imperial workshop in Chang'an and probably should be dated to the very end of the former Han period.

	On Ancient Tracks in Eastern Anatolia,
	by Frank Harold, with photographs by Ruth Harold	59
	The rich history of eastern Anatolia often escapes the tourist gaze, since the region is somewhat off the beaten track. Yet the network of routes and the striking evidence of commercial centers and the region's important political and cultural traditions merit attention.

Dzchingis Khan und seine Erben (Chingis Khan and His Legacy),

reviewed by Florian Schwarz

This impressive exhibit catalogue covers a lot of Mongolia's history but has a particular focus on the new discoveries about the urban history of the Mongol empire.

Conference Report: Marking the Centenary of Dunhuang, by Daniel Waugh

A report on two conferences held in London in May 2007 to mark the centenary of Aurel Stein's discovery of the riches in Mogao Cave No. 17. The conferences offered a broad range on papers on the current status of "Dunhuang studies" and on the projects which now are making the material available and preserving it for future generations.

Upcoming programs

For the full pdf text of The Silk Road, Vol. 5, No. 1 (Summer 2007), click here.