Secrets of the Silk Road – Teacher Packet - Bowers Museum

POST-VISIT ACTIVITIES
Below are a couple of activities you can go over with your students after the seeing exhibition.
POST-VISIT ACTIVITY 1: WALK IN THEIR SHOES
Based on what you know of the Silk Road, and what you learned while at the museum, imagine you
are a traveler on the Silk Road. Trace your journey with one of the objects you saw. Who are you?
Are you a trader or simply a traveler? Where did you begin your journey? Where are you going?
How did you travel? Where did the object you are carrying originate from? Where did it end up?
Think about what it would have been like to travel the Silk Road at various points during its history,
and write a page discussing the above questions.
POST-VISIT ACTIVITY 2: EAST AND WEST -- THE EXCHANGE OF CULTURE AND
IDEAS ALONG THE SILK ROAD
During the exhibition, you saw a lot of things that may not have actually originated in China where
they were found. What are some of the things other than silk that were exchanged along the Road?
(Hint, you learned about some of them during one of the pre-visit activities, and you may have even
seen some of them at the Museum!)
What is one major religion that gained popularity as a result of merchants traveling from place to
place and culture to culture? Where did this religion begin? Where is it practiced today? (See object
below for hint)
Wooden Buddhist Sculpture, 3rd-4th Century
Excavated from Niya
Xinjiang Institute of Archaeology Collection
H: 64cm W: 18cm Thickness: 9cm
(Set: 2 items)
H:25.6” W:7.2”
Thickness:3.6”
Bowers Museum Education Department
March 2010
On both sides of these rectangular blocks of wood are standing figures carved
in bas relief with one arm raised and the other resting on the hip. The facial
features, fingers, and clothes are outlined in ink. Each figure has its hair tied
up in a chignon and wears a close-fitting top with a round collar and a long
skirt. On the lower abdomen the re are four impressions that look like they
might be fingers. This group of sculptures is generally believed to be
Buddhist art. The area surrounding where these sculptures were discovered
also had remains of a Buddhist temple and government offices. This
discovery reflects the influence of Buddhism on the secular lives of the Niya
people.
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