Along the Silk Roads, between Western and Eastern Asia

This volume collects the proceedings of the concluding conference in Turin of the SERICA project and hosts the contributions of 20 scholars on topics related to cultural contact between East and West from classical antiquity to the 19th century. It focuses mainly on a literary and linguistic perspective, while also considering some examples of material culture, such as books, artifacts, and inscriptions.

Examining the dynamics of cultural encounters along the Silk Roads, the volume focuses on different periods and authors. The division into four sections reflects this variety:

The first part highlights case studies pertaining to the classical world, focusing on Indo-Iranian and Greco-Roman cultures.

The second section explores relevant figures of the ‘Jesuit century’, including non-Jesuit scholars and academic debates up to the 19th century.

The third part concentrates on philosophical texts, outlining the reception of Aristotle in China and presenting the first Latin translations of some Chinese classics.

Finally, the last section deals with new perspectives achieved by exploiting digital resources.

Thanks to the high profile of the scholars involved, Along the Silk Roads, between Western and Eastern Asia represents significant progress in comparative studies.