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| International Dunhuang Project: Silk Road Exhibition |
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An extensive image archive featuring manuscripts, paintings, textiles, sculptures, murals, coins, and other artifacts from six Silk Road excavation sites: 1) Samarkand; 2) Khotan; 3) Kroraina; 4) Miran; 5) Dunhang; 6) Gaochang. Excellent descriptive text with most objects. Also includes maps, site diagrams, and some photographs.
Go to Museum Resource: http://idp.bl.uk/education/silk_road/index.a4d | |
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| The International Dunhuang Project: The Silk Road Online |
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The International Dunhuang Project is "a ground-breaking international collaboration to make information and images of all manuscripts, paintings, textiles and artefacts from Dunhuang and archaeological sites of the Eastern Silk Road freely available on the Internet and to encourage their use through educational and research programs." A truly comprehensive resource for teaching about the Silk Road; see especially the education section for pages on various topics, including Buddhism on the Silk Road, medicine on the Silk Road, and cultural dialogue on the Silk Road.
Go to Museum Resource: http://idp.bl.uk/idp.a4d | |
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| Sacred Texts: Chinese Qur'an |
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This Chinese Qur'an from the 17th century "shows how Islamic styles of calligraphy and illumination were combined with local styles, symbols, and aesthetics that came from a very different culture." Featuring excellent high-resolution images of one leaf from this manuscript, along with background information about the Qur'an and Islam in China.
Go to Museum Resource: http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/sacredtexts/chinesequran.html | |
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| Sacred Texts: The Ashem Vohu |
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This is a "9th or 10th century Sogdian manuscript from Dunhuang, China," containing "a version of one of the holiest Zoroastrian prayers: the Ashem Vohu, composed originally in the Avestan (old Iranian) language." Featuring excellent high-resolution images of the manuscript, along with background information on the Songdians, Zoroastrianism in Central Asia, and the significance of this particular manuscript.
Go to Museum Resource: http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/sacredtexts/ashem.html | |
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| Sacred Texts: The Devimahatmya |
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This manuscript "written on palm-leaf" is "a Sanskrit hymn extolling the Goddess as the Supreme Principle of the Universe." This version was "copied in 'Newari' script in 1549 and illuminated in Nepal with 32 miniatures and painted covers in the reign of Jayapranamalla of Bhaktapur (1523–?1550) for the use of the king." Featuring excellent high-resolution images of the manuscript, along with background information on Hinduism.
Go to Museum Resource: http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/sacredtexts/devimahatmya.html | |
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| Sacred Texts: The Diamond Sutra |
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The British Library's copy of the Diamond Sutra, printed in China and dating to 868 CE, is the world's earliest dated, printed book. A central text of Indian Buddhism, the Diamond Sutra was first translated from Sanskrit into Chinese in about 400 CE. This webpage gives background information on Buddhism, sutras, and the significance of the Diamond Sutra. There is also a link to detailed information about this particular copy of the Sutra, as well as excellent images and even a "Turning Pages" feature that gives viewers a close-up look at the Sutra.
Go to Museum Resource: http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/sacredtexts/diamondsutra.html | |
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| Sacred Texts: The Gandharan Scrolls |
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These fragments "from an extraordinary collection of birch bark writings from ancient Gandhara in present-day Pakistan and Afghanistan may represent the oldest surviving Buddhist texts (and also the oldest South Asian manuscripts) ever discovered." Featuring excellent high-resolution images of the scroll fragments, along with background information about Buddhism, the kingdom of Gandhara, and the significance of these particular scrolls.
Go to Museum Resource: http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/sacredtexts/gandhara.html | |
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| Sacred Texts: The Kaifeng Torah |
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This 17th-century scroll "was specially prepared for one of the farthest-flung and most remarkable religious communities of history: the Chinese Jews of Kaifeng." Featuring excellent high-resolution images of one section of the scroll, along with background information about Kaifeng and Judaism in China.
Go to Museum Resource: http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/sacredtexts/kaifengtorah.html | |
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| Sacred Texts: The Ramayana |
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This illustrated manuscript of the Ramayana (the story of the heroic deeds of Rama, Prince of Ayodhya) consists of seven large volumes with more than 400 paintings. Featuring excellent high-resolution images of one of the paintings from the manuscript, along with background information on Hinduism and the Ramayana.
Go to Museum Resource: http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/sacredtexts/ramayana.html | |
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| Sacred Texts: The Videvdad |
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This 14th-century copy of the Zoroastrian Videvdad, "a lawbook containing the rules for dealing with pollution and crime," is "one of the oldest existing Zoroastrian manuscripts, copied in 1323 in Nawsari, Gujarat, by the scribe Mihraban Kaykhusraw." Featuring excellent high-resolution images of the manuscript, along with background information on Zoroastrianism and the significance of this particular manuscript.
Go to Museum Resource: http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/sacredtexts/videvdad.html | |
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| The Sino-Japanese War of 1894-95 in Woodblock Prints from China and Japan |
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Produced in conjunction with theJapan Center for Asian Historical Records (JACAR), this web exhibition “The Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895： as seen in prints and archives” has been produced as a collaboration between the Japan Center for Asian Historical Records (JACAR) and the British Library. Its aim is to bring together the collection of prints of the Sino-Japanese War held by the British Library and documents made public by JACAR to show how the events of the Sino-Japanese War were depicted and recorded by the people of the time. Both the Japanese and the Chinese prints included in this special web exhibition were produced at the time of the Sino-Japanese War to show the people of their respective countries what the war was like, a role played nowadays by news photographs. Therefore each country had a tendency to portray its own soldiers as strong and brave, but those of the opposing country as weak and small. Moreover many of the depictions seem to be based not on actual observation of the locations or events but on hearsay. Indeed some of them show scenes which could not have happened. From this it is clearly evident that these works were intended as propaganda at the time.
Go to Museum Resource: https://www.jacar.go.jp/english/jacarbl-fsjwar-e/index.html | |
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| Trading Places: The East India Company and Asia |
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Trading Places "follows the journey of one of the biggest multinationals in history -- the East India Company." Includes a company timeline and "fact file," as well as extensive information on the history of the company and its activities in Asia. Also includes an in-depth look at the history of Bombay. With maps and images throughout. Asia used to be known as 'The East Indies.' Pepper, spices, medicinal drugs, aromatic woods, perfumes and silks were rare commodities in Europe, and therefore valuable. Trading in them could make you a fortune. And for this chance many were willing to risk their lives. There were three great empires in Asia: the Ottoman Turkish; the Mughal; the Chinese. Each was wealthy and sophisticated and had its own international trading network. How could Europe open up its own trading routes to Asia?"
Go to Museum Resource: http://www.bl.uk/learning/histcitizen/trading/tradingplaces.html | |
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