Ancient Glass Research along the Silk Road

ANCIENT GLASS RESEARCH ALONG THE SILK ROAD
edited by Gan Fuxi (Chinese Academy of Sciences & Fudan University, China), Robert Brill (The Corning Museum of Glass, USA), & Tian Shouyun (Chinese Academy of Sciences, China)

Table of Contents
Preface
Chapter 1: Origin and Evolution of Ancient Chinese Glass

The Silk Road is a main artery connecting Europe and Asia for political, economical, cultural and technical exchange in antiquity, and glass is one of the earliest artificial materials to be invented. Studying the origin and evolution of ancient glass along the Silk Road is thus significant for understanding the development and exchange of culture and technology between China and abroad.

This book, for the first time, traces the origin, evolution and spreading of ancient Chinese glass technology. It collects a wealth of data contributed by Chinese and foreign experts regarding the history and background, visual characteristics and chemical compositions of the unearthed ancient glasses from along the Northern (Oasis) Silk Road, especially from the Xinjiang Province (known as the “Western Region” in ancient times). The book presents new results of the studies on ancient glasses along the Southern and Sea Silk Roads, and discusses the influence of the Silk Road on ancient Chinese glass technology and art.


Contents:
Origin and Evolution of Ancient Chinese Glass (F-X Gan)
The Silk Road and Ancient Chinese Glass (F-X Gan)
Glass and Bead Trade on the Asian Sea (I Lee)
Ancient Lead-Silicate Glasses and Glazes of Central Asia (A A Abdurazakov)
On the Glass Origins in Ancient China from the Relationship Between Glassmaking and Metallurgy (W Qian)
The Inspiration of the Silk Road for Chinese Glass Art (C Lu)
Chemical Composition Analyses of Early Glasses of Different Historical Periods Found in Xinjiang, China (Q-H Li et al.)
Ancient Glass in the Grassland of Inner Mongolia (X-Y Huang)
Study of the Ancient Glasses Found in Chongqing (B Ma et al.)
and other papers