On Saturday, March 3, COSI unveiled its latest exhibition “Traveling the Silk Road: Ancient Pathway to the Modern World” in partnership with the American Museum of Natural History.
COSI’s partnership with the American Museum of History began with the opening of the Dinosaur Gallery in November. This newest exhibit again features large-scale displays and significant artifacts organized by the museum.
“Traveling the Silk Road” follows one of the most famous trade routes in history, featuring artifacts, interactive displays and videos that explore how the trading of goods translated into the spreading of culture along the Silk Road, from East Asia to the Middle East.
“’Traveling the Silk Road: Ancient Pathway to the Modern World'” is a fascinating exhibit showcasing one of the greatest trading routes in human history, which was an important conduit for not only the exchange of goods, but also for the sharing and transfer of technology and culture,” says Dr. Frederic Bertley, president and CEO of COSI.
Hands-on activities include recreating the sounds of traditional Chinese instruments and exploring an interactive map that charts the routes of the Silk Road, detailing the languages, art, religions and technology picked up along the way. Also featured are full-scale recreations of night markets, a replica Arabian sailing ship and a working model of an ancient Islamic astrolabe.
“When we think of the Silk Road, we think mostly of silk,” explains lead curator Mark Norell, chair and Macaulay curator of the Division of Paleontology at the American Museum of Natural History. “But paper, which helped spread literacy and Islam throughout the world, was an invention from China. Buddhism, which came out of India, went north. No single person traveled the entire length of the Silk Road, but trade goods did, and, more importantly, so did ideas.”
“Traveling the Silk Road: Ancient Pathway to the Modern World” will open on March 3 through September 3, 2018.
For more information, visit cosi.org/exhibits/silkroad.