Good morning, we are working through an exploration of the Silk Road in a documentary about the treasures that were found. While I wait for the next episode of the Silk Road series I started yesterday to get posted, I will do another documentary that was on my list on the Silk Road. The run time for this documentary is 50:31.
It was thought that the Chinese Middle Empire had developed independently of the West. Mighty mountains and deserts seemed to be impossible barriers to cross. However, there have been archeological discoveries that may dispute that theory. Mummies from the Bronze Age have been discovered and extraordinarily well preserved in the desert. What shocked the archeological world was that these mummies did not come from China. Who were they? How much did Western civilization influence China? The episode kicks off with a police patrol. It is January 2009 and the police see a minivan parked alongside the road. Was this the result of an accident? Are they victims of a crime? The police open up the fan and make a gruesome discovery. Two dead men are found in the van. The bodies are uninjured but covered in dirt. Where did this dirt come from? A specialist is called to the scene and he realizes that this dirt has come from a nearby quarry. Over the years, locals have made some discoveries and called it the “Place of the Immortals.” Over the years, there were legends of the place. To determine what made this spot so special police and archeologists come together. The men that were discovered, were illegally digging this site. The police and archeologists go to the site and discover many tunnels and the researchers discover a complex. There are many funerary objects discovered. Among the finds were a set of twelve bronze bells and an engraving of who was buried at the site. It was a grave of an emperor from the Han Dynasty. It was said that the Han Kingdom was developed independently, without any outside influence. However, inside the grave, there was a silver box discovered. It was a small but significant find. The pattern on the bowl does not match typical Chinese artwork of the period. Where did this box come from? Upon closer examination, it seems that the silver bowl was from the Persian world. How did it end up in China? Who created the bowl? The bowl is just a small step in rewriting Chinese history. One man was convinced was Greek influence spread far and wide. This influence would have found its way into China. Kaiser Wilhelm II was convinced of this and sponsored an expedition to China to learn more about this influence. The first expedition went off to China and to the Taklamakan Desert. The Silk Road passed through this desert. It was thought to be impossible to cross and it was the site of some strange discoveries. The locals speak of a temple and a library on the site. Are the rumors about the library true? The discoveries made on this initial expedition hint that not only were trade goods transported but ideas were transported too. Another discovery was found accidentally t in the desert. It was a mummy and it was so perfectly preserved the world was surprised. The mummy’s face looks very European but the find was forgotten. A modern-day expedition goes out to find these mummies once again. Archeologists think they may have found where the mummies were found, however, the desert is proving to be a challenge. No matter what, the archeologists press on, and after a night in the desert, they find the mummies. In this section, you can feel the build-up to when the mummies were found. The end result, this modern expedition discovered forty mummies, a veritable graveyard in the desert. So what does this graveyard tell us about the Silk Road? How do these mummies rewrite Chinese history? How will the Chinese scientist react? How do other archeologists react? Tune into the rest of the episode to find out more. This documentary was very enjoyable to watch. The discoveries make you really think about history and how history changes with new discoveries. It was also fascinating to contemplate that people moved around more than you would think in the ancient world. As a result, this would be an excellent documentary to show to a history class. The only downside to this documentary was that it was too short.
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