CWA 127

We now know that there were many Silk Roads. Back in the 19th century, an attempt to chart how ancient exotic goods travelled east and west produced two lines on a map, running westwards from China. Today, the picture looks rather different. An increasingly intricate web of connections can be glimpsed, linking Asia, parts of Africa, and Europe. A new British Museum exhibition is examining this network, revealing both the wonders this flow of materials and ideas made possible, and the horrors that could accompany them.

Adapting to new circumstances was also on the agenda in Southeast Arabia around 2000 BC, when a prosperous Bronze Age culture suddenly fell apart. In one small enclave, though, a concerted attempt was made to continue traditional ways. Excavations at the prehistoric cemetery of Qarn al-Harf illustrate how this attempt to perpetuate the past brought change of its own, while contemplating the wider region presents intriguing clues about the circumstances surrounding the 2000 BC collapse.

Excavations at Roman Valeria in Spain have been examining the town forum, which underwent remodelling of a different kind. There, the Republican era edifice was replaced with a grander iteration in the imperial period. A curious feature of this revamped forum was a huge semi-circular wall. Investigation suggests that this architectural flourish provided a venue where links could be drawn between the local elite and the imperial family.

Power architecture was very much on show in Pachacamac, Peru, where a monumental centre drew pilgrims from across the Inca Empire. Digging at the site is producing remarkable finds, while also revealing intriguing insights into when and why the majestic complex visible today was laid out.

Finally, in our travel section, Richard Hodges follows in the footsteps of the esteemed scholar N G L Hammond as he sought the battlefield at Pelion, where Alexander the Great secured a daring victory in 335 BC.