Secrets of the Silk Road - July 2010

I finally made it to Secrets of the Silk Road at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana. What an amazing exhibit. The textiles are a key component of this exceptional show, but what stays with me most is a lovingly wrapped infant mummy - wearing a blue felted cap - buried in the 8th century B.C. Thousands of years simply fell away.

I had read about these mummies and their unlikely location several years ago in The Mummies of Ururmchi by Elizabeth Wayland Barber. To have the opportunity see actual artifacts was remarkable. There is a catalogue and an excellent "Silk Road Chronology" chart that shows at-a-glance the many influential cultures along the Silk Road. Secrets of the Silk Road travels to Houston and Philadelphia before returning to China - don't miss it!

The Bowers website links to several interesting videos on You Tube when the video on the lower left of the landing page is played. Check it out at http://www.bowers.org/landing_pages/silk_road/silkroad_lp.html