Silks and the Silk Road

This is an in-person only event in the British Library Knowledge Centre, Eliot Room.
In her book Silk: A History in Three Metamorphoses, writer and researcher Aarathi Prasad delves into the rich global and natural history of silk, a material that has captivated humanity for millennia. In this talk, she examines silk's intricate connection to the trade routes that bears its name, exploring how the role of this light, luminous, and exquisite substance has been shaped by cultures, economies, and science along the way.

Aarathi Prasad is a writer, broadcaster, and researcher.  She has authored 3 books including Silk: A History in Three Metamorphoses, and In The Bonesetter’s Waiting Room: Travels Through Indian Medicine. She is an Honorary Research Fellow in Genetics, Evolution and Environment at University College London, where she is part of an international team excavating and analysing ancient DNA from funerary sites in Spain, Rome, and Pompeii. Aarathi writes about the intersection of science and technology with people, ideas, history, health, and environment.

Image of Aarathi Prasad by Tara Lumley-Savile.

This event accompanies the British Library exhibition A Silk Road Oasis: Life in Ancient Dunhuang (27 September – 23 February 2025)

Doors and Bar open at 18:00. If you’re attending in person, please arrive no later than 15 minutes before the start time of this event.

 

Half price tickets available for Members, Students, Under 26 and other concession groups.

 

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