TY  - JOUR
T1  - Behind and Beyond the Archaeology of the Silk Road: Laboratory Analyses in Eurasia, Some Results, Discussions, and Interpretations for Protohistory and Antiquity
AU  - FRANCFORT, Henri-Paul 
JO  - Acta Via Serica
PY  - 2023
DA  - 2023/1/1
DO  - 10.22679/avs.2023.8.2.003
KW  - Achaemenid art
KW  - Andronovo steppe
KW  - Indo-Europeans
KW  - Indo-Iranians
KW  - ancient DNA
KW  - tin trade
KW  - gold trade
KW  - plague
KW  - Scythian art
KW  - rock art.
AB  - The paper presents some new results illustrating some developments related to the concept of the Silk Road and subsequent methodological reflections. New laboratory results of scientific analyses of plants, minerals, and human remains in combination with more conventional methods of research contribute to a better understanding of the multidirectionality of exchanges in Pre- and Protohistory. Unsuspected long-distance transfers of items, especially of metals (tin) and biological materials (plants, pathogens, etc.) are discovered. Adding ancient DNA and petroglyphs to the vexed question of the Indo-European migrations across Eurasia complexifies the familiar linguistic, historical, and archaeological research landscape. Recent excavations show the impact of the adoption of artistic elements adapted from the Achaemenid arts, far in the steppe world, and up to China. Multidirectional (including North-South lanes) and multidisciplinary approaches leave space and hope for more rigorous scientific modelizations for the archaeology of Eurasia and the Silk Road.