China, India, and Iran – Scientific Exchange and Cultural Contact

[Rostam sleeping while Rakhsh fights a lion. British Museum 1948,1211,0.23]

Time: Friday October 8, 9:30am–8:30pm; Saturday October 9, 9:00am–6:00pm BST
Online Registration: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/x/china-india-and-iran-scientific-exchange-and-cultural-contact-tickets-181149321497

Abstract: Connected by the Silk Road, the three ancient civilisations, China, India, and Iran engaged in dialogue and exchange from around the beginning of the Common Era for over a millennium. Such intra-Asian contacts entailed scientific and cultural exchange in the fields of astronomy, medicine, language, and religion, as well as various forms of material culture. As new ideas and technological knowledge, embodied often in specific cultural forms, cross cultural and linguistic boundaries, they transform and adapt to the local cultures, creating lasting effects for their recipients. In this interdisciplinary workshop jointly organised by the Needham Research Institute, the Ancient India and Iran Trust, and the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, Cambridge University, specialists of the pre-modern cultures in Asia will share their insights on this phenomenon focusing on the first millennium CE, as well as highlights from their latest research. The event will be an occasion for scholars and researchers based in various institutes in U.K. to engage in scholarly exchange and to explore further topics of common interest.

Keynote Speaker: Sam Lieu FBA

Speakers: T.H.Barrett (SOAS, University of London),Thomas Benfey (University of Oxford), Sally K. Church (Needham Research Institute), Seb Falk (University of Cambridge), Flavia Xi Fang (University of Cambridge), Jing Feng (University of Cambridge), Imre Galambos (University of Cambridge), Erica C.D. Hunter (SOAS, University of London), Bill M. Mak (Needham Research Institute), Raymond Mercier, Daniel J. Sheridan (University of Cambridge), Nicholas Sims-Williams (AIIT/ SOAS, University of London), Vincenzo Vergiani (University of Cambridge), Dror Weil (University of Cambridge), Zhan Zhang (University of Oxford)

Please see the program and the poster of this workshop

Day 1: October 8, 2021

Day 2 : October 9, 2021