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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This book is a distillation of decades of working with Silk Road objects and landscapes. I could not even start to list all the people who have helped with its gestation since the idea took shape many years ago, let alone to remember or name all the people who helped me reach that point, often unwittingly. These latter include a long tradition of scholars, travelers, photographers, curators, conservators, scientists, archaeologists, and others, many from previous centuries, whose works have informed and inspired me. There are also the many people I have encountered in Silk Road travels—drivers, guides, and others, such as local families offering hospitality. It would be invidious to make a selection, and instead I take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank them all.

Many people have helped specifically and most recently by reading individual chapters in their areas of expertise and pointing out my worse mistakes and omissions. I acknowledge their role at the start of each chapter and thank them for their time and scholarly generosity. All remaining errors are my own. Of course, I must thank friends and colleagues who have been supportive during the inevitable up and downs of writing. And I must also thank the team at University of California Press, including the freelance staff, for all their work, most especially in helping me to chase up those elusive missing footnotes.

Finally I must acknowledge the many other—nonhuman—material objects that have played a part in the inspiration for this book; some of them get lead roles here, some bit parts, but many more are the supporting cast, hidden behind the scenes but vital nevertheless.