A Painting of a Camel Led by a Foreigner
Tang Dynasty
Unearthed at a Tang tomb in the Foyemiao Buddhist Temple, Dunhuang. Carved brick. A westerner in Persian dress leads a camel by its reins with one hand, and holds a staff in the other. Raising its head high, with a load on its back, the camel follows. This scene reflects trade along the Silk Road. As this commerce flourished in the Tang Dynasty, countries of Central Asia, Western Asia, North Africa, and even the Mediterranean region frequently communicated with the Tang Empire, stimulating, among other things, medical exchanges. (Collection of Dunhunang Cultural Center.) Northern and Southern Song Dynasties