Bactrian camel (tomb figure)

During the height of the Tang dynasty, camels were often referred to as “ships of the desert,” for they carried an assortment of exotic commodities across the Eurasian trade route known as the Silk Road. In addition to the commercial goods transported along this important intercontinental passage, ideas and information were also disseminated by the network of oasis trading posts. One of the most important examples of the transmission of ideas was the spread of Buddhism from kingdoms like Gandhara (located in present-day Afghanistan) across Central Asia to new metropolitan centers in China, Korea, Vietnam, and Japan. This tomb figure was probably included in the burial chamber of a trader who had made his living plying goods across the great barren expanses of inner Asia. Similarly, it was most likely intended to carry the deceased’s goods into the spirit realm of the afterlife.