The Numismatic History of the Silk Road(s)
December 11, 2025, 12pm MT

The Silk Road has captured the public imagination and inspired museum exhibitions, coffee table books, cultural festivals, and archaeological programs over the last several decades. This is amazing considering the largely forgotten (at least in the west) history of Central Asia. Yet, this vast trade network began at the very end of the 1st millennium B.C. and operated almost continuously for more than 1,500 years involving Rome, China, and all of the regions in between them. Previous exhibits have focused mostly on the cultural objects, archeological remains, surviving narratives, etc., but relatively few have focused on the numismatic legacy of the Silk Road(s). This presentation will outline the history of the Silk Road(s) focusing on the coins that formed an integral part of the vast trade network across Eurasia. 

Douglas Mudd is the curator/director of the American Numismatic Association's Edward C. Rochette Money Museum in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He is responsible for developing, planning, and content of the Museum's exhibition program and the organization and care of the ANA collections. He has created dozens of numismatic exhibits for the museum and for the ANA's semi-annual conventions. His recent work has expanded the museum's exhibits into the virtual world of the internet, including Trenches to Treaties: World War I in Remembrance, and Money of Empire: Elizabeth to Elizabeth.