{"product_id":"caravans-of-gold-fragments-in-time-art-culture-and-exchange-across-medieval-saharan-africa-hardcover","title":"Caravans of Gold, Fragments in Time: Art, Culture, and Exchange Across Medieval Saharan Africa - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eKathleen Bickford Berzock\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eHow West African gold and trade across the Sahara were central to the medieval world\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe Sahara Desert was a thriving crossroads of exchange for West Africa, North Africa, the Middle East, and Europe in the medieval period. Fueling this exchange was West African gold, prized for its purity and used for minting currencies and adorning luxury objects such as jewelry, textiles, and religious objects. Caravans made the arduous journey by camel southward across the Sahara carrying goods for trade--glass vessels and beads, glazed ceramics, copper, books, and foodstuffs, including salt, which was obtained in the middle of the desert. Northward, the journey brought not only gold but also ivory, animal hides and leatherwork, spices, and captives from West Africa forced into slavery. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eCaravans of Gold, Fragments in Time\u003c\/i\u003e draws on the latest archaeological discoveries and art historical research to construct a compelling look at medieval trans-Saharan exchange and its legacy. Contributors from diverse disciplines present case studies that form a rich portrayal of a distant time. Topics include descriptions of key medieval cities around the Sahara; networks of exchange that contributed to the circulation of gold, copper, and ivory and their associated art forms; and medieval glass bead production in West Africa's forest region. The volume also reflects on Morocco's Gnawa material culture, associated with descendants of West African slaves, and movements of people across the Sahara today. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFeaturing a wealth of color images, this fascinating book demonstrates how the rootedness of place, culture, and tradition is closely tied to the circulation of people, objects, and ideas. These \"fragments in time\" offer irrefutable evidence of the key role that Africa played in medieval history and promote a new understanding of the past and the present. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003ePublished in association with the Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eExhibition Schedule\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBlock Museum of Art, Northwestern University\u003cbr\u003eJanuary 26-July 21, 2019 \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAga Khan Museum, Toronto\u003cbr\u003eSeptember 21, 2019-February 23, 2020 \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eSmithsonian National Museum of African Art, Washington, DC\u003cbr\u003eApril 8-November 29, 2020\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eKathleen Bickford Berzock\u003c\/b\u003e is associate director of curatorial affairs at the Block Museum of Art at Northwestern University. She is the author of \u003ci\u003eFor Hearth and Altar: African Ceramics from the Keith Achepohl Collection\u003c\/i\u003e and the coeditor of \u003ci\u003eRepresenting Africa in American Art Museums: A Century of Collecting and Display\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 312\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.2 x 11.4 x 10.1 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e February 26, 2019\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51757007798560,"sku":"9780691182681","price":81.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/ec5fca7e7a04b96c14d60a90f84de369.webp?v=1780091401","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/caravans-of-gold-fragments-in-time-art-culture-and-exchange-across-medieval-saharan-africa-hardcover","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}