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The Silk Roads served not only as trade routes for goods but also as a channel for the emergence of new ideas, culture, and knowledge. The production and dissemination of texts, images, and objects along the Silk Roads left a significant mark on the evolution of art, science, religion, and culture in both East and West. It stands as proof of how interconnected human civilizations were and highlights the lasting impact of cultural interchange. This exchange fostered a global conversation that surpassed geographical and political barriers, enriching diverse civilizations and contributing to the creation of a common human legacy.

The International Conference on Science and Cultures along the Silk Roads — Texts, Images, and Objects (SCSR) will take place in Hefei and Xi’an, China, 23–29 June, 2024. The conference was originally conceived to cover the two starting points of the maritime and overland Silk Roads, Quanzhou and Xi’an, together with the University of Science and Technology in Hefei, a major centre for research in the history of science in Asia. It brings together an interdisciplinary group of researchers, both international and Chinese, around fifty in total, to present and discuss their latest research relevant to premodern science and cultures along the Silk Roads, with focus on source materials for historical studies.

The conference aims to provide a platform for communication and ongoing academic co-operation among scholars specializing in texts, images, and objects, with an interest to develop a multifaceted understanding of the process and dynamics of trans-Eurasian connectivity.