CLASSIFICATION OF WRITTEN AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOURCES ON THE HISTORY OF THE GREAT SILK ROAD AND THE DEGREE OF THEIR SCIENTIFIC STUDY

Abstract

The Great Silk Road occupies a significant place in the history of world civilization as a transcontinental trade and cultural communication system that connected the East and West for many centuries. The study of its history relies heavily on written, archaeological, visual, ethnographic, and narrative sources, which together allow scholars to reconstruct the historical realities of intercultural interaction, economic exchange, and urban development. This article examines the classification of sources related to the Great Silk Road and analyzes the degree of their scientific investigation in modern historiography. Special attention is devoted to Chinese chronicles, Dunhuang and Turfan manuscripts, travelers’ accounts, archaeological discoveries, and the contributions of Western and Eastern scholars to Silk Road studies. The research applies historical-comparative, source-critical, and interdisciplinary approaches to evaluate the methodological foundations of Silk Road historiography. The study demonstrates that the integration of written and material evidence has considerably expanded the possibilities for reconstructing the historical processes associated with the Great Silk Road. Furthermore, the article highlights the growing importance of museum studies, digital humanities, and visual analysis in contemporary Silk Road scholarship.