Mariana Castro
December 4, 2024 from 8 to 9:00 p.m. ET / 5 to 6:00 p.m. PT
Co-presented by the New York University Institute for the Study of the Ancient World
OER Project is proud to welcome Mariana Castro of NYU's Institute for the Study of the Ancient World for a stimulating discussion of the so-called "Silk Roads," the ancient trading networks that presaged our modern globalized world. Castro's talk focuses on the Sogdians, a diverse community of merchant families occupying the oases regions of Central Asia between the 4th and 8th centuries CE. This workshop will present texts and materials for discussing the interconnected and multicultural society of the Sogdians along the Silk Roads, with an emphasis on personal experiences at home and abroad. This workshop can fit into classroom teaching modules such as "The Mediterranean World and Interactions Across the Eastern Hemisphere," "Interregional Networks," and "Transregional Trade Networks." Students will be able to reconstruct narratives from the past based on archaeological and historical primary sources (historical inference), as well as apply different types of evidence to illustrate diverse perspectives in the ancient world.
About Mariana Castro: Mariana Castro holds a BA with Honors in Archaeology and Asian Studies from Brigham Young University, focusing on Classical and Chinese history, languages, and archaeology. As an Ertegun Scholar at the University of Oxford, she earned her Master’s degree with Distinction, specializing in the Hellenistic and Roman periods, landscape and frontier archaeology, and geographical information systems. At the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, where she is currently finishing her PhD, she investigates the archaeology of mobility and exchange in pre-Islamic Central Asian landscapes.
Mariana coordinates the Expanding the Ancient World program, designed for K-12 educators in alignment with the NYC Department of Education Social Studies Scope and Sequence. This initiative offers inquiry-based workshops, flexible lesson plans, and up-to-date research, equipping teachers with classroom-ready strategies. Mariana is committed to integrating digital technologies and cultural heritage studies into her archaeological practice while engaging in numerous field projects worldwide.
Questions? Email us at events@oerproject.com.