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| | Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | Winding thread of history along the Silk Road |
 | | Around 1,200 years ago, two monks were sent east down the Silk Road, to the ancient oasis town of Dunhuang, to buy supplies for their monastery. |
 | | The monks must have had a strong camel, and a deep purse: their list of purchases included silk and woollen coats, pottery and wooden containers, leather shoes with soles, undergarments, wolfhide and sheepskin blankets, paper, and a silver cup. |
 | | It includes artefacts from the most recent excavations on the Silk Road, including a magnificent group of Tang dynasty pottery figures, found in a tomb three years ago, showing musicians on horseback wearing a mixture of Chinese, Middle Eastern and western dress. |
| www.guardian.co.uk /uk_news/story/0,3604,1211426,00.html (552 words) |
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