Silla Exhibit at The Met

The Metropolitan Museum of Art currently has an exhibit on Silla, the Korean kingdom from 57 B.C. to 935 A.D. The exhibit runs through February 23rd and features excavated objects dating back to the kingdom from years 400 - 800, much of which deals with gold, as Silla was "renowned as a country of gold." The exhibit and the objects illustrate trade and interaction with rest of Eurasia via the Silk Road as a main theme of the kingdom.

This dagger and sheath has its form traced to Central Asia, where similar types have been found. It presumably reached Korea as a "diplomatic gift or a trade item."

Buddhism was also introduced to Silla from its early founding in Indian subcontinent. Construction of great numbers of Buddha statues illustrates the religion's significance in the kingdom.

Source:

• http://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2013/koreas-golden-kingdom/