Empires of the Silk Road: A History of Central Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the PresentThe first complete history of Central Eurasia from ancient times to the present day, Empires of the Silk Road represents a fundamental rethinking of the origins, history, and significance of this major world region. Christopher Beckwith describes the rise and fall of the great Central Eurasian empires, including those of the Scythians, Attila the Hun, the Turks and Tibetans, and Genghis Khan and the Mongols. In addition, he explains why the heartland of Central Eurasia led the world economically, scientifically, and artistically for many centuries despite invasions by Persians, Greeks, Arabs, Chinese, and others. In retelling the story of the Old World from the perspective of Central Eurasia, Beckwith provides a new understanding of the internal and external dynamics of the Central Eurasian states and shows how their people repeatedly revolutionized Eurasian civilization. |
What people are saying - Write a review
User ratings
5 stars |
| ||
4 stars |
| ||
3 stars |
| ||
2 stars |
| ||
1 star |
|
LibraryThing Review
User Review - deblemrc - LibraryThingVery broad scope, geographically and in time span. But because the author wants to cover so much, it becomes soon a sequence of names and kingdoms and events, which for a non-specialist makes it difficult to get through. Ande, to my taste, a strong ant-Chinese biais. Read full review
LibraryThing Review
User Review - bareretz - LibraryThingI would have given this four stars (I reserve five for extraordinary works) if not for the weird 30 page diatribe against modernism taword the end which was so out there and not connected that I began ... Read full review
Contents
The Hero and His Friends | 1 |
The Chariot Warriors | 29 |
Between Roman and Chinese Legions | 78 |
The Age of Attila the Hun | 93 |
The Silk Road Revolution and Collapse | 140 |
The Vikings and Cathay | 163 |
Chinggis Khan and the Mongol Conquests | 183 |
Central Eurasians Ride to a European Sea | 204 |
The Road Is Closed | 232 |
Eurasia without a Center | 263 |
The ProtoIndoEuropeans and Their Diaspora | 363 |
Ancient Central Eurasian Ethnonyms | 375 |
427 | |