Empires of the Silk Road : A History of Central Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the Present / Christopher I. Beckwith.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Beckwith, Christopher I., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Middle East--History.

Middle East.

East Asia--History.

East Asia.

Europe, Eastern--History.

Europe, Eastern.

Asia, Central--History.

Asia, Central.

Genre:

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

xxv, 472 p. : map.

Place of Publication:

Princeton, NJ : Princeton University Press, [2009]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

The 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. Beckwith recounts the Indo-Europeans' migration out of Central Eurasia, their mixture with local peoples, and the resulting development of the Graeco-Roman, Persian, Indian, and Chinese civilizations; he details the basis for the thriving economy of premodern Central Eurasia, the economy's disintegration following the region's partition by the Chinese and Russians in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and the damaging of Central Eurasian culture by Modernism; and he discusses the significance for world history of the partial reemergence of Central Eurasian nations after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Empires of the Silk Road places Central Eurasia within a world historical framework and demonstrates why the region is central to understanding the history of civilization.

Contents:

Frontmatter

CONTENTS

PREFACE

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

ABBREVIATIONS AND SIGLA

INTRODUCTION

PROLOGUE: THE HERO AND HIS FRIENDS

1. The Chariot Warriors

2. The Royal Scythians

3. Between Roman and Chinese Legions

4. The Age of Attila the Hun

5. The Türk Empire

6. The Silk Road, Revolution, and Collapse

7. The Vikings and Cathay

8. Chinggis Khan and the Mongol Conquests

9. Central Eurasians Ride to a European Sea

10. The Road Is Closed

11. Eurasia without a Center

12. Central Eurasia Reborn

Epilogue: The Barbarians

Appendix A: The Proto-Indo-Europeans and Their Diaspora

Appendix B: Ancient Central Eurasian Ethnonyms

Endnotes

Bibliography

Index

Maps

Notes:

Map on lining papers.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 427-455) and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 23. Mai 2019)

ISBN:

9786612159145

9780691251554

069125155X

9781282159143

1282159143

9781400829941

1400829941

OCLC:

1132226679