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The cover of Empires of the Silk Road: A History of Central Eurasia From the Bronze Age to the Present

Empires of the Silk Road: A History of Central Eurasia From the Bronze Age to the Present

Christopher I. Beckwith

What does world history look like when told from the center of Eurasia, with its nomads and traders, instead of from Europe or China?

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At a glance

Author
Christopher I. Beckwith

Why read it

  • You will see the Silk Road as an economy driven by trade within Central Eurasia, not just a route for silk
  • You will meet nomad peoples as builders of empires and trade networks, not just raiders
  • You will be able to tell solid history from the fantasy that fills many accounts of the region

Who it is for

  • A reader of world history tired of Europe centered stories
  • A traveler heading along the old Silk Road
  • Someone curious about Scythians, Turks, Huns and Mongols

Contents

  1. PREFACE
  2. ABBREVIATIONS AND SIGLA
  3. INTRODUCTION
  4. Prologue: The Hero and his Friends
  5. 1. The Chariot Warriors
  6. 2. The Royal Scythians
  7. 3. Between Roman and Chinese Legions
  8. 4. The Age of Attila the Hun
  9. 5. The Türk Empire
  10. 6. The Silk Road, Revolution, and Collapse
  11. 7. The Vikings and Cathay
  12. 8. Chinggis Khan and the Mongol Conquests
  13. 9. Central Eurasians Ride to a European Sea
  14. 10. The Road is Closed
  15. 11. Eurasia without a Center
  16. 12. Central Eurasia Reborn
  17. Epilogue: The Barbarians
  18. Appendix A: The Proto-Indo-Europe and Their Diaspora
  19. Appendix B: Ancient Central Eurasian Ethnonyms

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