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

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Princeton University Press, Mar 16, 2009 - History - 512 pages

An epic account of the rise and fall of the Silk Road empires

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

A History of Central Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the Present PROLOGUE THE HERO AND HIS FRIENDS
1
A History of Central Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the Present 1 The Chariot Warriors
29
A History of Central Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the Present 2 The Royal Scythians
58
A History of Central Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the Present 3 Between Roman and Chinese Legions
78
A History of Central Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the Present 4 The Age of Attila the Hun
93
A History of Central Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the Present 5 The Türk Empire
112
A History of Central Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the Present 6 The Silk Road Revolution and Collapse
140
A History of Central Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the Present 7 The Vikings and Cathay
163
A History of Central Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the Present 11 Eurasia without a Center
263
A History of Central Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the Present 12 Central Eurasia Reborn
302
A History of Central Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the Present EPILOGUE The Barbarians
320
A History of Central Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the Present APPENDIX A The ProtoIndoEuropeans and Their Diaspora
363
A History of Central Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the Present APPENDIX B Ancient Central Eurasian Ethnonyms
375
A History of Central Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the Present ENDNOTES
385
A History of Central Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the Present BIBLIOGRAPHY
427
A History of Central Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the Present INDEX
457

A History of Central Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the Present 8 Chinggis Khan and the Mongol Conquests
183
A History of Central Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the Present 9 Central Eurasians Ride to a European Sea
204
A History of Central Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the Present 10 The Road Is Closed
232
A History of Central Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the Present MAPS
473
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About the author (2009)

Christopher I. Beckwith is professor of Central Eurasian studies at Indiana University. His other books include The Tibetan Empire in Central Asia (Princeton).

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