Empires of the Silk Road: A History of Central Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the Present
Written by Christopher I. Beckwith
Narrated by Jim Lee
4.5/5
()
About this audiobook
A classic book now available on audio
With narration by Jim Lee, who tells the epic story 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.
Related to Empires of the Silk Road
Related audiobooks
Great State: China and the World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Useful Enemies: Islam and The Ottoman Empire in Western Political Thought, 1450-1750 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Russia's Empires Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Scythian Empire: Central Eurasia and the Birth of the Classical Age from Persia to China Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Central Asia: A New History from the Imperial Conquests to the Present Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Unfabling the East: The Enlightenment's Encounter with Asia Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5By Steppe, Desert, and Ocean: The Birth of Eurasia Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Byzantium: The Surprising Life of a Medieval Empire Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Walls: A History of Civilization in Blood and Brick Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Silk Road: A New History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Golden Horde: The History and Legacy of the Mongol Khanate Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Horde: How the Mongols Changed the World Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Tatars: The History of the Tatar Ethnic Groups and Tatar Confederation Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fortune's Bazaar: The Making of Hong Kong Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Silk Road: The History and Legacy of the Trade Routes that Connected Europe and Asia Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Cossack Hetmanate: The History and Legacy of the Cossacks and Their Autonomous Republic in the Ukraine Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Defending Heaven: China's Mongol Wars, 1209-1370 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/51177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed: Revised and Updated Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The East India Company: The History of the British Empire's Most Famous Mercantile Company Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Slavs and the Slave Trade: The History of Enslaved Slavs across Eastern Europe and the Islamic World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Opium War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Black Dragon River: A Journey Down the Amur River at the Borderlands of Empires Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ancient Indus Valley Civilization’s Biggest Cities: The History and Legacy of Mohenjo-daro, Harappa, and Kalibangan Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Cimmerians: The History of the Ancient Indo-European Nomads in the Near East Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Digging Up Armageddon: The Search for the Lost City of Solomon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Winds of the Steppe: Walking the Great Silk Road from Central Asia to China Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Asian History For You
Ancient Aliens®: The Official Companion Book Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Gulag Archipelago Volume 3: An Experiment in Literary Investigation Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Legends of the Samurai Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Shogun: The Life and Times of Tokugawa Ieyasu: Japan's Greatest Ruler Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Japan's Infamous Unit 731: Firsthand Accounts of Japan's Wartime Human Experimentation Program Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Book of Yokai: Mysterious Creatures of Japanese Folklore Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ghosts of the Tsunami: Death and Life in Japan's Disaster Zone Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Code of the Samurai: A Modern Translation of the Bushido Shoshinshu of Taira Shigesuke Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5In the Ruins of Empire: The Japanese Surrender and the Battle for Postwar Asia Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5African Samurai: The True Story of Yasuke, a Legendary Black Warrior in Feudal Japan Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5North Korea Confidential: Private Markets, Fashion Trends, Prison Camps, Dissenters and Defectors Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Midnight in Chernobyl: The Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Chernobyl 01:23:40: The Incredible True Story of the World's Worst Nuclear Disaster Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5No Beast So Fierce: The Terrifying True Story of the Champawat Tiger, the Deadliest Animal in History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rape of Nanking: The History and Legacy of the Notorious Massacre during the Second Sino-Japanese War Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5When Hitler Took Cocaine and Lenin Lost His Brain: History's Unknown Chapters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Cold War: A New History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fortune's Bazaar: The Making of Hong Kong Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Main Enemy: The Inside Story of the CIA's Final Showdown with the KGB Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Gulag Archipelago 1918-1956: An Experiment in Literary Investigation Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Countdown 1945: The Extraordinary Story of the Atomic Bomb and the 116 Days That Changed the World Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Beijing Rules: How China Weaponized Its Economy to Confront the World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Spy Who Knew Too Much: An Ex-CIA Officer’s Quest Through a Legacy of Betrayal Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Memoirs of a Wartime Interpreter: From the Battle for Moscow to Hitler's Bunker Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Red Roulette: An Insider's Story of Wealth, Power, Corruption, and Vengeance in Today's China Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Hard Road Out: One Woman’s Escape From North Korea Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder, and One Man's Fight for Justice Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Krakatoa Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Short History of Russia: How the World's Largest Country Invented Itself, from the Pagans to Putin Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Empires of the Silk Road
7 ratings0 reviews