Description
Book SynopsisCraig Benjamin introduces the first Silk Roads era, and the imperial states and nomadic empires that were connected by this vast exchange network. As the first book to focus exclusively on this crucial period of world history, this survey will be of tremendous interest to a wide range of readers.
Trade Review'Craig Benjamin places the pastoral nomads of Central Asia - and their horses - at the center of the story of the First Silk Road Era, convincingly arguing that the Yuezhi and Xiongnu, two militarized nomadic confederations rarely even mentioned in surveys of world history, are responsible for this dramatic period of trade and cultural exchange.' Merry Wiesner-Hanks, Editor-in-Chief, Cambridge World History
'A lucid, original, expert and up-to-date account of the emergence and evolution of the silk roads that began to weave together all the major civilizations of Europe, both by land and sea, early in the first Millennium CE. A great introduction to one of world history's most important themes.' David Christian, Macquarie University, Sydney
'Craig Benjamin's Empires of Ancient Eurasia, [is] an enthralling introduction to this 'First Silk Roads' era of long-distance exchange by land and sea. Benjamin begins his tale with the migration of pastoral Steppe nomads in the second century BC that traced out the first route west, and then charts the rise of the Chinese Han dynasty who controlled the business end, producing silk and other luxury goods.' Josephine Crawley Quinn, The Times Literary Supplement
Table of ContentsIntroduction; 1. Pastoral nomads and the empires of the Steppe; 2. Early China: prelude to the silk roads; 3. Zhang Qian and Han expansion into Central Asia; 4. The early Han dynasty and the Eastern Silk Roads; 5. Rome and the Western Silk Roads; 6. The Parthian Empire and the Silk Roads; 7. The Kushan Empire: at the crossroads of ancient Eurasia; 8. Maritime routes of the first Silk Roads era; 9. Collapse of Empires and the decline of the first Silk Roads era; Conclusion.
