Empires of the Silk Road (book)

C. I. Beckwith, Empires of the Silk Road; Pat Macpherson, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Empires of Silk Road: History of Central Eurasia

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.

Author Christopher I. Beckwith describes the rise and fall of the great Central Eurasian empires, including those of the Scythians [the Buddha's tribe], Attila the Hun, the Turks and Tibetans, and Genghis Khan and the Mongols.

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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 Greco-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 18th and 19th 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 (USSR).

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. More