Eurasian Empires in Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages
Eurasian Empires in Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages
Frederik Juliaan Vervaet, University of Melbourne
Selim Ferruh Adali, Ankara Sosyal Bilimler Ãœniversitesi, Turkey
The great empires of the vast Eurasian continent have captured the imagination of many. Awe-inspiring names such as ancient Rome, Han and Tang China, Persia, Assyria, the Huns, the Kushans and the Franks have been the subject of countless scholarly books and works of literature. However, very rarely, if at all, have these vast pre-industrial empires been studied holistically from a comparative, interdisciplinary and above all Eurasian perspective. This collection of studies examines the history, literature and archaeology of these empires and others thus far treated separately as a single inter-connected subject of inquiry. It highlights in particular the critical role of Inner Asian empires and peoples in facilitating contacts and exchange across the Eurasian continent in antiquity and the early Middle Ages.
- Argues for the extraordinary extent to which ancient and medieval Eurasian empires were interconnected
- Challenges the dichotomy of 'settled' and 'nomad', exploring how pastoralism was no barrier to sophisticated political and social organization
- Highlights the role of Inner Asian empires in particular in facilitating contact and exchange between the great civilisations of Eurasia including Rome, China, Persia, India and the Near East
Product details
January 2020Paperback
9781316638804
349 pages
170 × 245 × 20 mm
0.62kg
20 b/w illus. 6 maps 6 tables
Available
Table of Contents
- Introduction Hyun Jin Kim and Frederik Vervaet
- Part I. Political Organization and Interactions of Eurasian Empires:
- 1. The political organization of Steppe empires and their contribution to Eurasian interconnectivity: the case of the Huns and their impact on the Frankish West Hyun Jin Kim
- 2. Tang China's horse power: the borderland breeding ranch system Jonathan Skaff
- 3. Cimmerians and the scythians: the impact of nomadic powers on the Assyrian Empire and the ancient Near East Selim Ferruh Adalı
- Part II. Socio-Institutional Aspects of Eurasian Empires:
- 4. Honour and shame in the Roman Republic Frederik Juliaan Vervaet
- 5. Honor and shame in Han China Mark Lewis
- 6. Slavery and forced labor in early China and the Roman world Walter Scheidel
- Part III. Cultural Legacies of Eurasian Empires:
- 7. Homer and the Shi Jing as imperial texts Alexander Beecroft
- 8. The serpent from Persia – Manichaeism in Rome and China Samuel Lieu
- Part IV. Archaeology of Eurasian Empires:
- 9. The Alans in the Southern Caucasus? Antonio Sagona, Claudia Sagona and Aleks Michalewicz
- 10. Greeks, Scythians, Parthians and Kushans in Central Asia and India Osmund Bopearachchi
- 11. Enclosure sites, non-nucleated settlement strategies and political capitals in ancient Eurasia Michelle Negus Cleary
- Conclusion Hyun Jin Kim, Frederik Juliaan Vervaet and Selim Ferruh Adalı.
