The Silk Road is as iconic in world history as the Colossus of Rhodes or the Suez Canal. But what was it,
exactly? It conjures up a hazy image of a caravan of camels laden with silk on a dusty desert track reaching
from China to Rome. The reality was different - and far more interesting - as revealed in this new history.
In The Silk Road, Valerie Hansen describes the remarkable archaeological finds that revolutionize our
understanding of these trade routes. For centuries, key records remained hidden - sometimes deliberately
buried by bureaucrats for safe keeping. But the sands of the Taklamakan Desert have revealed fascinating
material, sometimes preserved by illiterate locals who recycled official documents to make insoles for shoes
or garments for the dead.
Hansen explores seven oases along the road, from Xi'an to Samarkand, where merchants, envoys, pilgrims,
and travelers mixed in cosmopolitan communities, tolerant of religions from Buddhism to Zoroastrianism.
There was no single, continuous road, but a chain of markets that traded between East and West. China and
the Roman Empire had very little direct trade. China's main partners were the people of modern-day Iran,
whose tombs in China reveal much about their Zoroastrian beliefs.
Silk was not the most important good on the road; paper, invented in China before Julius Caesar was born,
had a bigger impact in Europe, while metals, spices, and glass were just as important as silk. Perhaps most
significant of all was the road's transmission of ideas, technologies, and artistic motifs.
The Silk Road is a fascinating story of archaeological discovery, cultural transmission, and the intricate
chains across Central Asia and China.
exactly? It conjures up a hazy image of a caravan of camels laden with silk on a dusty desert track reaching
from China to Rome. The reality was different - and far more interesting - as revealed in this new history.
In The Silk Road, Valerie Hansen describes the remarkable archaeological finds that revolutionize our
understanding of these trade routes. For centuries, key records remained hidden - sometimes deliberately
buried by bureaucrats for safe keeping. But the sands of the Taklamakan Desert have revealed fascinating
material, sometimes preserved by illiterate locals who recycled official documents to make insoles for shoes
or garments for the dead.
Hansen explores seven oases along the road, from Xi'an to Samarkand, where merchants, envoys, pilgrims,
and travelers mixed in cosmopolitan communities, tolerant of religions from Buddhism to Zoroastrianism.
There was no single, continuous road, but a chain of markets that traded between East and West. China and
the Roman Empire had very little direct trade. China's main partners were the people of modern-day Iran,
whose tombs in China reveal much about their Zoroastrian beliefs.
Silk was not the most important good on the road; paper, invented in China before Julius Caesar was born,
had a bigger impact in Europe, while metals, spices, and glass were just as important as silk. Perhaps most
significant of all was the road's transmission of ideas, technologies, and artistic motifs.
The Silk Road is a fascinating story of archaeological discovery, cultural transmission, and the intricate
chains across Central Asia and China.
World History of Warfare covers worldwide military history from ancient times to the present and is designed
for college courses. Its principal theme is an exploration of change and continuity, revolution and tradition, in
three thousand years of warfare. It teaches students and general listeners how warfare evolved and how that
evolution affected human society, with emphasis on major turning points in the conduct of warfare rather than
a superficial general history of wars.
Although the volume addresses traditional subjects such as generals and tactics, each chapter also includes
discussion of the idea of war, the role of the common soldier, and the changing interpretations of the military’
s place in society and politics. Of special value is the authors’ treatment of non-Western societies and the
role military forces have played in shaping societies worldwide.
for college courses. Its principal theme is an exploration of change and continuity, revolution and tradition, in
three thousand years of warfare. It teaches students and general listeners how warfare evolved and how that
evolution affected human society, with emphasis on major turning points in the conduct of warfare rather than
a superficial general history of wars.
Although the volume addresses traditional subjects such as generals and tactics, each chapter also includes
discussion of the idea of war, the role of the common soldier, and the changing interpretations of the military’
s place in society and politics. Of special value is the authors’ treatment of non-Western societies and the
role military forces have played in shaping societies worldwide.
for college courses. Its principal theme is an exploration of change and continuity, revolution and tradition, in
three thousand years of warfare. It teaches students and general listeners how warfare evolved and how that
evolution affected human society, with emphasis on major turning points in the conduct of warfare rather than
a superficial general history of wars.
Although the volume addresses traditional subjects such as generals and tactics, each chapter also includes
discussion of the idea of war, the role of the common soldier, and the changing interpretations of the military’
s place in society and politics. Of special value is the authors’ treatment of non-Western societies and the
role military forces have played in shaping societies worldwide.
three thousand years of warfare. It teaches students and general listeners how warfare evolved and how that
evolution affected human society, with emphasis on major turning points in the conduct of warfare rather than
a superficial general history of wars.
Although the volume addresses traditional subjects such as generals and tactics, each chapter also includes
discussion of the idea of war, the role of the common soldier, and the changing interpretations of the military’
s place in society and politics. Of special value is the authors’ treatment of non-Western societies and the
role military forces have played in shaping societies worldwide.
