The History of Central Asia: The Age of the Silk Roads

The History of Central Asia: The Age of the Silk Roads 2 

Hardcover – 30 Jul 2014

by Christoph Baumer

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: I.B.Tauris (30 July 2014)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 178076832X

Christoph Baumer devotes the second book of his four-volume history of Central Asia to the Silk Roads, those extraordinarily significant routes that linked the Eurasian civilizations. He provides an excellent description, focusing on their importance in cultural diffusion. In this well-written survey, Baumer offers the reader a clear portrait of the array of societies that flourished along the Silk Roads. Just as valuable, he emphasizes the means by which religions, methods of governance, and technological innovations spread across Eurasia. He enlivens the text with colorful depictions of rulers, commanders, and voyagers who played notable roles in Silk Roads history. Well-versed in the secondary literature, Baumer provides fine coverage of the Silk Roads' numerous influences on civilizations.' - Morris Rossabi, Distinguished Professor of History, The City University of New York, and Adjunct Professor of Inner Asian History, Columbia University

   About the Author

Christoph Baumer - a leading explorer and historian of Central Asia, Tibet and China - has written several well-received books in the fields of history, religion, archaeology and travel. These include The Church of the East: An Illustrated History of Assyrian Christianity, Traces in the Desert: Journeys of Discovery across Central Asia and China's Holy Mountain: An Illustrated Journey into the Heart of Buddhism, all published by I.B.Tauris. His ambitious four-volume study of Central Asia was launched in 2012 with volume 1, The History of Central Asia: The Age of the Steppe Warriors.

The History of Central Asia: The Age of the Steppe Warriors: 1 Hardcover – 30 Nov 2012

by Christoph Baumer

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: I.B.Tauris (30 Nov 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1780760604

'Lavishly illustrated essays present discrete topics with clarity and erudition... [an] enthralling and detailed study of Central Asia [which] opens readers' eyes to previously remote and inaccessible cultures and histories... highly recommended.'
Beth McKillop, Asian Affairs

'This, in my judgment, is a most impressive book. Dr Baumer has a wide-ranging knowledge of his subject, an extensive on-the-ground acquaintance with Central Asia itself, and an ability to convey that knowledge in a most interesting and comprehensible way. He has a gift for the striking observation. For example, he remarks on a curious parallel between a Central Asian story about a hero's sword having to be thrown into the sea and the rather similar tale about Excalibur, commenting that this is perhaps not merely coincidence: might it have something to do with the Sarmatian soldiers sent by Marcus Aurelius to guard Hadrian's Wall? Another excellent idea is the periodic insertion of excursuses, on such topics as Roy Chapman Andrews the dinosaur hunter, the Siberian collections of Peter the Great, and the Amazons. No history of Central Asia, or indeed of anywhere else, can ultimately claim to be complete. But this one is certainly very comprehensive indeed, far more so than any other recent work of which I am aware. The publication of this volume, and of its successors too, seems to me to be a very valuable enterprise indeed.'
--David Morgan, Professor Emeritus of History, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and author of The Mongols