University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
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Genghis Khan: Barbarian Conqueror or Harbinger of Democracy
Dr. Morris Rossabi, Senior Research Scholar, Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, Columbia University
Lecture December 2, 2015
The world has generally viewed Genghis Khan as a barbaric conqueror whose troops raped and murdered hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people, and pillaged and often destroyed villages, towns, and cities throughout Asia and Europe. However, several popular writers have recently portrayed him as an advocate of democracy, international law, and women's rights. This lecture seeks to provide a balanced depiction of Genghis, and to explain the reasons for the myths that have developed about the man and the people who established the largest contiguous land empire in world history.
Genghis Khan wasn't simply a barbaric conqueror; I agree with the doctor. The mongols were nomadic, and didn't really take the time to write histories or even temporary records. Because of this, they left the writing and documentation to the conquered peoples. As you can imagine, the conquered peoples weren't too happy about being conquered, and thus painted an awful, morbid historical painting of the mongols. However, in places like Persia, the mongols blended in well with the local populations, and the history of the mongols in persia is much less hostile toward them because of it.
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