Tag: Ancient-Persia • BookLikes

url 2019-04-12 13:59

Empires of Ancient Eurasia: The First Silk Roads Era, 100 BCE – 250 CE - Craig G. R. Benjamin

My latest podcast is up on the New Books Network website! In it, I interview Craig Benjamin about his history of the emergence of the trading routes across Afro-Eurasia in the late ancient world. Enjoy!

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review 2019-03-27 14:41

Globalization 1.0

markk

This is a relatively short book about a large span of space and time. In it, Craig Benjamin examines the emergence of trade routes between eastern Asia and the Mediterranean basin over a 350-year period. As Craig explains, the origins of this lay with the pastoral nomads of eastern and central Asia. The challenge they posed led Han China to mount a series of diplomatic missions and military expeditions westward, which established the first contacts with the communities of central Asia. As a commodity and a currency silk was a part of these efforts, contributing to the spread of this rare fabric until examples reached as far west as the Roman empire.

Once he has detailed the emergence of the trade routes, Craig shifts his focus and describes the four empires — those of the Romans, the Parthians, the Kushans, and the Han —whose presence made them possible. These chapters serve as excellent introductions to the empires for anyone unfamiliar with them, while their explanation of their roles as markets and guarantors of stability underscore well the conditions necessary for the trade to flourish. Craig then covers the development of the maritime routes, which gradually become the preferred method of shipping much of the trade, before concluding with the impact the disruption of these empire in the third century CE played in the decline of the trade routes. Taken together, it makes for an excellent summary of the first transcontinental trading routes in Eurasia, one that explains nicely the role of trade in the ancient world and provides some useful context for how global trade developed.

ancient history Roman Empire Ancient Persia chinese history history of china silk road

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review 2018-10-17 21:27

A straightforward survey of the Persian empire

markk

Considering the limited amount of materials available to study it there are a considerable number of surveys of ancient Persia for readers to choose from, ranging from A. T. Olmstead's classic History of the Persian Empire to Lindsay Allen's recent The Persian Empire. Matt Waters concise survey, which covers the history of the Achaemenid empire from the reign of Cyrus I to its conquest by Alexander the Great in 330 in a little more than 200 pages, offers little that is substantially different from these books. Its merits are in it concision and organization, as Waters presents his information in a clear and unadorned manner. Though some might find its style a little dry, its straightforward coverage of the basics of Persian history and the operations of the empire makes it an excellent book for anyone seeking a starting point for understanding a subject long distorted by ancient Greek authors and modern-day artists (I'm looking at you, Frank Miller!).

Ancient Persia

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review 2018-10-07 17:14

Podcast #119 is up!

markk

Nemesis: Alcibiades and the Fall of Athens - David Stuttard

My latest podcast is up on the New Books Network website! In it, I interview David Stuttard about his biography of the Athenian leader Alcibiades. Enjoy!

Ancient Persia ancient Greece new books network

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review 2016-07-07 04:04

My eighth podcast is up!

markk

Discovering Cyrus: The Persian Conqueror Astride the Ancient World (Iran's Age of Empire) - Reza Zarghamee

My eighth podcast for the New Books Network is up! In it, I interview Reza Zarmangee about his biography of the Persian ruler Cyrus the Great, whom he argues built the first true world empire. Enjoy!

Ancient Persia new books network