The Silk Road in World History. New York: Oxford University Press, 2010

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
James A. Anderson, Associate Professor (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/

Abstract: Professor Liu has written a comprehensive and engaging survey of Eurasian trade through the era of Mongol conquest in the thirteenth century. Her study is truly global; the book covers both East Asian and Mediterranean termini along the extensive commercial network now known as the Silk Road. The reader learns of the vast differences between the sedentary and nomadic communities of Inner Asia, as well as their centuries-old interaction that facilitated trade opportunities even in the midst of territorial conflict. The names of the principal actors in Silk Road history, Han, Xiongnu, Sogdians, Kushans, Persians, and Romans, to name a few, will be familiar to some and mysterious to others, but the author provides guidance for uninitiated readers. Liu not only offers short descriptions of each society, but she also contextualizes the rise and decline in significance of each group within the larger Silk Road network. The author’s efforts to incorporate a wealth of material in an easily discernible framework have produced a text suitable for classroom use in lower-level college surveys and high school AP and honors courses.

Additional Information

Publication
Language: English
Date: 2011
Keywords
book reviews, text books, education, history, silk road, world history, east asian history

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