What do you think?
Rate this book
Very Short Introductions #351
The Silk Road: A Very Short Introduction
The phrase "silk road" evokes vivid scenes of merchants leading camel caravans across vast stretches to trade exotic goods in glittering Oriental bazaars, of pilgrims braving bandits and frozen mountain passes to spread their faith across Asia. Looking at the reality behind these images, this Very Short Introduction illuminates the historical background against which the silk road flourished, shedding light on the importance of old-world cultural exchange to Eurasian and world history.
On the one hand, historian James A. Millward treats the silk road broadly, to stand in for the cross-cultural communication between peoples across the Eurasian continent since at least the Neolithic era. On the other, he highlights specific examples of goods and ideas exchanged between the Mediterranean, Persia, India, and China, along with the significance of these exchanges. While including silks, spices, and travelers' tales of colorful locales, the book explains the dynamics of Central Eurasian history that promoted Silk Road interactions--especially the role of nomad empires--highlighting the importance of the biological, technological, artistic, intellectual, and religious interchanges across the continent. Millward shows that these exchanges had a profound effect on the old world that was akin to, if not on the scale of, modern globalization. He also disputes the idea that the silk road declined after the collapse of the Mongol empire or the opening of direct sea routes from
Europe to Asia, showing how silk road phenomena continued through the early modern and modern expansion of the Russian and Chinese states across Central Asia.
Millward concludes that the idea of the silk road has remained powerful, not only as a popular name for boutiques and restaurants, but also in modern politics and diplomacy, such as U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton's "Silk Road Initiative" for India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.
On the one hand, historian James A. Millward treats the silk road broadly, to stand in for the cross-cultural communication between peoples across the Eurasian continent since at least the Neolithic era. On the other, he highlights specific examples of goods and ideas exchanged between the Mediterranean, Persia, India, and China, along with the significance of these exchanges. While including silks, spices, and travelers' tales of colorful locales, the book explains the dynamics of Central Eurasian history that promoted Silk Road interactions--especially the role of nomad empires--highlighting the importance of the biological, technological, artistic, intellectual, and religious interchanges across the continent. Millward shows that these exchanges had a profound effect on the old world that was akin to, if not on the scale of, modern globalization. He also disputes the idea that the silk road declined after the collapse of the Mongol empire or the opening of direct sea routes from
Europe to Asia, showing how silk road phenomena continued through the early modern and modern expansion of the Russian and Chinese states across Central Asia.
Millward concludes that the idea of the silk road has remained powerful, not only as a popular name for boutiques and restaurants, but also in modern politics and diplomacy, such as U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton's "Silk Road Initiative" for India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.
152 pages, Paperback
First published March 15, 2013
86 people are currently reading
817 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
November 19, 2019
Most of the Oxford Very Short Introductions make good bathtub reading and serviceable reference books. THE SILK ROAD is something different: an engaging short history that also introduces a new analytical concept. James Millward proposes that we use “Silk Road” as a Eurasian analogue of “Columbian Exchange,” a shorthand term for the network of trade and cultural exchanges that linked Europe, the Middle East, India, and East Asia from 3000 BCE to the early modern era. This network distributed throughout the Old World such things as horses from Central Asia; paper-making, sericulture (silk-raising), and other skills from China; wine-making from Europe; and citrus fruits and the humoral theory of disease from India. Silk-Road exchanges created the wealthy and cosmopolitan, if also violent and chauvinistic, societies that dominated Eurasia by the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and provided Europe with the tools it used to conquer or dominate the rest of the world thereafter. For a more extensive review of this book, see the following blog essay:
http://happenedstrangely.blogspot.com...
http://happenedstrangely.blogspot.com...
March 9, 2017
"Very short" hardly seems to cover it. This book is tiny, but it crams so much information in there. Yet despite the concepts, evidence and examples flying at you thick and fast, it never feels overwhelming; in fact, it's an inspiration to further knowledge acquisition. Part of that is the clear, careful, yet charming style, but also the structuring of the book by broad theme rather than geographically or chronologically assisted in cutting to the heart of those concepts.
A fantastic book to start exploration of the topic, but possibly also a good touchstone for the more knowledgeable to see other pieces of the puzzle that might not have made their radar yet.
A fantastic book to start exploration of the topic, but possibly also a good touchstone for the more knowledgeable to see other pieces of the puzzle that might not have made their radar yet.
July 5, 2020
Really well done. First of all, Millward's writing is superb, and he has a genuine talent for summarizing vast epochs in a few telling lines. His method of deconstructing the Silk Road for modern readers is ingenious, the core of the book consisting of three chapters on exchanges biological, technological and artistic. These look in detail at a series of artefacts that evolved along the high road across Central Asia - the horse, grape wine, dumplings, silk, paper, fables, lutes, porcelain, etc. The reader gets a real sense of the intense engagement across continents and centuries that ultimately defines the Silk Road better than any specific geographical feature on the map.
Superb entry in the VSI series, highly recommended.
Superb entry in the VSI series, highly recommended.
December 5, 2017
Millward’s emphasis is in pointing out that the Silk Road was neither predominantly about silk nor was it the single route that the word “road” implies. While silk was certainly a product that traded on this transportation network, it wasn’t necessarily the most important commodity by value-- and certainly wasn’t in terms of its effect on the world. More broadly, the author presents a Silk Road that defies neat delineations and definitions, a Silk Road that is often more of a conceptual bridge than a literal transportation route.
The book consists of six chapters. The first describes the territory serviced by this network, and particularly Central Eurasia which served as the bridge between East and West. This is the Silk Road as connective tissue allowing dispersion of ideas, technologies, products, services, and art between regions separated by vast distances and cultural gulfs.
While chapter one deals in the space of the Silk Road, chapter two explores time periods in which the Silk Road flourished. This begins with Indo-European nomads as far back as 3000 BC / BCE, and proceeds through various eras seeing changes in the route and the products moving along it. Most of these eras, e.g. the classical Silk Road period and the time of the Mongol Empire, are defined by burgeoning use of the network. However, Millward does ask how dead was the period from the 3rd to the 5th AD / CE which is normally considered a dead spot in Silk Road history. It should be noted that modern history is addressed mostly in the last chapter, which considers whether the Silk Road remains relevant in today’s world with its very different transportation and communications infrastructures.
Chapter three is about the biology of the Silk Road. A considerable portion of this chapter is devoted to human dispersion and the legacy of events in Central Asia as seen in human DNA. However, the author also examines the spread of horses, grapes, and dumplings. The approach of focusing on a few key commodities is repeated in chapters four and five. (These three chapters form the core of the book.)
Chapter four reflects on the role of the Silk Road in dispersion of technology. Silk is presented in this chapter, but not so much as pashmina and bolts of cloth, but rather in terms of sericulture—the technology of producing silk. The second product to be evaluated herein is paper, and it’s argued that paper was a more important commodity than was silk. Medicine and military technology are also examined in this chapter as among the biggest global game changers of the Silk Road.
Chapter five is about the spread of art along the Silk Road. One of the most interesting parts of the book, for me personally, was a discussion of stories and myths that spread via the Silk Route, and which can be seen in various cultures along the way. The lute (and stringed instruments that sprung from it) is also considered as a key artistic commodity of trade. There is also an extensive discussion of visual motifs seen along the Silk Road, as well as the blue-and-white porcelain that was a popular product, ultimately becoming widely copied.
As discussed above, the last chapter is about the present and future of the Silk Road. Entitled “Whither the Silk Road,” the author suggests that this trade network didn’t become irrelevant with the rise of transportation by sea and air and new modes of communication—though it has changed considerably.
There are a small number of graphics, including maps as well as photos and pictures that depict examples of commodities and technologies relevant to discussion of Silk Road trade. There are also sections devoted to references, advice on further readings, and a page of relevant websites.
I’d recommend this book for anyone who wants a brief overview of the Silk Road. If you’re a history buff and want to dig deep and see broadly, it seems there are some very well-regarded books of a much more detailed nature. I can’t comment on said books, but I know there is more than one award-winning book on Silk Road trade and cultural interactions. This, as the subtitle suggests, is much more of an outline of the subject. That said, I think the author does a good job of picking a few exemplary commodities, technologies, and arts, and focusing on them. Thus, one does get some of the insights of a book that drills down, just not along as broad of subject matter.
The book consists of six chapters. The first describes the territory serviced by this network, and particularly Central Eurasia which served as the bridge between East and West. This is the Silk Road as connective tissue allowing dispersion of ideas, technologies, products, services, and art between regions separated by vast distances and cultural gulfs.
While chapter one deals in the space of the Silk Road, chapter two explores time periods in which the Silk Road flourished. This begins with Indo-European nomads as far back as 3000 BC / BCE, and proceeds through various eras seeing changes in the route and the products moving along it. Most of these eras, e.g. the classical Silk Road period and the time of the Mongol Empire, are defined by burgeoning use of the network. However, Millward does ask how dead was the period from the 3rd to the 5th AD / CE which is normally considered a dead spot in Silk Road history. It should be noted that modern history is addressed mostly in the last chapter, which considers whether the Silk Road remains relevant in today’s world with its very different transportation and communications infrastructures.
Chapter three is about the biology of the Silk Road. A considerable portion of this chapter is devoted to human dispersion and the legacy of events in Central Asia as seen in human DNA. However, the author also examines the spread of horses, grapes, and dumplings. The approach of focusing on a few key commodities is repeated in chapters four and five. (These three chapters form the core of the book.)
Chapter four reflects on the role of the Silk Road in dispersion of technology. Silk is presented in this chapter, but not so much as pashmina and bolts of cloth, but rather in terms of sericulture—the technology of producing silk. The second product to be evaluated herein is paper, and it’s argued that paper was a more important commodity than was silk. Medicine and military technology are also examined in this chapter as among the biggest global game changers of the Silk Road.
Chapter five is about the spread of art along the Silk Road. One of the most interesting parts of the book, for me personally, was a discussion of stories and myths that spread via the Silk Route, and which can be seen in various cultures along the way. The lute (and stringed instruments that sprung from it) is also considered as a key artistic commodity of trade. There is also an extensive discussion of visual motifs seen along the Silk Road, as well as the blue-and-white porcelain that was a popular product, ultimately becoming widely copied.
As discussed above, the last chapter is about the present and future of the Silk Road. Entitled “Whither the Silk Road,” the author suggests that this trade network didn’t become irrelevant with the rise of transportation by sea and air and new modes of communication—though it has changed considerably.
There are a small number of graphics, including maps as well as photos and pictures that depict examples of commodities and technologies relevant to discussion of Silk Road trade. There are also sections devoted to references, advice on further readings, and a page of relevant websites.
I’d recommend this book for anyone who wants a brief overview of the Silk Road. If you’re a history buff and want to dig deep and see broadly, it seems there are some very well-regarded books of a much more detailed nature. I can’t comment on said books, but I know there is more than one award-winning book on Silk Road trade and cultural interactions. This, as the subtitle suggests, is much more of an outline of the subject. That said, I think the author does a good job of picking a few exemplary commodities, technologies, and arts, and focusing on them. Thus, one does get some of the insights of a book that drills down, just not along as broad of subject matter.
August 26, 2023
For me, this really helped contextualize the aesthetics of Istanbul, where I lived for 8 years: the Iznik pottery, miniature paintings, music styles, ancient medicine, etc. i particularly loved the discussion about manti—a dish I love. It was good to be reminded how so many so-called “western inventions” or even philosophies, literary conventions and words had eastern counterparts, often predecessors, and that the notion of invention was more one of a cross fertilization of ideas across time and space. The book’s gaps also raise so many questions I’m interested in exploring further: what did the traders’ markets look and feel like (compared to a modern day grand bazaar for instance), were they temporary events that packed up after organization or permanent fixtures in towns, how did merchant trading take place along these overland routes, and how did the opium trade correspond with this trade route, given its importance in “orientalist” art? And what about other woven arts, such as rugs? I guess I have more reading to do.
February 17, 2016
This IS a very short book--it is easily readable and can be consumed in just an afternoon. It is, however, a great intro to Silk Road history, touching on everything from the geography, environment, and ecology to the growth and decline of empires, to the spread of religions, to the trade routes, trading partners, and products which were traded, and much more. I would highly recommend this book to someone who just wanted a simple overview of this history.
August 8, 2013
Excellent short introduction to the history of a complex region.
December 31, 2024
Are you interested with how the East and West related historically and the historical land bridge between the East and West with what is often called the Silk Road? This is a great introduction and summary book covering the area where the “silk road” went through, what we not often call Central Eurasia. This is part of Oxford’s University Press’ series called “A Very Short Introduction” and while aesthetics isn’t everything with books (we all know the saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover”) still it helps that the publishers print these volumes in a smaller size (the dimension are 6.7 x 0.3 x 4.9 inches), on nice paper and with a nice cover. It makes it all the more fun to read it; but the biggest plus is the actual content in this book!
There’s six chapters in this book and its jam pack with historical information, many of which are new to me and what’s amazing is that it is presented in a way that’s interesting. The author is to be commended for making it relatable to our contemporary times and also lessons for today. Chapter one is on the environment of central Eurasia and also the empires historically in these geographical areas, although discussions about empires is found more in chapter two which is titled “Eras of silk road fluorescence.” “The biological silk road” is the title of chapter three and cover things like DNA with human migration, the biological legacies of the Mongols, horses relationship with trans-Eurasian royal culture and the spread of grape wine. Chapter four is on the technological aspect of the Silk Road with discussions of things like the innovation and spread of paper technology, medicine and military technology such as chariots and gunpowder. Chapter five on the arts and chapter six is a short chapter on whether the silk road died and the cultural concept of the silk road being appropriated today in contemporary social and political landscape.
There’s so much I learned reading this book; there’s so many empires I never heard of before; this might be the book I googled and did web search the most from reading each page! Thus it took me a long time to finish this book but I don’t regret it from the amount of research and tangents I went on to learn about! I think reading this helps me to understand a region that I have much ministry and professional interest in; and I appreciate this work! I’m so grateful I got to read this and I’m glad my wife’s family member had this book which led me to borrow it and read it. I might even get myself a copy! I recommend this book.
There’s six chapters in this book and its jam pack with historical information, many of which are new to me and what’s amazing is that it is presented in a way that’s interesting. The author is to be commended for making it relatable to our contemporary times and also lessons for today. Chapter one is on the environment of central Eurasia and also the empires historically in these geographical areas, although discussions about empires is found more in chapter two which is titled “Eras of silk road fluorescence.” “The biological silk road” is the title of chapter three and cover things like DNA with human migration, the biological legacies of the Mongols, horses relationship with trans-Eurasian royal culture and the spread of grape wine. Chapter four is on the technological aspect of the Silk Road with discussions of things like the innovation and spread of paper technology, medicine and military technology such as chariots and gunpowder. Chapter five on the arts and chapter six is a short chapter on whether the silk road died and the cultural concept of the silk road being appropriated today in contemporary social and political landscape.
There’s so much I learned reading this book; there’s so many empires I never heard of before; this might be the book I googled and did web search the most from reading each page! Thus it took me a long time to finish this book but I don’t regret it from the amount of research and tangents I went on to learn about! I think reading this helps me to understand a region that I have much ministry and professional interest in; and I appreciate this work! I’m so grateful I got to read this and I’m glad my wife’s family member had this book which led me to borrow it and read it. I might even get myself a copy! I recommend this book.
Read
August 10, 2023One of the stronger in the series. Does an admirable job of showing the breadth and importance of the Eurasian connections that transmitted goods, technologies, and ideas between far-flung cultures.
Besides silk, we learn of the cross-continental diffusion of: horses, paper, gunpowder, lutes, alphabets, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Manichaeism, porcelain, wisdom fables, chess, wheat, wine, the concept of the printing press (maybe), dumplings, and pasta. Virtually every paragraph has a startling fact. Loved it.
Besides silk, we learn of the cross-continental diffusion of: horses, paper, gunpowder, lutes, alphabets, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Manichaeism, porcelain, wisdom fables, chess, wheat, wine, the concept of the printing press (maybe), dumplings, and pasta. Virtually every paragraph has a startling fact. Loved it.
December 12, 2023
Very short, very dense, surprisingly well-written, funny and to its credit non-Eurocentric treasure house of information on the Silk Road. Fascinating to read how Central Asia is truly the source of all culture, from horses to dumplings to instruments - not the way we learned in school at all, with all the Greco-Roman emphasis there to give the US legitimate ancestry. Turns out we’re all connected, East and West, Global North and South - we have so much more in common than our divisive governments and nationalistic educations let us think.
May 24, 2018
The author broadens the definition of the Silk Road to include the transmission of goods, ideas and people, during any time period, across the Eurasian continent(s). It began to sound like a description of Globalization. The author is extremely erudite and has a lot to teach me, but I'm not currently ready for those lessons. I was looking for the history of a specific time and place, and stories of those adventurers who followed the Silk Road.
June 17, 2025
The better titles in this series are very economical in their use of space. They don't spread themselves too thin and instead leave hints for the reader to explore further.
I feel this book would have been better served by narrowing it's scope and focused on silk road during the mongol empire. That could leave it a worse introduction to Silk Road as a whole but I think it would have made a better book.
I feel this book would have been better served by narrowing it's scope and focused on silk road during the mongol empire. That could leave it a worse introduction to Silk Road as a whole but I think it would have made a better book.
November 26, 2018
With all the talk of a new Silk Road being developed by China I thought I might learn about the "old" Silk Road... and I learned a lot about the interplay of cultures, geography, and religions in this concise little book. The Very Short Introduction series is really good, written by experts for literate, engaged people who are not experts but want to learn more about the world.
February 5, 2019
Gives a very good overview of the concept of the Silk Road. The writing is engaging and the thematic structure connects history to the modern world. The bibliography and list of websites is also helpful for those who want to learn more about a fascinating and complex set of near-global connections.
January 30, 2020
My summary of the book's theme would be "Everything came from somewhere else." Although this small book was replete with interesting tidbits of information about the transfer of stuff from one place to another, this was not what I was looking for. I was more interested in reading about a particular time and particular routes. But my library had this one available so I read it.
December 30, 2020
I enjoy the “Very Short Introduction” series from Oxford University Press. Each one encapsulates a topic quite nicely. When I am already fairly familiar with a topic, they serve as a good review, and when I am a bit weaker on a topic, such as in this case, they serve as a starting point to learn about the subject and to then pursue it further if I wish. The Silk Road (or, rather, The Silk “Roads”) entails a much more complex set of dynamics that I thought. Interesting and worth perusing.
May 29, 2024
Good primer that's short and sweet. a lot of good examples of technologies that traveled through Eurasia very early on but also pointed out that it never really faded away as is commonly thought since there was still plenty of trade including maritime trade well after the 1500s and there's the examples of Sino-Soviet interactions
May 14, 2022
Silk Road History
Excellent short overview of the history of the Silk Road in terms of goods, horses, language, religion, technology, ideas, and politics! From ancient BCE to modern times!
Excellent short overview of the history of the Silk Road in terms of goods, horses, language, religion, technology, ideas, and politics! From ancient BCE to modern times!
May 1, 2018
Informative.
October 7, 2019
Well written, provides a good platform from which further readings can spring.
November 26, 2019
I love this series!! I have had at least two of them for a college class and I would not choose another look! They are short and easy to understand!
October 6, 2020
A great, easy to read overview of the idea of the Silk Road.
December 3, 2020
I really enjoyed this book. It's short but very informative.
November 14, 2021
This book is the short and useful answer to a confusing subject.
Want to read
July 19, 2023; DS 329.4 M54 2013
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 21, 2025
Enjoyed chapters 1, 2 and 6. 3, 4 and 5, a less advantageous use of time.
December 29, 2019
Good short introduction to topic. Exactly as advertised.
January 25, 2024
3/5
Surprisingly (and thankfully) a far more enjoyable read than many of the texts I've been required to read for university. In this book, Millward has crafted an impressive piece of Big History that both informed and, at times, entertained. Super cool tidbits related to the Silk Road scattered throughout: e.g., all domesticated horses descend from the same stallion; modern vaccination was developed in large part due to the contirbution of a woman, Lady Montagu, who, to the predictable ridicule of the male-dominated British medical profession at the time, passionately advocated for inoculation against smallbox (a technique which she herself had earlier observed in Istanbul); and one of the first popular, practical applications of bitcoin before its 2017/18 rise to prominence was as the primary currency on an online black market called the "Silk Road", which facilitated the trade of harmless substances like heroin, but drew the morally commendable line at stolen credit cards and plutonium. Overall, a nice little foray into the emergence and legacies of the Silk Road for anyone wanting to expand their breadth (but not depth) of knowledge about the world and its manifold histories.
Surprisingly (and thankfully) a far more enjoyable read than many of the texts I've been required to read for university. In this book, Millward has crafted an impressive piece of Big History that both informed and, at times, entertained. Super cool tidbits related to the Silk Road scattered throughout: e.g., all domesticated horses descend from the same stallion; modern vaccination was developed in large part due to the contirbution of a woman, Lady Montagu, who, to the predictable ridicule of the male-dominated British medical profession at the time, passionately advocated for inoculation against smallbox (a technique which she herself had earlier observed in Istanbul); and one of the first popular, practical applications of bitcoin before its 2017/18 rise to prominence was as the primary currency on an online black market called the "Silk Road", which facilitated the trade of harmless substances like heroin, but drew the morally commendable line at stolen credit cards and plutonium. Overall, a nice little foray into the emergence and legacies of the Silk Road for anyone wanting to expand their breadth (but not depth) of knowledge about the world and its manifold histories.
June 29, 2024
طريق الحرير، ذاك الجسر السحري بين الشرق والغرب الذي يتبادل فيه تجار أوروبا الحرير مع الصينيين، والمليء بالشعوب الهمجية التي تارة تكون يأجوج ومأجوج في التراث الإسلامي أو القبائل المتعطشة للدماء بالمخيال الأوروبي تارة أخرى، تلك الصورة النمطية عن طريق الحرير، والآن تتغير الصورة مع مشروع الطريق والمسار الصيني الهادف لبناء بنى تحتية تسهل التبادل التجاري بين الصين وأوروبا.
لكن ما هو طريق الحرير؟ قدم الكاتب طريق الحرير بأنه شبكات تفاعلية من الاحتكاك العنيف والسلمي بين المجتمعات الزراعية (الصين-الهند-الهلال الخصيب-السهل الأوروبي) والمجتمعات المرتحلة (القبائل التركومغولية)، علاقة تفاعلية كونت شبكة معقدة من طرق التجارة البرية التي انتشرت فيها البضائع والأفكار والكتل البشرية والأمراض والتقنيات، وقدمت لنا أول تجربة عولمة ما قبل حديثة في ظل حقبة السلام المغولي التي ربطت العالم القديم بطرق تجارة وبريد ونظم إدارة مركزية.
يهمني في هذا الكاتب جزئيتين، الأولى: تقديم طريق الحرير بصورة مغايرة عن الاتجاه من الشرق للغرب وفق الرؤية المركزية الأوروبية التي ترى أن طريق الحرير هو بكين والبندقية وما بينهما غير مهم، حيث قدم الكاتب مسارات للتبادل والتأثير بين الهند والصين (البوذية-الورق-الملاحم-السكر) وبين الصين والمجتمعات الإسلامية (أسواق ومعامل الحرير في دمشق وإيران/ صناعة الورق) ، وبين الصين وأسيا الوسطى (وادي فرغانة) والتفاعل المتبادل والجدلي بينهم.
الثانية: صورة مغاي��ة عن العلاقات بين البادية والحاضرة، حيث ناقضت الرؤية المنظور الصراعي لابن خلدون، حيث بين الكاتب هوامش التفاعل والتبادل والتعاون بين إمبراطوريات الصين والإمبراطوريات القبلية في أسيا الوسطى، وبين دور القبائل التركومغولية في صيانة وتمدد شبكات التجارة والتبادل في طريق الحرير.
بالنسبة لمقدمة قصيرة "جدًا" فاقت الأطروحة التوقعات!
لكن ما هو طريق الحرير؟ قدم الكاتب طريق الحرير بأنه شبكات تفاعلية من الاحتكاك العنيف والسلمي بين المجتمعات الزراعية (الصين-الهند-الهلال الخصيب-السهل الأوروبي) والمجتمعات المرتحلة (القبائل التركومغولية)، علاقة تفاعلية كونت شبكة معقدة من طرق التجارة البرية التي انتشرت فيها البضائع والأفكار والكتل البشرية والأمراض والتقنيات، وقدمت لنا أول تجربة عولمة ما قبل حديثة في ظل حقبة السلام المغولي التي ربطت العالم القديم بطرق تجارة وبريد ونظم إدارة مركزية.
يهمني في هذا الكاتب جزئيتين، الأولى: تقديم طريق الحرير بصورة مغايرة عن الاتجاه من الشرق للغرب وفق الرؤية المركزية الأوروبية التي ترى أن طريق الحرير هو بكين والبندقية وما بينهما غير مهم، حيث قدم الكاتب مسارات للتبادل والتأثير بين الهند والصين (البوذية-الورق-الملاحم-السكر) وبين الصين والمجتمعات الإسلامية (أسواق ومعامل الحرير في دمشق وإيران/ صناعة الورق) ، وبين الصين وأسيا الوسطى (وادي فرغانة) والتفاعل المتبادل والجدلي بينهم.
الثانية: صورة مغاي��ة عن العلاقات بين البادية والحاضرة، حيث ناقضت الرؤية المنظور الصراعي لابن خلدون، حيث بين الكاتب هوامش التفاعل والتبادل والتعاون بين إمبراطوريات الصين والإمبراطوريات القبلية في أسيا الوسطى، وبين دور القبائل التركومغولية في صيانة وتمدد شبكات التجارة والتبادل في طريق الحرير.
بالنسبة لمقدمة قصيرة "جدًا" فاقت الأطروحة التوقعات!
July 1, 2016
I remember an author writing on Tibet names his book as 天葬 (i.e. sky-burial), referring to the Tibetan burial practice of leaving dead bodies in the mountain to decompose. As the bodies become rotten, vultures come to fight and pick the juicy parts of the bodies. Tibet, the author says, is one of such dead bodies. because like them, she is powerless to prevent the Communist China, the Western countries and rest of the world to pick the parts of Tibet that suit their interests.
Silk Road is not unlike Tibet in this regard. Just as Millward says that Washington referred to Silk Road as the historical friendship between India and Pakistan, Beijing also referred to Silk Road as he historical tie between China and Iran. China's recent One Belt, One Road Initiative is another of such instance. By narrowly focusing on the economic resources, as if Central Asia is a big oil field or waiting to be exploited, it is a moribund echo of what once was a vibrant trade route involving not just trading of silk and goods but also exchanges of ideas and cultures.
Silk Road is interesting in its own right. It does not link the so-called East and West because it is itself part of history. Without it, the world does not only look different from the present one because the world as it is would not even exist. All in all, it is not a dead body waiting to be exploited.
Silk Road is not unlike Tibet in this regard. Just as Millward says that Washington referred to Silk Road as the historical friendship between India and Pakistan, Beijing also referred to Silk Road as he historical tie between China and Iran. China's recent One Belt, One Road Initiative is another of such instance. By narrowly focusing on the economic resources, as if Central Asia is a big oil field or waiting to be exploited, it is a moribund echo of what once was a vibrant trade route involving not just trading of silk and goods but also exchanges of ideas and cultures.
Silk Road is interesting in its own right. It does not link the so-called East and West because it is itself part of history. Without it, the world does not only look different from the present one because the world as it is would not even exist. All in all, it is not a dead body waiting to be exploited.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews