By James A. Millward
The word "silk road" conjures up shiny scenes of retailers best camel caravans throughout tremendous stretches to exchange unique items in glittering Oriental bazaars, of pilgrims braving bandits and frozen mountain passes to unfold their religion throughout Asia. taking a look at the truth at the back of those pictures, this Very brief creation illuminates the historic historical past opposed to which the silk highway flourished, laying off gentle at the value of old-world cultural alternate to Eurasian and international heritage.
On the only hand, historian James A. Millward treats the silk highway greatly, to face in for the cross-cultural communique among peoples around the Eurasian continent when you consider that a minimum of the Neolithic period. at the different, he highlights particular examples of products and ideas exchanged among the Mediterranean, Persia, India, and China, besides the importance of those exchanges. whereas together with silks, spices, and travelers' stories of colourful locales, the e-book explains the dynamics of primary Eurasian historical past that promoted Silk highway interactions--especially the function of nomad empires--highlighting the significance of the organic, technological, inventive, highbrow, and spiritual interchanges around the continent. Millward indicates that those exchanges had a profound impact at the outdated international that was once corresponding to, if now not at the scale of, glossy globalization. He additionally disputes the concept the silk highway declined after the cave in of the Mongol empire or the outlet of direct sea routes from Europe to Asia, displaying how silk street phenomena persevered during the early smooth and smooth growth of the Russian and chinese language states throughout relevant Asia.
Millward concludes that the assumption of the silk highway has remained strong, not just as a well-liked identify for boutiques and eating places, but additionally in smooth politics and international relations, similar to U.S. Secretary of kingdom Hilary Clinton's "Silk highway Initiative" for India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan
Read Online or Download The Silk Road: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) PDF
Best asia books
Through the Eyes of Tiger Cubs: Views of Asia's Next Generation
What is going to Asia appear like ten years from now? discover via looking during the eyes of the Asia's subsequent iteration of leaders
Following financial booms in Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan—the 4 Asian Tigers—attention has shifted to luck tales in different Asian economies. besides the fact that, a few demanding situations have additionally emerged which may threaten the region's improvement over the following decade.
Through the Eyes of Tiger Cubs bargains a special glimpse into the more youthful generation's view of Asia's destiny. It attracts at the standpoint of greater than eighty visionary younger Asians, who've pointed out the most important concerns and who see leading edge options for parts as varied as schooling and hard work markets, demographics and healthcare, strength and the surroundings, and governance and geopolitics.
The book's insights are in keeping with a suite of think-pieces from a vast variety of younger Asians—the results of a contest geared up by way of the Asia enterprise Council, Time journal, the Lee Kuan Yew institution of Public coverage on the nationwide college of Singapore, in addition to extra learn via the Council. The booklet is exclusive in that it:
• presents a perspective not like the standard viewpoint of companies, governments, economists, and journalists
• Brings jointly the responses of just about 100 younger Asian thinkers to the questions "What is the largest problem dealing with Asia over the subsequent ten years? " "Why? " and "What can be performed approximately it? "
• deals coverage makers, company leaders, and others who're focused on the way forward for Asia a distinct glimpse into the more youthful generation's vision
The subsequent iteration has a excessive stake in making sure Asia's long term progress. achieve a different standpoint on how the leaders of the next day see the future.
Historical Dictionary of the Netherlands (Historical Dictionaries of Europe)
The Netherlands, often yet erroneously known as Holland, is without doubt one of the so much densely populated nations on the earth. some time past few a long time, it's been present process many variations made attainable by way of its dynamic and fast-moving political panorama. It has shifted from fierce nationalism towards a self-image of tolerance and permissiveness: the nationwide id and self-consciousness has slowly eroded via decolonization and immigration.
An important element of this paintings is the emphasis on resource fabrics, together with a few translated from Mongolian and different languages for the 1st time. The resource fabrics and different articles are all absolutely contextualized and located by way of introductory fabric via the volumes editors. this is often the 1st paintings in English to compile major articles in Mongolian stories in a single position, for you to be greatly welcomed by means of students and researchers during this box.
- Asian Godfathers
- Drivers of Integration and Regionalism in Europe and Asia: Comparative perspectives
- Bali: A Travel Adventure
- Lost Enlightenment: Central Asia's Golden Age from the Arab Conquest to Tamerlane
- Himalayan Wonderland: Travels in Lahaul and Spiti
- Espresso with the Headhunters
Additional resources for The Silk Road: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)
Example text
While some commoners continued to practice marrying in a son-in-law, by the late ChosQn period the yangban household had taken up agnatic adoption. This practice sought to eliminate women as heirs by placing a premium on primogeniture. Adoption, however, diªered from many other societies in that the average age of the adopted son was between twenty and thirty years; infants were rarely adopted. 22 In contrast to the KoryQ period, women’s freedom of movement became severely restricted as Confucian moralists imposed a strict division of the sexes, allegedly to prevent adultery and other sexual improprieties.
For example, during the kiuje (ceremony to pray for rain), Kings T’aejong, Sejong, and SQngjong all, in their time, called on shamans to oªer prayers during droughts. In many respects, shamanism represented the feminine in the world of religion, in contrast to Confucianism, which stressed male prerogatives. Even Buddhism, which in earlier periods had allowed women access to rituals, did not allow them to serve as high priests in the same capacity as the mudang. 46 Korean women retained residual forms of power during the ChosQn Women in ChosQn Korea / 33 period, even as state and society sought to negate their influence.
75 There were, of course, daunting obstacles to overcome if the king was to extend educational opportunities to all regardless of social background or gender and hence create a “civilized and enlightened” society. First, it would be necessary to convince 20 million people to discard old customs and embrace new ones. Second, the country lacked an educational infrastructure; although missionaries had established private girls’ schools in the late nineteenth century, the state so far had opened only the HansQng Normal School to train teachers, five primary schools for boys, and a foreign language school.