Author Description

The Great Empires Of The Vast Eurasian Continent Have Captured The Imagination Of Many. Awe-inspiring Names Such As Ancient Rome, Han And Tang China, Persia, Assyria, The Huns, The Kushans And The Franks Have Been The Subject Of Countless Scholarly Books And Works Of Literature. However, Very Rarely, If At All, Have These Vast Pre-industrial Empires Been Studied Holistically From A Comparative, Interdisciplinary And Above All Eurasian Perspective. This Collection Of Studies Examines The History, Literature And Archaeology Of These Empires And Others Thus Far Treated Separately As A Single Inter-connected Subject Of Inquiry. It Highlights In Particular The Critical Role Of Inner Asian Empires And Peoples In Facilitating Contacts And Exchange Across The Eurasian Continent In Antiquity And The Early Middle Ages. -- Publisher's Description Introduction / Hyun Jin Kim And Frederik Juliaan Vervaet -- Part I. Political Organization And Interactions Of Eurasian Empires. The Political Organization Of Steppe Empires And Their Contribution To Eurasian Interconnectivity: The Case Of The Huns And Their Impact On The Frankish West / Hyun Jin Kim -- Tang China's Horse Power: The Borderland Breeding Ranch System / Jonathan Karam Skaff -- Cimmerians And The Scythians: The Impact Of Nomadic Powers On The Assyrian Empire And The Ancient Near East / Selim Ferruh Adali -- Part Ii. Socio-institutional Aspects Of Eurasian Empires. Honour And Shame In The Roman Republic / Frederik Juliaan Vervaet -- Honour And Shame In Han China / Mark Lewis -- Slavery And Forced Labour In Early China And The Roman World / Walter Scheidel -- Part Iii. Cultural Legacies Of Eurasian Empires. Homer And The Shi Jing As Imperial Texts / Alexander Beecroft -- The Serpent From Persia: Manichaeism In Rome And China / Samuel N.c. Lieu -- Part Iv. Archaeology Of Eurasian Empires. Alans In The Southern Caucasus? / Antonio Sagona, Claudia Sagona And Aleksandra Michalewicz -- Greeks, Scythians, Parthians And Kushan