Silk Roads: A New History of the World - Peter Frankopan

An excellent new look at the history of Central Asia and the Silk Road.  Frankopan begins the book with a brief chronological overview and then moves on to look at the movement of goods and ideas from the Far East to Europe from several points of view - luxury goods exchange, idea exchange, culture exchange, religion exchange, slave exchange, disease and plague exchange.  He also pursues the topic beyond the traditional overland route and includes the move to trade by long distance European sailing ships in the concept of Silk Road.  He pursues it into the modern age, looking at the Suez Canal and the eventual Suez Canal crisis as part of the history of the Silk Road.  The book continues right up to contemporary times where Central Asia is undergoing a little recognized renaissance as a trading centre due to its rich natural resources - overlooked perhaps because the benefits largely seem to accrue to the top social echelons, which is actually the traditional wealth distribution structure in Central Asia way back to early Silk Road times.

He also notes patterns in this trade route through the ages - the importance of slave trading as a generator of wealth and capital at the beginning of each group's period of dominance - arabs, Vikings, Europeans.  The tendency of wealth to accrue at the top of society.

Worth rereading.

Lost Enlightenment - Central Asia's Golden Age from the Arab Conquest to Tamerlane - S. Frederick Starr

A fascinating account of one of the great forgotten ages (and regions) of intellectual and artistic achievement.  A worthwhile read for a number of reasons:

- the sheer contrast of the historical region with its current state

- the tantalizing hints of what must have been there as an intellectual and artistic tradition before the arab invasion, which was really the arrival of the barbarians by then central asian standards

- the underlying theme of the importance of persian culture and cultures of the persian linguistic families in the flowering of this great age; underlines that this culture was a highly influential culture in the whole middle-eastern and central asian region

- the historical importance of this central asian intellectual tradition to the later flowering of european thought and development, both as a source of ideas and as a source of ancient texts 

- Starr's speculations on the reason for the decline of the region:  increasing focus on religious dogmatism in a conflict between the two versions of Islam leads to intolerance and a narrowing of the field of thought - something to consider in this age of dogmatisms, religious, cultural, social, political as so on...

- Starr's observation that, even excluding the possible highly advanced society preceding the arab invasion, this Central Asian Golden Age lasted longer than any other similar historical golden period in any other society world-wide

- great source for thinkers and poets to chase down

This book is a great reference to put any writers (Rumi, Khayam etc.) in their political and social context.

Not a fast read, as it is very detailed and explores central intellectual themes as well as social, political, and economic milieux. 

Silk Road - A New History Valerie Hansen

An interesting approach to the topic; different point of view.  Well organized into chapters focusing on specific key locations or sections of the trading routes, examining archaeological evidence.  Also an interesting chapter devoted to the Sogdians, who seem to really be the only people who actually moved along the whole eastern end of the route, from Khorasan to China, and even further afield.

Some very interesting suggestions regarding the nature of this trading route:
- mostly short, local trading
- silk moved along it chiefly as a way of paying the Chinese troops stationed on the route as far as wester Xinjiang
- troop payments and supplies were the chief driving engine of the route.


Well-written, generally a happy medium between scholarly and popular.  Good reference text.

To find:

The Silk Road, Sven Hedin 1936

Life of Hiuen-Tsiang, trans. Samuel Beal
A Biography of the Tripitaka Master, trans. Li Rongxi