The Silk Roads
Peter Frankopan
Step away from a Western-centric perspective to discover how the ancient arteries of Central Asia—the Silk Roads—have served as the true engine of global civilization for millennia. By tracing these interconnected histories of trade, faith, and empire, you will gain a vital blueprint for understanding the rapid eastward shift of modern global power.
The Ancient Foundations
Explores how the exchange of goods and ideas across Central Asia created the first global networks, linking the East and West through trade and religion.
The Silk and the Sword
The Battle for Souls
The Islamic Revolution
The Golden Age and the Mongol Storm
Covers the intellectual peak of the Silk Roads and the transformative impact of the Mongol conquests on global trade and communication.
The House of Wisdom
The Road to Heaven
The Mongol Integration
The Great Westward Shift
Traces the devastating impact of the Plague and the subsequent European maritime expansion that moved the world's center to the Atlantic.
The Road of Death
The Atlantic Pivot
Silver and Slavery
Empire and Rivalry
Examines the rise of Northern European powers and the geopolitical 'Great Game' played out over the heart of Central Asia.
The Rise of the North
The Great Game
The Road to Catastrophe
The Century of Oil and Ideology
Details how the discovery of petroleum transformed the Silk Roads into a theater of modern conflict and Cold War proxy battles.
The Road to Black Gold
The Road to Ruin
The Cold War Front
The Return to the East
Analyzes the 21st-century resurgence of the Silk Road nations and the shift of the global axis back toward Asia.
The Road to Tragedy
The New Silk Road
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