The Silk Roads: A New History of the World

It has been a long time since a book so thoroughly expanded—and reframed—my understanding of world history. The title may get the clicks, but the subtitle is really the point: this is *A New History of the World*. I had long understood that the conventional Western-civilization narrative was inevitably biased, and assumed the antidote was simply to learn more Eastern history. Frankopan makes a much more profound case: the central thread of world history is neither East nor West, but the centuries-long movement of trade, wealth, religion, power and conquest back and forth across the great interface between them. That axis—running through what are now Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and China, with crucial connections north through the Caucasus and Central Asia—reframes remarkably familiar history. Even the European voyages that opened the Americas become not an isolated “Age of Discovery,” but another chapter in an ancient struggle over access, trade and power. This is not a grand conceptual thesis in the style of *Guns, Germs, and Steel*. It is a deeply researched, heavily documented history, with the 10th Anniversary edition adding an extensive epilogue connecting that history to the world we inhabit now. I finished it feeling genuinely enlightened. I don't think I can see world history through my old, simplistic East-West lens again. And at a moment when that ancient axis of trade and power is once again shaping events around the globe, it feels extraordinarily timely.

This text is well written and well researched. Not sure what bias one of the lengthy one star reviews is talking about. Not going to get into a refutation of those complaints. What needs to be recognized here is that the focus on Europe in a history about trade routes that didn’t include Europe for quite a while is suspicious and yet this is a much better perspective than A PEOPLES HISTORY OF THE WORLD which couldn’t get out of Europe no matter how hard it tried. I think the most impressive section is the one covering the 20th century where the author manages to weave together a number of various disasters caused mostly by the British, Russians, and Americans (as well as Iran and Iraq with the help of said Europeans). I felt that the absence of China in various points was odd since it was Chinese silk that named these roads but overall this was a fascinating read. I followed this up with DESTINY DISRUPTED which is a history of the world from the perspective of Islam. That gave some great perspective to this book and is recommended for anyone who read SILK ROADS.

THE SILK ROADS by Peter Frankopan A New History Of The World It's true to say that history is a story told by the winner. It's all very well to get a big head and wield a sword as a now victor; but it's of pivotal importance to remember that forces on the other side or on the periphery would be flexing their muscles, on the alert for a chance to settle scores. Peter Frankopan, a historian based at Oxford University and the author of THE SILK ROADS, has a prodigiously profound insight on historical events and is an extraordinarily hard-working researcher which we know from 100 pages of notes and bibliography accompanying 507 pages of text. This book is something none other than Peter himself couldn't have written. He pulled multiple strands together in this single great work. An epic story indeed! Incredibly informative and compellingly attractive. This ambitious book spans centries, continents and cultures. It shows a historical tapestry woven with his epochal perspective: how cultures, slaves, products, natural resources, religions and ways of life have been traded for over two thousand years; how the center of powers has changed so far and which it's heading into. This book takes the form of a series of what marked milestones in global history chronologically arranged from ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia to the Crusades to the post ww2 era to the recent consideration of Turkey joining the SCO not the EU to the present when half-a-mile-long trains carrying millions of products from China to Germany in just sixteen days and vice versa. It of course includes factual accounts of events with the additional explanations on the causality between some nitty-gritty issues. But what the author is really willing to give is a warning against solving today's problems without worrying tomorrow's. THE SILK ROADS enables us all who read it to see a broad region that had been or is in turmoil. It reveals the dangers of the lack of perspective about global history. Great turning points in human history, I've learned from this book, have been bound together by, against the backdrop of, many big and small talks and decisions which occurred in the barren steppes, in conference rooms, on the phone and sometimes in a prison cell. I owe much to Peter Frankopan. My knowledge of the world history was admittedly sparse. When it comes to history related literature, I, as a person who had no interest in the stuff of global history, have only read several books focusing on a narrow subject matter over shortening timeframesㅡUNBROKEN, ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE, DEAD WAKE, just to name a few. Now, after reading this book from beginning to end, highlighting and underlining sentences, making notes in the margins, I feel my heart ten times more fluttering than when I first saw the jacket image of an incredibly beautiful decorative ceiling of a certain madrasah in Uzbekistan. There is a greater quiver of excitement now in my mind than there was just after reading 7-page preface which made me all aflutter in anticipation of the following text. The bottom line: go online with your smart phone to do a search for THE SILK ROADS by Peter Frankopan, add it to cart and proceed to checkout! Some time later you would take a few stride forward to the reality of how the world works.

I am not a reader. I buy 5-10 books a year and finish one of them and this was my book this year. Kept me engaged throughout and taught me a lot. If you’re into world history I would highly recommend this book.

I don’t know how you enjoy reading your books, but unlike the page-turners that can’t be put down, if a book grabs my attention, I tend to slow down my pace to absorb as much as possible of the full meaning that the author intends to impart. At 10% this book had me hooked. The realisation of how our present way of life is just a continuation of societal systems, laws and principles that were devised, implemented and set down centuries ago was a real eye opener. I am now at around 60% and continue to be enthralled at how heavily the historical background impacts on almost every important current event and crisis that we encounter today and how different the impressions and mental pictures that emerge from the book are to those portrayed and imparted by our media. If you are interested in why the world is what it is today, you cannot get a better more interesting precis of what events caused us to reach the state of current global development and you will better understand (but not justify) the unrest in which we live. Staring from Roman days BC, the first 16 chapters (aprox 40% of the book) take you on an evolutionary trip through the major events, century by century, giving a foundation on how and why events of exploitation and slavery evolved as they did. From Chapter 17 the author brings you into the 20th Century and shows how major political self-serving manipulations and greed have resulted in the unavoidable conflicts of wars and aggression throughout the history of the East and the West. The reader cannot help but link the global terrorist activities and the peaceful invasion of Europe that we are witnessing to a resurgence of tactics and methods used throughout history to justify reaction against perceived sins that the West committed or imposed on weaker nations, which they "colonised" then simply took (or stole) their mineral, human and oil resources with no regard to the consequences on the local population and with little respect, pay-back or recompense (other than selective and ridiculous bribing of officials) to the masses of humans that they exploited, betrayed and decimated over centuries. From the outset, the author explains why he elected to use the historical names of the people and places he describes and this becomes distracting to the reader who eventually loses track of exactly who or where the event occurs because (except for a few cases) he does not give the up-to-date name of the location or person, despite his giving the actual source references on which he bases his commentary. However, as the text gives the general location and position of an individual, readers can ignore the foreign nomenclatures and read on. This does not detracted from the text and information imparted. The writing style flows well and is easy to read and follow. I’m looking forward to the remainder of this enjoyable journey.

Having traveled -- though a brief journey -- along the Silk Roads myself, this book brings me back traveling. It has brought me into a deeper understanding about the places I visited and the things I saw. There were things I had seen but only understood after reading this book. "The Silk Roads" also drew my curiosity towards other history books, and intrigued me about the great empires of the past which previously I had little interest. I enjoy the way things are written. I would like to describe this book as a thick cheesecake garnished with a sense of humor. It's for me, not a book I'm able to read continuously until last page. Interesting, enjoyable, yes. Yet, I need time to digest between pages. Then after reading other books, I continue or even return to the pages already read, and then obtain better understanding. Since I bought this book as Kindle version, I just wished I could view the details of the maps more conveniently and freely. Did I regret buying this book? Absolutely not. Do I recommend this book? Absolutely yes.

“The Silk Roads” is a wonderful invigorating work of history. It is directed to the general reader rather than the specialist. I found it be absolutely riveting. The essence of the book is that, in the West, our history is viewed through a very narrow lense. Schools teach its students of the Roman Empire, the subsequent Dark Ages, the Norman conquest in 1066, Henry VIII and the Tudors, the American War of Independence, the Industrial Revolution and the First and Second World Wars. The vast bulk of a map of the world from western Europe to China is passed over very quickly. With “The Silk Roads”, Peter Frankopan has attempted to redress this imbalance. As the author states: “For centuries before the early modern era, the intellectual centres of excellence of the world, the Oxfords ad Cambridges, the Harvards and Yales, were not located in Europe or the west, but in Baghdad, and Balkh, Bukhara and Samarkand”. Moreover, Frankopan gives the reader a perspective on the rise of Mesopotamia, Alexander the Great, the rise of Christianity in the eastern Roman Empire and then the subsequent rise of Islam throughout much of Asia. He then proceeds to discuss the Crusades, the rise of Genghis Khan and his mighty Mongol Empire and then the rise of China more specifically. He concludes by bringing the book up to the present day with the rise of Europe and the USA before suggesting that there is a reorienting of history underway again. In other words: “we are witnessing…the birthing pains of a region that once dominated the intellectual, cultural and economic landscape and which is now re-emerging. We are seeing the signs of the world’s centre of gravity shifting – back to where it lay for millennia”. Whether you agree or not with Peter Frankopan’s conclusions, the book remains a tour-de-force. Thoroughly recommended.

Expansive and informative for all who have not had the privilege of Central Asian travel, this book leaves me with some anguish. First, the joy of the read. The author's depth of knowledge and resource access, coupled with his polyglot skills, weave a centuries long tale of intrigue across a region of the world little known or travelled today. The endnotes are extensive, if somewhat dated. He has the ability to enliven each decade's heroes and villains. As a history aficionado and world traveler, I am grateful for his bringing to life the real world, and the historical world, of Central Asia. It has been little understood in the West - or the East. Now the hard part. The Islamic world of the 8th through 16th centuries was one of humanity's global centers. This history should be better understood, in light of its achievements and of today's relevance. Yet, the author serves this world as its hagiographer. Apologist is too strong a word, certainly. The endless cycle of hatred and violence between Shi'a and Sunni within this center of gravity during this time is passed over in one brief paragraph. The Councils of Nicaea and those that followed are described in excruciating detail. The story of the European debacle of the same time is repeatedly narrated, engrossing the reader in its internecine religious wars. The Asian steppe peoples' incursions of the 12th through 14th centuries are described too often as an enlightened event for all. Piles of skulls and cities entirely wiped off the face of the earth are ignored in favor of the administrative advantages of Mongol rule. Horsemanship is ignored in favor of bettering western siege towers. India subcontinent history, certainly as important as European, fairs poorly at best in this vast chronicle. Chinese history is ancillary to the main event. A secondary theme is economics. All trade is based upon 'luxury goods' in demand by voracious Asian and European rulers. Information is 'quickly transmitted' across the sands, mountains and rivers - this when 30 miles a day was the fastest a horse or man could travel. Decisions described by scholarly journals as economics based are ascertained as truth, often without reference. This is surprising given the plethora of multi-linguistic sources. Religion and money dictate virtually all decisions made over 3,000 years of history. I would suggest this is too myopic a view. This book would appear to be designed to the glory of Islam, its history and its advantage to all whom came in contact. Lesser peoples and religions are scorned. Animosities within African, European, Asian and Indian cultures flow for pages. Islam is simply a series of improvements upon past glorious battles and architecture. I have visited virtually every city and region described herein. The peace of Islam today is one of absolute submission - the real definition of the word Islam: submission. Other books in the vein of Central Asia would include The Poison King, Balthazar's Odyssey, The Ornament of the World, The Emergence of Modern Islam, Chasing the Sea, The Shied of Achilles and best, Millennium by Felipe Fernandez-Armesto. Would love to rate it higher, but the perverse noise against non-Islamic culture and societies is bothersome. The ridicule of Western advances coupled to dictatorial domination and horrific tortures could just as easily describe Islamic, Indian, Chinese or Russian worlds. As for his Palestinian views, well, they are biased, leave it at that... Can't wait to enjoy My Fair Lady, his Mediterranean yacht for charter...

It is very informative and very well written. I would highly recommend as not only do you get a good history lesson but written in a way you can enjoy.

Brilliant book, good read.

A different prespective of the world history.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5) „The Silk Roads“ – Weltgeschichte neu erzählt, vom Rand ins Zentrum 📌 Kurzfazit Frankopan rückt nicht Europa, sondern die Handels- und Kulturverbindungen entlang der Seidenstraßen ins Zentrum der Weltgeschichte. Von der Antike über das Mittelalter bis zur Moderne zeigt er, wie Zentralasien, Persien, China und der Nahe Osten entscheidend für Politik, Religion, Wissenschaft und Wirtschaft waren. Damit bricht er mit der klassischen westlichen Erzählung und eröffnet neue Perspektiven. 📚 Inhalt in Kürze Antike Seidenstraßen als Drehscheibe von Waren, Ideen und Religionen. Rolle des Nahen Ostens und Zentralasiens bei der Entwicklung von Weltreligionen und Wissenschaft. Bedeutung des Handels für Machtverschiebungen (von Persien über das Osmanische Reich bis Kolonialismus). Moderne „Silk Roads“: Öl, Geopolitik, neue Handelsnetzwerke (China, Russland, Naher Osten). 🔬 Wissenschaftliche Relevanz Stärken: Umfassend recherchiert, mit riesiger Quellenbasis. Greift aktuelle historiographische Trends auf: Dekolonialisierung der Geschichte, Globalgeschichte. Bietet interdisziplinäre Perspektiven (Politik, Religion, Wirtschaft, Kultur). Schwächen: Kritiker bemängeln, dass Frankopan teils zu stark vereinfacht oder dramatisiert. Einige Kapitel wirken essayistisch und weniger tief als akademische Spezialliteratur. 👉 Fazit Wissenschaft: Ein bedeutendes Werk der Globalgeschichte, das Forschungspfade populär zugänglich macht. 🌍 Kulturelle Relevanz Internationaler Bestseller, in über 30 Sprachen übersetzt. Hat die Seidenstraßen als Metapher für Globalisierung wieder populär gemacht. Politisch-kulturell aktuell, da China mit der „Belt and Road Initiative“ erneut auf die Seidenstraße Bezug nimmt. Stärker in der Öffentlichkeit rezipiert als in rein akademischen Kreisen – ein Brückenbuch zwischen Wissenschaft und Allgemeinheit. 💭 Meine persönliche Meinung 👍 Positiv: Spannend erzählt, horizonterweiternd, macht neugierig auf Regionen, die in klassischen Geschichtsbüchern oft fehlen. 👎 Negativ: An manchen Stellen spürt man die populärwissenschaftliche Zuspitzung; Leser:innen mit historischem Fachwissen wünschen sich mehr Tiefgang. Für mich: ein must-read, wenn man Weltgeschichte neu denken möchte. 🎯 Fazit The Silk Roads ist ein brillantes Werk der Globalgeschichte, das eurozentrische Narrative hinterfragt und die Seidenstraßen ins Zentrum der Menschheitsgeschichte rückt. Wissenschaftlich solide, kulturell relevant und spannend zu lesen. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – 5 von 5 Sternen Weil: wissenschaftlich stark, kulturell hochaktuell, erzählerisch fesselnd.

A great read on the history of the east.