The Silk Roads: A New History of the World

About This Book

Oxford historian Peter Frankopan challenges Western-centric narratives by placing the Silk Roads at the center of world history. Rather than viewing history through European eyes, Frankopan demonstrates how the networks of trade routes stretching from Europe through Central Asia to China have been the true crossroads of civilization for over two millennia. The book reveals how these ancient highways facilitated not just the exchange of goods like silk, spices, and precious metals, but also ideas, religions, technologies, and diseases that shaped human development. From the rise of Buddhism and the spread of Christianity and Islam, to the Mongol conquests and the colonial period, Frankopan shows how the fate of the West has always been intertwined with the East. This isn't just ancient history—the book traces these connections through to modern geopolitics, showing how today's conflicts in the Middle East, the rise of China, and global economic patterns are all part of this continuing story of East-West interaction.

Key Insights

• The Silk Roads were the world's first global superhighway for trade and ideas

• Eastern civilizations played central roles in shaping world history

• Religious and cultural exchanges along trade routes transformed societies

• Economic networks connected distant civilizations long before globalization

• Modern geopolitical tensions have deep historical roots in these ancient connections

• The West's prosperity was built on Eastern trade and knowledge

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