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The Roman Empire and the Silk Routes: The Ancient World Economy and the Empires of Parthia, Central Asia and Han China Paperback – November 5, 2020
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The Roman Empire and the Silk Routes investigates the trade routes between Rome and the powerful empires of inner Asia, including the Parthian regime which ruled ancient Persia (Iran). It explores Roman dealings with the Kushan Empire which seized power in Bactria (Afghanistan) and laid claim to the Indus Kingdoms. Further chapters examine the development of Palmyra as a leading caravan city on the edge of Roman Syria and consider trade ventures through the Tarim territories that led Roman merchants to Han China.
The Han Empire of ancient China matched that of Rome in scale and possessed military technology surpassing that of Roman legions. The Han established a system of Central Asian trade routes known as the Silk Road that carried eastern products as far as Persia and the frontiers of the Roman Empire.
This is the first book to address these subjects in a single comprehensive study. It explores Rome's impact on the ancient world economy and reveals what the Chinese and Romans knew about their rival Empires.
- Print length288 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherPen and Sword History
- Publication dateNovember 5, 2020
- Dimensions5.5 x 0.75 x 9 inches
- ISBN-10152677108X
- ISBN-13978-1526771087
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- Publisher : Pen and Sword History (November 5, 2020)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 288 pages
- ISBN-10 : 152677108X
- ISBN-13 : 978-1526771087
- Item Weight : 1.05 pounds
- Dimensions : 5.5 x 0.75 x 9 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,294,043 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,127 in Ancient Roman History (Books)
- #2,254 in Chinese History (Books)
- #2,569 in Economic History (Books)
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Insightful comparison of Roman vs Han revenue and expenditure
Good anecdotes about the fumbling lack of connection between Han and Roman
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There isn't the usual opening chapter to explain that there was no single ‘Road’ in the usual sense; referring instead to commodities and people travelling along various ‘Routes’. By drawing on a wide range of Classical sources the author establishes evidence for extensive use of silk by all classes & genders of people in Rome and beyond. With a further comprehensive range of primary material the author traces the manufacture and trafficking of silk and other commercial merchandise across ‘thousands of miles of inhospitable terrain’.Book chapters travel westwards in the same direction as the caravans that carried various commodities, with the author pausing to register changes in geography or alterations through time in each region.
I discovered the Chinese used silk in exchange for the guarantee of peace on their frontiers and this unique material, often obtained by barter, became one of the most lucrative commodities passing from hand to hand across Asia and into the west. It seems that the original ‘routes’ were created by the Chinese, motivated by their desire for resources to achieve supremacy in warfare. Already armed with a more efficient grade of steel, the Chinese authorities also sought a superior breed of horse to equip their cavalry and deal with the Xiongnu, a warlike nation of steppe people on their northern borders. By creating a viable route to the so-called ‘Heavenly Horses’, the Chinese enhanced the infrastructure of the many small communities they passed through. Eventually, these locations could support the passage of troops, then ultimately merchant caravans.
I particularly like the human-interest stories along the routes through central Asia, with information about the peoples and significant personalities along the way. In particular, the Sogdians letters are a glimpse behind the scenes into the lives of the ordinary men and women of the time. It is hard not to be caught up in the emotional horror of the rout of Crassus’s army by the Parthians at Carthae. The last section uses information from primary sources to discuss the Huns at the height of the Eastern trade. Finally, the book returns to the human beings at the centre of all these commercial endeavours. I don’t want to be a plot-spoiler, but the last paragraph offers an extraordinary piece of evidence that verifies personal contacts between East and West. It seems was not just all the wealth of China that made the journey from Asia into the Roman Empire in the Imperial period.
If I have any criticism, it is that the book could do with more illustrations, although I gather this is a Publisher’s decision and that these are the author’s own sketches. I'm told that line drawings are preferred by archaeologists, but I personally would have liked some colour plates. I was also disappointed that the book does not contain information about the great civilizations and ruined cities of the Middle East, but according to social media, the author’s next book covers the desert oasis kingdoms and their part in distant trade from the first century CE onward. I'm definitely considering ordering the next one in advance.