The Silk Roads: A New History of the World
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- Create Date：2021-05-03 08:55:46
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Peter Frankopan
- ISBN：1408839997
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Summary
For centuries， fame and fortune were to be found in the west – in the New World of the Americas。 Today， it is the east which calls out to those in search of riches and adventure。 Sweeping right across Central Asia and deep into China and India， a region that once took centre stage is again rising to dominate global politics， commerce and culture。
A major reassessment of world history， The Silk Roads is a dazzling exploration of the forces that have driven the rise and fall of empires， determined the flow of ideas and goods and are now heralding a new dawn in international affairs。
A major reassessment of world history， The Silk Roads is a dazzling exploration of the forces that have driven the rise and fall of empires， determined the flow of ideas and goods and are now heralding a new dawn in international affairs。
Reviews
Selena Stan
，
A good refresh and a welcome addition to history information we get in school。 While the part of the book leading up to modern age feels a bit like a story （a well told one）， the part dealing with the XX century is really enthralling and appears well documented。 It deals a lot with the games of politics played by the Western powers （mostly UK and then the US）， as well as by Russia， in the Asia Minor and Middle East regions。 The information is well structured and the perspective seems objective， A good refresh and a welcome addition to history information we get in school。 While the part of the book leading up to modern age feels a bit like a story （a well told one）， the part dealing with the XX century is really enthralling and appears well documented。 It deals a lot with the games of politics played by the Western powers （mostly UK and then the US）， as well as by Russia， in the Asia Minor and Middle East regions。 The information is well structured and the perspective seems objective， focused on documented reports and publicly available information。 。。。more
Robert
，
I enjoyed this far more than I imagined I would。 The prose is so engaging and easy to follow。 There is an immense amount of knowledge given over; it took me a fair while to get through， yet the I never felt bogged down by the weight of material。Much of this I had no real idea of， and I would suggest this is a world history many would enjoy reading。
Gaberber
，
Little new perspectives offered。
Aminah Imam
，
I think my expectations for this were very different from what it turned out to be。 This is less the book's fault and more my own。 I think the writer achieved what he set out to write。 It just wasn't what I was looking to read。 I had been hoping to find out more about the history of that part of the world - however， it ended up having quite a heavily Eurocentric and American narrative。 If this was what I was after， I might have enjoyed it more。 I think my expectations for this were very different from what it turned out to be。 This is less the book's fault and more my own。 I think the writer achieved what he set out to write。 It just wasn't what I was looking to read。 I had been hoping to find out more about the history of that part of the world - however， it ended up having quite a heavily Eurocentric and American narrative。 If this was what I was after， I might have enjoyed it more。 。。。more
Bart Reinalda
，
I managed to finish this one after a five-month break， and I'm glad I made the effort to pick it up again。 Frankopan is a superb storyteller who is capable of handling grand world-historical narratives， while at the same time making use of his exquisite eye for the detail that gives this book its life。 Though I don't remember the exact specifics of the first 400 or so pages of the book， I do remember it being history written the way I enjoy it， describing particular events， peoples， and countrie I managed to finish this one after a five-month break， and I'm glad I made the effort to pick it up again。 Frankopan is a superb storyteller who is capable of handling grand world-historical narratives， while at the same time making use of his exquisite eye for the detail that gives this book its life。 Though I don't remember the exact specifics of the first 400 or so pages of the book， I do remember it being history written the way I enjoy it， describing particular events， peoples， and countries， while having significance far beyond the region where， and time when， it takes place。The last 100 pages did not disappoint; Frankopan deals as graciously as possible with the foreign policy disasters of the US in Iraq， Iran， and Afghanistan in the second half of the 20th/beginning of the 21th century （there were plenty more disasters， but they took place outside of Frankopan's field of focus， which contains the Middle-East， Central Asia， and parts of South-East Asia， though with exceptions）。 He explains these events by placing them in the historical context that he so painstakingy creates earlier in his book， giving the reader the feeling of having come a little closer to understanding the immensely complex but vitally important history of a region so brutally torn apart by war and destruction， where civil war and mass terror still carry on to this day。 Though the narrative starts in the BC years and ends in modern times， Frankopan still manages to tell in detail the sprawling story of all kinds of peoples and lands， familiar， more obscure， vanished， or forgotten， while never omitting more than necessary， or losing sight of the Silk Roads that underlie the story from the beginning till the end and are so vital to his vision of the future。 This book makes me want to delve deeper into the history of the East， which I suppose is he highest compliment a book can receive。 I recommend it to anybody who loves history and is not afraid of a large amount of names and dates。 Yes， it demands focus and， at times， hard work， but it rewards that focus and hard work with an entirely novel perspective on world history and， even， on the modern world itself。 。。。more
Rohan Sen
，
From the rise of Persian empire in 559 BCE to the invasion of Iraq in 2003 - this book has it all。 Brilliantly researched ， and at times exhausting because of the massive amount of information you have to digest ， this book is hands down one of the best books on world history ever written。。。
Rob Olsen
，
I’ve a GCSE in History; and new nothing of what is provided within this analysis。Professor Frankopan talks of the silk roads being the means by which not just goods were traded， but ideas were spread: belief systems （religion）， science， mathematics， philosophy and why such great advances were made by those from ‘the east’ and left Western-Europe in the shadows。In this we see how Christianity obstructed the flow of knowledge， the advancement of science and an understanding of the natural world。 D I’ve a GCSE in History; and new nothing of what is provided within this analysis。Professor Frankopan talks of the silk roads being the means by which not just goods were traded， but ideas were spread: belief systems （religion）， science， mathematics， philosophy and why such great advances were made by those from ‘the east’ and left Western-Europe in the shadows。In this we see how Christianity obstructed the flow of knowledge， the advancement of science and an understanding of the natural world。 Did those who pushed for a ‘Christian World’， behind their rhetoric， know how their ‘world idea’ would keep mankind in the dark ages。To my surprise， the Mongols were not a bunch of murdering thugs; they did not shy from that on the way to building their empire， but they certainly did more for the improvement of civilisation than the Christians ever did。Again， a surprise， the Vikings traded with Constantinople。 。。。more
Joelle
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Joelle Still Reads Her Bookcase #13Though I wished this book had focused also on Africa and South America in the 18th - 21st centuries， they were not part of the Silk Road。 Nor also will you find a lot of information about Southeast Asia。 However， it is a balanced and comprehensive view of the first Silk Road， and its constant evolution。
Chris
，
Very interesting to read and learn about the history of this part of the world， which barely got any attention in our history classes even though it’s so connected to our Western society。 Some chapters were extremely interesting to me， some chapters didn’t interest me at all。
Syed Shuvo
，
First of all， this is a great book if you are interested in geopolitics。 Secondly， it covers the history of Central Asia in terms of trades and warfare。 I have learned about the movements of people in this region of the world。 The book is detail but pleasant to read。 One can get the idea that the politics of present world is nothing but the continuation that have been going on since the antiquity。 All domination are for possessing energy sources or precious materials。
Pulkit
，
Super！ A refreshing account of historical events starting from 6th century and ending in 21st century。 Incorporation of non Eurocentric views was the major attraction in the book which sets it apart from countless other works。 Brilliant effort by the author to condense centuries of history to a 500-page volume。 Learned a LOT！ P。S。 I love the cover！
Paul Hartzog
，
Lots of fascinating info， and an interesting lens through which to view world history。 Loved the ancient history and the contemporary， but the 1800s and WW I & II were slightly more of a slog for me。 For what it's worth， the writing style is like most history writers， you know， the ones everyone complains about that makes them hate history。 But if you are interested in the actual material then the writing style isn't too bad。We get force fed so many one-sided views of world history in the West t Lots of fascinating info， and an interesting lens through which to view world history。 Loved the ancient history and the contemporary， but the 1800s and WW I & II were slightly more of a slog for me。 For what it's worth， the writing style is like most history writers， you know， the ones everyone complains about that makes them hate history。 But if you are interested in the actual material then the writing style isn't too bad。We get force fed so many one-sided views of world history in the West that it's delightfully refreshing to get such an intriguing and interesting new viewpoint。 。。。more
Richard
，
For english readers this is "The Silk Road" in german。 i did not know that when I came across it。In any case this is a really important book as it synthesizes so many aspects of history from a point of view of global interaction。 This gets arounds so many biases that creep in in histories from a ingle countries point of view。 It is clearly written and far from what I call biblical histories that spend a lot of time telling who begat whom。 Or which are so stocked with chains of facts that one can For english readers this is "The Silk Road" in german。 i did not know that when I came across it。In any case this is a really important book as it synthesizes so many aspects of history from a point of view of global interaction。 This gets arounds so many biases that creep in in histories from a ingle countries point of view。 It is clearly written and far from what I call biblical histories that spend a lot of time telling who begat whom。 Or which are so stocked with chains of facts that one can not remember anything。 This book has clear narratives in each chapter with plenty of development and nteresting perspectives。 。。。more
George Russell-Stracey
，
An unbelievable amount of information tracing back millennia。 I’ll admit， it lost my a bit in the 3rd quarter but the way the concept of The Silk Road was brought all the way back around was incredibly eye opening and fascinating。
Kara
，
（4。5）
Stephanie Erdal
，
So fascinating， could read again and again and learn something new every time。
Yvonne
，
Very interesting and informative。 A little hard for novice to follow as so much history crammed in the pages。 Would have really helped to have more maps that showed where these places were。 It was hard to follow but a very comprehensive book
Tahir Khokhar
，
Brilliantly researched and well written 😊
Gaialy
，
Masterful。
Philip Chaston
，
Good book。 Mindful of the sequel， as the conclusions about fossil fuels hits the new crusade on decarbonisation。 The constant is decline of the West。
JuanAndres
，
This is a fantastic book。 This has helped me gain high level insights around world history， from the point of view of economics， trade and power and how they have shaped our world today。Overall， it has motivated me to travel and learn more about those unknown Asian cultures then and today。The second to last chapter spends too much time going into detail around USA's foreign policy mishaps。Enjoyed the last chapter a lot。 There are a lot of good points regarding the rebirth of the Persian empire a This is a fantastic book。 This has helped me gain high level insights around world history， from the point of view of economics， trade and power and how they have shaped our world today。Overall， it has motivated me to travel and learn more about those unknown Asian cultures then and today。The second to last chapter spends too much time going into detail around USA's foreign policy mishaps。Enjoyed the last chapter a lot。 There are a lot of good points regarding the rebirth of the Persian empire and I believe there was something around China as well， but that gets brushed off too early too quickly。 。。。more
John Hall
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A brilliant readWhat a wonderful read。 What history and influence。 Beautifully written。 Thoroughly enjoyed this book， couldn’t put it down。。。。recommended。 John Hall。
Jodie
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Gotta say the first half of this caught my attention the most， second half was equally interesting but was more trodden ground so not quite as many :o moments
〰️Beth〰️
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4。5 stars。 I found this an interesting read。 It looks at the Silk Road trade routes from a non western approach。 Definitely not what has traditionally been taught in Western Europe and North America。Unfortunately I wished it was more current but was written a few years ago and was happily surprised to see Frankopan has a newer book out on the topic。 Highly recommend！
Damian
，
Fascinating
Yazir Paredes
，
Great macro history of the world seen through the point of view of the Silk Roads and how what happens there impacts the whole world。 Interesting read。
Charlotte
，
While the scope of this work is initially somewhat alarming， Frankopan's popular history of the Heart of the World/Silk Roads/Spine of Asia/ the Middle East （yes， all of it） does a good job of balancing breadth and depth。 His fast pace keeps the reader engaged and excited， though necessarily requires a rather singular story-telling lens。 A good introduction to a fascinating history。 While the scope of this work is initially somewhat alarming， Frankopan's popular history of the Heart of the World/Silk Roads/Spine of Asia/ the Middle East （yes， all of it） does a good job of balancing breadth and depth。 His fast pace keeps the reader engaged and excited， though necessarily requires a rather singular story-telling lens。 A good introduction to a fascinating history。 。。。more
Yeemay
，
A book everyone should read as they come of age， an epic view of world history crammed with pertinent and essential detail about economics， politics， arts and culture。 It rescued my lived history from insubstantial memory into context and colour。 Now all I need is a sturdy geography primer for all these place names。。。
PJFry
，
An exciting and fascinating romp through world history。 A gateway book， a good place to start reading about world history and discovering how the lesson of the past must be learnt to have a better future。 Full of myths， facts， legends and true events， this meticulously researched and referenced book， weaves a vivid narrative of world events throughout history and presents a trustworthy interpretation by it’s author。 As an up to date recounting of history， this， to me， is a must read book。 Bring An exciting and fascinating romp through world history。 A gateway book， a good place to start reading about world history and discovering how the lesson of the past must be learnt to have a better future。 Full of myths， facts， legends and true events， this meticulously researched and referenced book， weaves a vivid narrative of world events throughout history and presents a trustworthy interpretation by it’s author。 As an up to date recounting of history， this， to me， is a must read book。 Bring on the sequel。 。。。more
Cem Yüksel
，