Early globalization on display in history of Eurasian civilization
Farmers, nomads, traders made their mark on growing human interconnectedness
MODERN ENCOUNTERS A new book uses the Eurasian archaeological record to explain how events between 12,000 and 700 years ago led from farming to long-distance ocean trading and the first glimmers of globalization. Central Asian Mongols, depicted here fighting Chinese warriors, conquered many Eurasian societies during the 1200s before their empire dissolved.
Bahatur/Wikimedia Commons
By Steppe, Desert, and Ocean
Barry Cunliffe
Oxford Univ, $29.95
Today’s globalized, interconnected, in-your-face world has a complex backstory. In By Steppe, Desert, and Ocean, archaeologist Barry Cunliffe unravels events in Eurasia between 12,000 and 700 years ago, a pivotal stretch of time that witnessed a transformation of the first farmers into seagoing traders who created the first global networks.
It’s a fascinating tale of survival, ingenuity, power, greed, cooperation and brutality. Scheming characters on the TV show Empire have nothing on the Mongol empire, a band of nomadic horsemen that conquered much of Eurasia during the 1200s. This empire’s ruling family held its vast domain together for three generations before internal rivalries
