The History of Central Asia: 4-Volume Set 1788313518, 9781788313513

Table of contents :
Volume 1: The Age of the Steppe Warriors
Contents
Introduction
I. Geography, Climate and Prehuman History of Central Asia
II. The Settlement of Central Asia in the Palaeolithic
III. A Global Climatic Warming Ushers in the Mesolithic
IV. The Economic Revolution of the Neolithic
V. The Chalcolithic and the Early Bronze Age
VI. The Middle and Late Bronze Age
VII. The Iron Age
VIII. Greeks in Central Asia
IX. Outlook
Appendix: The most important prehistoric and early historic cultures of Central Asia
Notes
Bibliography
List of Maps
Photo Credits
Acknowledgements
Index: Concepts
Index: People
Index: Places
Volume 2: The Age of the Silk Roads
Contents
Introduction
I. Early Empires and Kingdoms in East Central Asia
II. Early Buddhism in Central Asia and the Gandhara School
III. The Migration of Hunnic Peoples to Northern China, Central Asia and Eastern Europe
IV. The Kingdoms of the Tarim Basin and their Schools of Buddhist Art
V. The First Turkic Khaganate
VI. Turkic Kingdoms of Eastern Europe
VII. The Sogdians
VIII. The Second Turkic Khaganate and the Türgesh
IX. China, Tibet and the Arabs: The Struggle for Supremacy in Central Asia
X. The Uyghurs
XI. Outlook
Appendix: The Most Important Dynasties and Rulers of Central Asia
Notes
Bibliography
List of Maps
Photo Credits
Acknowledgements
Index: Concepts
Index: People
Index: Places
Volume 3: The Age of Islam and the Mongols
Contents
Introduction
I. Iranian-Muslim Dynasties in South-West Central Asia
II. Central Asian Pioneers of Islamic Philosophy and Sciences
III. The Second Turkic Migrations to the West
IV. Turco-Muslim Dynasties in Southern Central Asia
V. Buddhist States of the Liao, Qara Khitai and Tanguts
VI. The Rise of the Mongols
VII. The United Mongol Empire
VIII. The Independent Mongol Khanates
IX. Timur-e Lang and the Timurids
X. Outlook
Appendix A: The Most Important Denominations of Islam and Early Muslim Dynasties Outside Central Asia
Appendix B: The Most Important Dynasties of Central Asia from the Ninth to the Early Sixteenth Centuries
Notes
Bibliography
List of Maps
Photo Credits
Acknowledgements
Index: Concepts
Index: People
Index: Places
Volume 4: The Age of Decline and Revival
Contents
Introduction
I. Descendants of the Genghis Khanids
II. The Descendants of the Timurids: the Dynasty of the Mughal in India and Afghanistan
III. A Reorganisation of Geography: North Central Asia Becomes a Periphery
IV. Afghanistan until 1837 and the Khanates of Central Asia until the Russian Conquest
V. The ‘Great Game’: Central Asia as a Pivot of Russian and British Expansion Policy
VI. The Drive for Sovereignty – Central Asia between the World Wars
VII. A Multilateral Great Game in Afghanistan, 1978–92
VIII. Afghanistan Forces the Three Major Powers to Engage in a Joint Struggle against Islamic Extremism
IX. The New Independence of Central Asian States
X. Outlook
Appendix: The Most Important Dynasties of Central Asia from the Sixteenth to the Early Twentieth Century
Notes
Bibliography
List of Maps
Photo Credits
Acknowledgements
Index: Concepts
Index: People
Index: Places
Praise for The History of Central Asia