About this book
Peter Frankopan's history shifts the usual focus away from Western Europe and toward the vast region stretching from the eastern Mediterranean through Persia and Central Asia to China. He argues that this region, crossed by networks of trade and travel often called the Silk Roads, has long been the true centre of world affairs.
The book moves from the ancient world to the present, tracing how goods, religions, ideas, diseases and armies moved along these routes. Chapters are organised around themes such as faith, furs, slaves, gold, oil and grain, which helps the reader follow a huge span of time through connected threads.
What makes the book stand out is its change of perspective. Familiar events look different when viewed from Baghdad, Samarkand or Tehran, and Frankopan's wide reading makes the connections vivid. It is a valuable corrective for anyone whose picture of the past has been shaped mainly by European and American history. Readers who enjoy it may also like Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World.
Who it’s for
Suited to readers who want a fresh view of world history; long and packed with names and places, so it rewards steady reading.
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