The Cambridge History of Early Inner Asia, Volume 1Denis Sinor Originally announced as Volume I of The Cambridge History of Central Asia, this book will now be published as a one volume history. (Volumes 2 and 3, previously announced, will not now be published.) This book introduces the geographical setting of Inner Asia and follows its history from the paleolithic era to the rise of the Mongol empire in the thirteenth century. From earliest times Inner Asia has linked and separated the great sedentary civilizations of Europe and Asia. In the pre-modern period it was definable more as a cultural than a geographical entity, its frontiers shifting accORD international scholars who have pioneered the exploration of Inner Asia's poorly documented past, this book chronologically traces the varying historical achievements of the disparate population groups in the region. These include the Scythians and Sarmatians, the Hsiung-nu, the Huns and Avars, the people of the Russian steppes, the Turk empire, the Uighurs and the Tibetan empire. It is the editor's hope that this book will bring Inner Asia more closely into the fabric of world history. |
Contents
The geographic setting | 19 |
Inner Asia at the dawn of history | 41 |
The Scythians and Sarmatians | 97 |
The Sarmatians | 107 |
The Hsiungnu | 118 |
The Hsiungnu and their nonChinese neighbors | 125 |
The struggle for the Western Regions | 131 |
From split to submission | 138 |
The establishment and dissolution of the Türk empire | 285 |
Türks and the Juanjuan | 291 |
The founding of the first Türk kaghanate | 297 |
The partition of the Türk state | 305 |
Epilogue | 313 |
Ethnic composition territorial extent and administration | 320 |
Religion | 329 |
Social change | 335 |
The Northern Hsiungnu | 144 |
IndoEuropeans in Inner Asia | 151 |
The Hun period | 177 |
The Avars | 206 |
The peoples and languages of the Avar state | 221 |
The peoples of the Russian forest belt | 229 |
The origins and development of the Hungarians | 242 |
Extinct peoples of the Middle Volga region | 248 |
The peoples of the south Russian steppes | 256 |
The Khazars | 263 |
The Pechenegs | 270 |
The Cumans | 277 |
The Karakhanids and early Islam | 343 |
The Sāmānids and Islam in Central Asia | 352 |
Early and medieval Tibet | 371 |
The period of the regency | 379 |
The decline and disintegration of the empire | 385 |
The dark period 8501000 and the second introduction | 392 |
Kitans and Jurchens | 400 |
The Jurchens | 412 |
Bibliography | 424 |
495 | |
Common terms and phrases
9th century Altai Amur ancient appear archeological army Asian attack Attila Avar Baikal Barbarians became border Buddhist Bulghar burials Byzantine campaign Central Asia century B.C. Ch'iang China Chinese sources clan court culture Cuman Danube defeated desert dynasty east Eastern elements emperor empire envoys ethnic flint forces forest groups Hephthalites horses Hsiung-nu Hungarian Huns important Inner Asia inscriptions Iranian Islamic Juan-juan Jurchen kaghan Kanişka Kansu Karabalghasun Karakhanid Karluk Khan Khazar king Kitan Kuṣāņa land language later Levalloisian Liao Manichaeism migration military Mongol Mongolia Moskva Motun mountain Muslim neighbors Neolithic nomads north Black Sea Northern Hsiung-nu Oghur Oghuz Paleolithic Pechenegs period political Pontic steppes probably river Roman rule ruler Saljuk Sāmānid Sarmatian Scythians sedentary settlements shan-yü Siberia Sogdians southern stone T'ang territory throne Tibet Tibetan tribal union tribes Turkic Uighur Urals Volga vols Western Regions Western Türks yabghu Yüeh-chih Zhang-zhung zone
Popular passages
Page 491 - Ancient historical edicts at Lhasa and the Mu Tsung/Khri Gtsug Lde Brtsan treaty of AD 821822 from the inscription at Lhasa.