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Full Description
A geographical area, not a political entity, the steppe connects the western and eastern parts of the Eurasian land mass. As such, it is always open, subject to constant movement between Asia and Europe. Warwick Ball tells the story of that movement from prehistory to the present. From nomadic peoples to conquering empires, from tales of Amazon women to art nouveau, and from golden grave goods to the formation of countries that still exist today, Ball shows how the steppe has continually shaped Europe's destiny. Ultimately, he shows that the steppe and the movement of peoples across it are so crucial that they question the very idea of 'Europe' as a separate cultural and historical construct.
Contents
Introduction
1. The Nature of the Steppe. Some Geographical ObservationsThe steppeThe way of the nomad Waves, hordes and movementDominoes and boundariesNomads and conquestThe steppe and trade
2. The Beginnings of Eurasia. Permanence, Movement and PrehistoryPermanence in a nomadic environmentThe Cucuteni-Tripolye 'mega-sitesMaikop: treasures, wheels and burials of the north CaucasusAcross the Caucasus and beyond: the Kuro-Araxes expansionAn island sanctuary: the megaliths of Vera IslandYamnaya and Afanasievo Cultures: the first Indo-Europeans?Newcomers from the East? The mysterious Okunev of south SiberiaA country of towns and chariotsThe beginning of the nomad culturesAndronovo, Seimo-Turbino and forest-steppe symbiosisThe Oxus CivilisationThe dance of the steppe: movement over vast areas
3. Indo-Europe. Prehistory and LanguagePhilosopher's stone or can of worms: the search for the Indo-EuropeansHistories in prehistoryThe devil in the divine: is there a common Indo-European identity?The great Tokharian trekWestward-ho: hard-wired to win
4. History and Myth. Cimmerians, Scythians and Sarmatians; Gog, Magog and ExcaliburThe Scythian homelandKarasuk originsTagar monumental kurgansThe frozen tombsTo the western steppeFrom Kurdistan to India and China: the Scythian kingdoms in the EastKurdistanFrom Sakastan to Indo-ScythiaFrom China through the Karakoram PassesThe western steppeThe Gomer, the Ashkenaz, and Gog and MagogFirst Scythian settlements in the westContact and conflict: the Greek states of the Black SeaThe Black Sea Scythian kingdomsSarmatian warriorsThe Scythian and Sarmatian legacy
5. Amazons. Women of the Steppe and the Idea of the Female Warrior?Greeks bearing mythsMatriarchy 'Old Europe'Evidence from archaeologyEvidence from ethnologyOttoman women: a case studyThe idea of the warrior womanA 'lande of Amazony'?
6. The Art of the Steppe. From Animal Style to Art NouveauGoldThe main elements of Scythian and Sarmatian artOrigins of the animal styleLater survivals of steppe art
7. Twilight of the Gods. The Huns, Attila and the End of AntiquityThe end of civilisation?Origins in the eastXiongnu material remainsThe Huns in Central Asia, Persia and IndiaA Hun kingdom in EuropeThe kingdom of AttilaWalling off the BarbarianLegacy of the Huns
8. Descendants of the She-wolf. The Emergence of Turkish-speaking PeoplesWhat is a 'Turk'?Huns, wolves, caves and princessesTurks and Buddhism: the Northern Wei of ChinaThe first Eurasian empireRevival under the UighursSlaves, merchants and conquerorsProsperity, power and civilisation: the lure of Islam
9. European Nations from the Steppe. Nomads and Early Medieval EuropeFinns, Karelians, Estonians and epic identitiesThe Avars and European knighthoodThe Bulgars and the beginning of statehood in RussiaThe formation of the Bulgarian EmpireFrom Siberia to Holy Roman Empire: the formation of HungaryPolovtsian dances
10. The Atlantis of the Steppe. The Khazar Empire and its LegacyOrigin of the Khazars: Cossack or Caesar?Conversion to JudaismA route paved with silverThe cities of KhazariaCans of worms and the Khazar legacy
11. The 'Men from Hell'. Setting the West Ablaze: The Mongols in EuropeAn 'Age of Catastrophe'Dress rehearsal: the Western LiaoFrom 'just and resolute butcher' to 'Buddhist holy man'The invasion of EuropePrester John and the CrusadesXanadu to the Volga
12. Golden Hordes. The Tatar Khanates of RussiaUnder the shadow of Genghis Khan: the house of TamerlaneA people of Europe?Poland-Lithuania and the Horde versus Muscovy and CrimeaEurope's last Mongol stateThe last migration
13. A Modern Steppe Empire. Russian Identity and the SteppeRussia east or west?The Mongol legacyThe Mongols create a churchMuscovy becomes a steppe empireEurasia as politicsThe steppe, archaeology and identity in RussiaThe steppe, art and identity in Russia
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