The Silk Roads cover art

The Silk Roads

A New History of the World

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About this listen

 “This is history on a grand scale, with a sweep and ambition that is rare… A proper historical epic of dazzling range and achievement.” —William Dalrymple, The Guardian

The epic history of the crossroads of the world—the meeting place of East and West and the birthplace of civilization

It was on the Silk Roads that East and West first encountered each other through trade and conquest, leading to the spread of ideas, cultures and religions. From the rise and fall of empires to the spread of Buddhism and the advent of Christianity and Islam, right up to the great wars of the twentieth century—this book shows how the fate of the West has always been inextricably linked to the East.

Peter Frankopan realigns our understanding of the world, pointing us eastward. He vividly re-creates the emergence of the first cities in Mesopotamia and the birth of empires in Persia, Rome and Constantinople, as well as the depredations by the Mongols, the transmission of the Black Death and the violent struggles over Western imperialism. Throughout the millennia, it was the appetite for foreign goods that brought East and West together, driving economies and the growth of nations.

From the Middle East and its political instability to China and its economic rise, the vast region stretching eastward from the Balkans across the steppe and South Asia has been thrust into the global spotlight in recent years. Frankopan teaches us that to understand what is at stake for the cities and nations built on these intricate trade routes, we must first understand their astounding pasts. Far more than a history of the Silk Roads, this book is truly a revelatory new history of the world, promising to destabilize notions of where we come from and where we are headed next. Asia World Ancient History Middle East Middle Ages Imperialism War Africa Iran China Ottoman Empire Refugee Latin America Ancient Greece Crusade Interwar Period World History

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The narrator is very good, easy to listen to and engaging. The scope of the book is broad and interesting. I enjoyed the more ancient history more and found the chapters on more recent history a little rushed but that is being a little unfair to an overall well presented book.

Overall a very interesting book

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Equally epic as it is engaging. Couldn't stop listening. Very well researched and the narrator is perfect.

Epic Telling of History

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Well written, researched and engaging. While the book is still eurocentric in the sense it is written by a European and centred on the West, it presents a counter perspective to inaccurate and negative eurocentric tropes we have been taught and told in the West. Frankopan does a good job of explaining crucial segments of history from parts of Europe, Northern Africa, and Asia starting from just before the start of Persian empire ~530BC to explain/situate modern-day politics and economics. And yes Frankopan does interject his opinion/bias, as do all authors - it's an "imperial myth" to think accounts of history or politics can be produced without bias. These are the 2 main critiques reviewers seem to have with this book but that shouldn't deter one from reading it IMO. The book also validated many things I independently researched for my PhD thesis before even knowing about Frankopan or his book.


On the flip side, the narration is HORRENDOUS.  It is incredulous, especially given the story, that the narrator thinks its OK to put on accents when quoting Persians, Arabs, and Indians -  at first I didn't think too much of it as I thought he was trying to differentiate between Frankopan and the person he's quoting but he doesn't put on accents for others such as Americans, French or Russians. It's one thing if the accents were accurate or consistent but they are not. I ended up buying the physical book as the story is too deep for an audio reading.

Great story. Horrible narration.

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Expansive and informative. Reader sounded exhausted at times, but understandable for such a long source

Enjoyed

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If you want to know how the world revolves. Politics and power. This is the book for you

Fantastic

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