The Silk Road: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)

Millward’s emphasis is in pointing out that the Silk Road was neither predominantly about silk nor was it the single route that the word “road” implies. While silk was certainly a product that traded on this transportation network, it wasn’t necessarily the most important commodity by value-- and certainly wasn’t in terms of its effect on the world. More broadly, the author presents a Silk Road that defies neat delineations and definitions, a Silk Road that is often more of a conceptual bridge than a literal transportation route.The book consists of six chapters. The first describes the territory serviced by this network, and particularly Central Eurasia which served as the bridge between East and West. This is the Silk Road as connective tissue allowing dispersion of ideas, technologies, products, services, and art between regions separated by vast distances and cultural gulfs.While chapter one deals in the space of the Silk Road, chapter two explores time periods in which the Silk Road flourished. This begins with Indo-European nomads as far back as 3000 BC / BCE, and proceeds through various eras seeing changes in the route and the products moving along it. Most of these eras, e.g. the classical Silk Road period and the time of the Mongol Empire, are defined by burgeoning use of the network. However, Millward does ask how dead was the period from the 3rd to the 5th AD / CE which is normally considered a dead spot in Silk Road history. It should be noted that modern history is addressed mostly in the last chapter, which considers whether the Silk Road remains relevant in today’s world with its very different transportation and communications infrastructures.Chapter three is about the biology of the Silk Road. A considerable portion of this chapter is devoted to human dispersion and the legacy of events in Central Asia as seen in human DNA. However, the author also examines the spread of horses, grapes, and dumplings. The approach of focusing on a few key commodities is repeated in chapters four and five. (These three chapters form the core of the book.)Chapter four reflects on the role of the Silk Road in dispersion of technology. Silk is presented in this chapter, but not so much as pashmina and bolts of cloth, but rather in terms of sericulture—the technology of producing silk. The second product to be evaluated herein is paper, and it’s argued that paper was a more important commodity than was silk. Medicine and military technology are also examined in this chapter as among the biggest global game changers of the Silk Road.Chapter five is about the spread of art along the Silk Road. One of the most interesting parts of the book, for me personally, was a discussion of stories and myths that spread via the Silk Route, and which can be seen in various cultures along the way. The lute (and stringed instruments that sprung from it) is also considered as a key artistic commodity of trade. There is also an extensive discussion of visual motifs seen along the Silk Road, as well as the blue-and-white porcelain that was a popular product, ultimately becoming widely copied.As discussed above, the last chapter is about the present and future of the Silk Road. Entitled “Whither the Silk Road,” the author suggests that this trade network didn’t become irrelevant with the rise of transportation by sea and air and new modes of communication—though it has changed considerably.There are a small number of graphics, including maps as well as photos and pictures that depict examples of commodities and technologies relevant to discussion of Silk Road trade. There are also sections devoted to references, advice on further readings, and a page of relevant websites.I’d recommend this book for anyone who wants a brief overview of the Silk Road. If you’re a history buff and want to dig deep and see broadly, it seems there are some very well-regarded books of a much more detailed nature. I can’t comment on said books, but I know there is more than one award-winning book on Silk Road trade and cultural interactions. This, as the subtitle suggests, is much more of an outline of the subject. That said, I think the author does a good job of picking a few exemplary commodities, technologies, and arts, and focusing on them. Thus, one does get some of the insights of a book that drills down, just not along as broad of subject matter.

Review – The Silk Road, A very Short Introduction“The Silk Road, A very Short Introduction” by James Millward is just that, a short introduction to the long and important history of The Silk Road. Millward quickly displaces any thought that the Silk Road was a physical highway between Europe and China open only in the Western Middle Ages. Millward explains the importance of Central Asia, i.e. the -Stan states – and their function in transmission of nearly every concept and portable item back and forth between Europe, Africa, the Middle East and South Asia (India and Pakistan) and Central Asia (the -stan states from Afghanistan north), China, Mongolia, and even into Japan and Korea.Millward could be accused of overstating the importance of this transfer of knowledge and trade items, but he lays out facts and data to back up his contention that the Silk Road was a rich and vital part of human civilization from Neolithic times to modern times. He contends that Central Asia was the repository of knowledge and culture in the doldrums of both the East and the West (300 – 600 CE). Millward discusses both convergence and divergence of goods and information along the Silk Road, illuminating the origin of many items from the other side.But this is a very short introduction to the topic of the importance of Central Asia to the development of culture and civilization both in the Far East, and in the West. And as such, Millward has written a book to whit our appetites to learn more. In this he is succeeds very well.The language is concise and at times tense. The book reads well and clearly. At times names of cultures and civilizations and eras and geography and kings are introduced all too briefly. I, at least, had to do some occasionally reference work to know who or what was being discussed, especially as my knowledge of the East end of the Silk Road is all too limited.The view point of this book is much larger than our usual view of Western History and Culture. One has to take nearly a world view to comprehend what is being presented. This may be a bit of a shock to those only schooled in our Western Confines. But with the opening of the Russian and the Chinese libraries of history, we are getting a much more accurate picture of history. This book is a good introduction to modern interpretation of history, setting the stage for much delightful exploration of how four important centers of human endeavor (1) Western Europe and Middle East, 2) South Asia, 3) Central and North Asia, and 4) the Far East) have interacted over the centuries.

The book is not well structured and reads like a collection of factoids.Space allocated to certain subjects are completely devoid of proportion (e.g. details of music theory) whereas multi century spanning empires barely make an appearance.Certain sections have a first-hand journalistic flavor and are already outdated (anyone remember Iran’s foreign minister from two decades ago?). We hear about what Hillary Clinton said a state visit.Finally some facts are outdated. Ancient human genomics has moved at a fast clip, making the discussion in this book more wrong than right. We also now know that the term Silk Road originated not with Richthofen but earlier by Karl Ritter and others. The discussion of the plague is also not well informed and considered inaccurate my modern historical epidemiological research informed by genomics.So why 3 stars?On the positive side, the author nonetheless covers a very large range of topics, spread across a massive range of space and time. It is impossible to be an expert on every aspect of it. I’ve learned a great many interesting facts I was completely ignorant of especially concerning cultural connections between East and west. So perhaps ultimately the diversions of the book ended up being the most enjoyable bits.

Excellent short overview of the history of the Silk Road in terms of goods, horses, language, religion, technology, ideas, and politics! From ancient BCE to modern times!

As an avid reader of Oxford's Very Short Introductions (VSI) series, I could say with a certain degree of confidence that most writers of VSIs are masters of concision and clarity. Yet among them stand out a few Grandmasters - in lack of a better term - that is, those who are capable to add elegance to the treatment of their subject, seamlessly navigating between the main points, alternately plunging into the depths that some dimension of their theme requires and then conveying a bird's eye view on the whole, all narrated in such a compelling manner that the tight VSI format is ultimately made use of to their advantage. James A. Millward's VSI to The Silk Road definitely shows rare craftmanship for this read feels like a luxurious travel across cleverly interwoven timelines in which the rigor of science and the luster of art have met.

Ótimo livro! Apresenta informações que complementam outros livros e trabalhos de pesquisa sobre a Rota da Seda. Recomendo o livro àqueles que são interessados pela literatura temática.

I got a great deal of pleasure from this book. I had been aware of the Silk Road from schooling but had not realized the ramifications it had on history and the industrial revolution. The transfer of technology between eastern and western civilizations took several paths through Eurasia and Europe and used the Indian Ocean for trade between the East and Africa/Arabia,Persia. Marco Polo and many others traveled to China but emissaries from China to the Papacy and as far west as Britain. Very informative of early China and the Middle Eastern Countries.

Superb. Very readable, very academic, very informative and very useful for my purposes. The title is a bit misleading. It is not that short, but is very complete for an introductory book.

As someone who has visited some of the cities of the silk road (Samarkand, Bukhara) and also travelled in Tajikistan and Kazakhstan, I thought this might be a good read. The book was trying to make the point that there has always been travel east and west from prehistory until today and not just silk.Lost one mark as i would have liked a bit more on the traders who are no longer round like the Sogdian's and perhaps a bit more about the stopping points and Caravanserai - how the paths were used.