Culture and Conquest in Mongol Eurasia

by Thomas T. Allsen

Overview

Thomas Allsen is one of the foremost historians of the Mongol empire. His latest book breaks new scholarly boundaries in its exploration of cultural and scientific exchanges between Iran and China. Contrary to popular belief, Mongol rulers were intensely interested in the culture of their sedentary subjects. Under their auspices, various commodities, ideologies and technologies were disseminated across Eurasia. The result was a lively exchange of scientists, scholars and ritual specialists between East and West. The book is broad-ranging and erudite and promises to become a classic in the field.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521803359
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	08/20/2001
Series:	Cambridge Studies in Islamic Civilization
Pages:	264
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.00(d)
Lexile:	1290L (what's this?)

About the Author

Thomas T. Allsen is Professor in the Department of History, The College of New Jersey, Ewing. His publications include Commodity and Exchange in the Mongol Empire: A Cultural History of Islamic Textiles (1997).

Table of Contents

Part I. Background: 1. Introduction; 2. Before the Mongols; Part II. Political-Economic Relations: 3. Formation of the Il-qans, 1251–65; 4. Grand Qans and Il-qans, 1265–95; 5. Continuity and change under Ghazan, 1295–1304; 6. Sultans and Grand Qans, 1304–35; 7. Economic ties; 8. Overview of the relationship; Part III. Intermediaries: 9. Marco Polo and Po-lo; 10. Qubilai and Bolad Aqa; 11. Rashid al-Din and Pulad chinksank; Part IV. Cultural Exchange: 12. Historiography; 13. Geography and cartography; 14. Agriculture; 15. Cuisine; 16. Medicine; 17. Astronomy; 18. Printing; Part V. Analysis and Conclusions: 19. Models and methods; 20. Agency; 21. Filtering; 22. Summation.

Editorial Reviews

"This splendid work charts a maze of hitherto unlooked-for circuits and connections, identifying technical fields that warrant further investigation. Erudite, cogent, and original, it serves the Mongols well." International History Review

"This book belongs in all undergraduate and graduate school libraries; indeed, it should be in the libraries of all campuses that offer courses on world history." Choice

"...Culture and Conquest in Mongol Eurasia is a superb book and a model of accurate scholarship. All those interested in late medieval China or Iran, in the Mongol empire, or in international cross-cultural contact before European dominance will profit greatly from reading Professor Allsen's fascinating story." Islamic Studies

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