Central Eurasian History

Week 12: April 8 and 10 Lecture 20: The connected history of early modern Central Eurasia, with Scott Levi Lecture 21: Russian conquest and rule of Central Asia and Siberia Golden, Chapter 8 (105-121) Babur (Thaxton, ed.), Baburnama , excerpts (long, but you can skim through. What kind of a person is Babur? How does he think, what interests him? Can you compare him to Kangxi?) Khalid, Chapters 4-6...

Week 12: April 8 and 10 Lecture 20: The connected history of early modern Central Eurasia, with Scott Levi Lecture 21: Russian conquest and rule of Central Asia and Siberia Golden, Chapter 8 (105-121) Babur (Thaxton, ed.), Baburnama , excerpts (long, but you can skim through. What kind of a person is Babur? How does he think, what interests him? Can you compare him to Kangxi?) Khalid, Chapters 4-6...

Week 6：February 18 Lecture 9: Conversation with Prof. Michelle Wang about Buddhism and the Silk Road Lecture 10: Tarim Basin Oases and the Silk Road Golden, Chapter 4 (50-62) Hansen, Valerie. Chapter 6: "The Time Capsule of Silk Road History: The Dunhuang Caves." In The Silk Road: A New History, 167-198. “Mogao Caves: UNESCO video (2 mins. 45 seconds) Visit the Dunhuang caves (if you need to log...

Week 6：February 18 Lecture 9: Conversation with Prof. Michelle Wang about Buddhism and the Silk Road Lecture 10: Tarim Basin Oases and the Silk Road Golden, Chapter 4 (50-62) Hansen, Valerie. Chapter 6: "The Time Capsule of Silk Road History: The Dunhuang Caves." In The Silk Road: A New History, 167-198. “Mogao Caves: UNESCO video (2 mins. 45 seconds) Visit the Dunhuang caves (if you need to log...

Week 5： February 11 & 13 (HIST 1108 will meet in Friday sections this week) Lecture 7: Huns and Han: the Xiongnu (Hsiung-nu) and Han China: Emergence of a Pattern Lecture 8: Religious traditions and Central Eurasian History Sima Qian, Shiji (Records of the Historian), ch. 110: "Historical Biography of the Xiongnu." English on Canvas; Chinese text here . Note the general structure of the narra...

Week 5： February 11 & 13 (HIST 1108 will meet in Friday sections this week) Lecture 7: Huns and Han: the Xiongnu (Hsiung-nu) and Han China: Emergence of a Pattern Lecture 8: Religious traditions and Central Eurasian History Sima Qian, Shiji (Records of the Historian), ch. 110: "Historical Biography of the Xiongnu." English on Canvas; Chinese text here . Note the general structure of the narra...

Week 1： January 14 & 16 Lecture 1. Central Eurasia and World History Golden, Central Asia in World History, Introduction and Chapter 1 (1-20) (on Canvas, but also an assigned book to acquire) Christian, David. “Inner Eurasia as a Unit of World History.” Further reading: Sinor, ed. The Cambridge History of Early Inner Asia (Introduction and Chapter 2). Frank, Andre Gunder. The Centrality of Ce...

Week 2: January 21 & 23 Lecture 2. Where is Tartary? Introduction to the geography of Central Eurasia and its historical import Lecture 3. Nomadic pastoralism and the nomadic peoples of Eurasia Khazanov, Anatoly. Nomads and the Outside World , 15-84 Simakov, Georgii N. "Hunting with Raptors in Central Asia and Kazakhstan." Khalid, Central Asia , chapter 1 Watch: "The Eagle Huntress" (Extended...

Week 2: January 21 & 23 Lecture 2. Where is Tartary? Introduction to the geography of Central Eurasia and its historical import Lecture 3. Nomadic pastoralism and the nomadic peoples of Eurasia Khazanov, Anatoly. Nomads and the Outside World , 15-84 Simakov, Georgii N. "Hunting with Raptors in Central Asia and Kazakhstan." Khalid, Central Asia , chapter 1 Watch: "The Eagle Huntress" (Extended...

Week 3: January 28 & 30 Lecture 4: The languages of Central Eurasia and what linguistics can tell us Lecture 4.5: Pronunciation. See the Language Handout (on Canvas). Lecture 5: From origins to the first steppe nomadic power (the Scythians / Sakas) On language: · Allworth, Central Asia , pp. 61-71, 82-91 · Anthony, The Horse, the Wheel and Language, Chapter 5 (83-101) · Watkins, "Indo-European...

Week 3: January 28 & 30 Lecture 4: The languages of Central Eurasia and what linguistics can tell us Lecture 4.5: Pronunciation. See the Language Handout (on Canvas). Lecture 5: From origins to the first steppe nomadic power (the Scythians / Sakas) On language: · Allworth, Central Asia , pp. 61-71, 82-91 · Anthony, The Horse, the Wheel and Language, Chapter 5 (83-101) · Watkins, "Indo-European...

Week 4： February 4 & 6 Lecture 6: The Bactrian Pivot of Asia (Achaemenids, Macedonians, Yuezhi, Kushans) Golden, Chapter 2: "The Early Nomads," 21-34. Herodotus, The Histories , Book 4 (Canvas pdf) Another translation with the parallel Greek here . "Scythians: Warriors of Ancient Siberia" (museum exhibition. View the images of artifacts, and read the text—noting its tone and Russian perspecti...