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The Barbarian Empires of the Steppes
- Narrated by: Kenneth W. Harl
- Length: 18 hrs and 15 mins
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The Barbarian Empires of the Steppes
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Summary
The word "barbarian" quickly conjures images of Attila the Hun and Genghis Khan. Yet few people realize these men belong to a succession of nomadic warriors who emerged from the Eurasian steppes to conquer civilizations. It's a part of ancient and medieval history that's often overlooked, but for an accurate view of how the world evolved, it's essential.
Covering some 6,000 miles and 6,000 years, this eye-opening course illuminates how a series of groups - from the Sacae and Sarmatians to the infamous Huns and Mongols - pushed ever westward, coming into contact with the Roman Empire, Han China, and distant cultures from Iraq to India.
Along the way, you'll learn how these nomads caused a domino effect of displacement and cultural exchange; meet fascinating figures such as Tamerlane, the "Prince of Destruction"; witness struggles to control the legendary Silk Road; trace the spread of Buddhism and Islam, and more.
By looking past the barbarian stereotype, you'll understand who these people were, the significance of their innovations - which include stirrups, saddles, and gunpowder - and the magnitude of their impact. Of course, these warriors did wage campaigns of terror, and you'll hear many accounts of violence as well.
Led by an award-winning professor, these 36 lectures provide new insights on how the world was shaped and introduce you to cultures and empires you've likely never encountered.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
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What listeners say about The Barbarian Empires of the Steppes
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- David
- 16-12-14
Fascinating insight into a huge subject
As with many of the Great Courses this deals with a subject I hadn't realised I was interested in until I saw the title and took the plunge. Professor Harl covers an enormous subject both in temporal and geographical terms and makes it manageable by bringing a human element to the characters involved.
I have seen comments that a map is essential to understanding the subject and it would certainly help but it strikes me that is a limitation of audiobooks in general not specifically this course.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Unique Pseudonym
- 29-08-17
Fun and easy to follow
It can't have been easy to make the history of such a wide area over such a long period of time coherent to a layperson. This course strikes a good balance between being too dry and too devoid of information. Perhaps the best thing I can say is that I feel like I know (and actually understand) more than I did before I listened.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- JS393241
- 28-02-16
Fills in many gaps of ancient history
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Yes. This fills in so many gaps in the east-west dialogue of history which I have rarely heard about. I found it very important to understand the links between China, the Steppes, the Middle East and the West.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Thomas
- 01-02-17
Great scope and passionate delivery
This is definitely the most interesting Great Courses series I have listened to so far. The scope is vast - 6000 years of history across the whole of Eurasia, starting with the origin of the Proto Indo Europeans and ending with the Mongol conquests. What capped it all was the knowledge and passion of the lecturer, who made every lecture enjoyable to listen to. Would definitely recommend to anyone.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Henry de Thierry
- 15-03-23
Absolutely amazing course - my favourite history one so far
This course has really been such an eye-opener to me. I really enjoy the uniqueness of this as much of history is narrated from the big western central or eastern empires. They never really show the view of the world the Eurasian Steppes. The narrator is very passionate and really explains how the Steppes have influenced empires and also the making of the modern world. It took me 2 to 3 lectures to get into it, but after that I was absolutely hooked and thoroughly enjoyed each lecture which enriched my mind and awareness of history substantially - well worth a listen!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Kindle Customer
- 31-07-20
Enthralling
Probably my favourite Great Course History book so far.
A fantastic subject that for me tied together so many scraps of facts picked up from popular culture with a rich and compelling narrative.
Especially as so much of this history is still relevant in today's world, I really recommend this.
I found I had to Google a lot of places which really helped getting a sense of scale and location.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- tangle
- 07-12-22
Made a complicated history clearer
I felt his enthusiasm for the steppes was partisan.
Safe trade routes surely could have been established without the extreme violence visited on Europe and the Middle East.
They left nothing but misery in their wake to the people they conquered. As for the depopulating of captured areas and using the men as slaves in their armies..
Lastly what about the Black Death visited on Europe and the Middle East from the 1340s"?
None the less very worthwhile and would recommend.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- David Jackson
- 10-01-18
Absolutely amazing
I always had a great fascination with the Mongol empire and I have been looking for a comprehensive background on the world that they came from. This series was that and much more, as it went through the history of the step peoples even as far back as the Indo-European expansion in the late Neolithic, to the Mogul empire in India. The narration was good, with the lectures delivered with a lot of energy and story telling ability. Strongly recommended.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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- Nixon
- 12-12-14
Very informative
Where does The Barbarian Empires of the Steppes rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
This is one of the best books I have listened to, it is great to listen to
What did you like best about this story?
I liked how he kept the chronology of the story, but was able to provide great detail about both the western and eastern steppe
What about Professor Kenneth W. Harl’s performance did you like?
I liked how he could bring the stories to life with small details about the main characters, and it seemed that he was also interested in the story
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
The book is very long, it would take a day to listen to it, but if I could I would have
Any additional comments?
I would recommend this as a fascinating listen and a part of history that is often overlooked
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- tugeladiver
- 17-10-17
Fascinating
A fascinating insight into a part of the world where my wife comes from. The course covers 6000 years of history of a dynamic region that was home to some of the worlds greatest empires.
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