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The Golden Road

How Ancient India Transformed the World

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The Golden Road

By: William Dalrymple
Narrated by: William Dalrymple
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About this listen

Bloomsbury presents The Golden Road written and read by William Dalrymple.

THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
A Waterstones and TIMES HISTORY BOOK OF THE YEAR
A SPECTATOR and History Today BOOK OF THE YEAR

A revolutionary new history of the diffusion of Indian ideas, from the award-winning, bestselling author and co-host of the chart-topping Empire podcast

‘Richly woven, highly readable ... Written with passion and verve’ Spectator
‘Dazzling ... Not just a historical study but also a love letter’ Guardian
‘An outstanding new account ... The most compelling retelling we have had for generations’ Financial Times

India is the forgotten heart of the ancient world.

In the millennium and a half from c. 250 BC to 1200 AD, Indian art, religion, technology, astronomy, music, dance, literature, mathematics and mythology blazed a trail across the world – a Golden Road that stretched from the Red Sea to the Pacific.

Here, William Dalrymple draws from a lifetime of scholarship to highlight India’s oft-forgotten position as the heart of ancient Eurasia. For the first time, he gives a name to this spread of Indian ideas that transformed the culture and technology of not only its ancient world, but of the world as we know it today.

©2024 William Dalrymple (P)2024 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc Ancient Asia India South Asia Southeast Asia Ancient History Middle Ages China Imperialism Middle East Nepal Ancient Greece

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All stars
Most relevant
A book that, for me ,connected in a brilliantly coherent way so many strands of the history and geography of India and the world. The reading was as good as it gets.
I was sent to the internet to look up old maps and pictures of stunning architectural remains. There's a magnificent TV series I've just imagined to be made.

Brilliant Account

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There's quite a little of misrepresentation of Buddhism within. For example, there's no historical evidence that Buddhism (especially Yogacara) was influenced by Greek philosophy, in fact it's much more likely to be the inverse. Unfortunately, a lot of misrepresentation persists in tge West due to imperial/colonial agendas ie presenting Indian philosophy as lesser than Greek to maintain racial superiority and justify colonial 'intervention'

fascinating but questionable claims, especially on Buddhism

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Another brilliant book by William Dalrymple - fantastic exploration with usual excellent research. a must read and has encouraged me to explore The Golden Road further!

Excellent exploration of the roots of civilisation in India

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Covers a period and area of history (and geography) that is generally overlooked. This can be overwhelming in the narrative as the 'indosphere' is massive! In summary, it places India at the heart of much of our cultural and intellectual development, recognition of humanity's ability to endlessly synthesize ideas to suit it's purpose and subsequently take credit for them. Well done us!

Worthwhile listen...

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I'm not normally interested in history but this is absolutely fascinating and extremely well written. The narration is absolutely superb too. First book I've ever been inspired to review!

Outstanding.

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