Empires of the Steppe: Scythians, Huns, Turks, and Mongols

Catalog description

Attila, Chinggis (“Genghis”) Khan, Temur (“Tamerlane”) – these names have stirred European imagination long after the facts have been forgotten. And the Scythians, Huns, Turks, and Mongols left similar impressions in Middle Eastern and East Asian history. This class will trace the history of the Central Eurasian steppes from the origins of nomadism to the newly independent nations of the present. We will focus on the great empires of the steppe, but also the cultural icons they left behind: horse riding, trousers, Excalibur, Mulan, the Silk Roads, the Great Wall of China, the Dalai Lama, and throat singing. Through a mix of selections from primary sources and modern articles we will explore both how great empire builders like Genghis Khan presented themselves, as well as how they were perceived by travelers, and how their historical and cultural impact has lasted to the present. Students will understand how central the impact of steppe nomads have been on civilizations all over Eurasia.