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This book raises the case of the world's first nomadic empire, the Xiongnu, as a prime example of the sophisticated developments and powerful influence of nomadic regimes. Launching from a reconceptualization of the social and economic institutions of mobile pastoralists, Bryan K. Miller traces the course of the Xiongnu Empire from before its initial rise to after its eventual fall.
List of contents
- Prologue
- 1. Nomad Protagonists
- 2. Kingdoms of Those Who Draw the Bow
- 3. Masters of the Steppe
- 4. Rule by the Horse
- 5. Of Wolves and Sheep
- 6. Masters of the Continental Worlds
- 7. Hunnic Heritage
- Epilogue
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Appendix
- Index
About the author
Bryan K. Miller is Assistant Professor of Central Asian Art & Archaeology in History of Art and Assistant Curator of Chinese Archaeology at the Museum of Anthropological Archaeology at the University of Michigan.
Summary
This book raises the case of the world's first nomadic empire, the Xiongnu, as a prime example of the sophisticated developments and powerful influence of nomadic regimes. Launching from a reconceptualization of the social and economic institutions of mobile pastoralists, Bryan K. Miller traces the course of the Xiongnu Empire from before its initial rise to after its eventual fall.
Additional text
Comprehensive and wide-reaching, Xiongnu explores the rise of the empire, details how the empire controlled nodes of wealth and far-flung power bases, and charts the slow and fractured decline of the Xiongnu empire. Throughout, Miller provides fascinating readings of burial goods, vibrant tellings of oath ceremonies, and careful interpretations of Chinese letters and histories. Xiongnu firmly brings its nomad protagonists onto center stage and into sharp focus, and this book is bound to appeal to those interested in archaeology, nomadic societies, and world history.
