The Silk Roads: A New History of the World

The central idea of Frankopan’s The Silk Roads is that the major networks connecting civilizations were built on and motivated by trade. Because of this, it is only natural that Central Asia and Mesopotamia—as “bridge between east and west” (xv)—have played such an important role in global history. The trade that passed along the trade routes known as the “Silk Roads” gave rise to the greatest empires of history. As Frankopan states at the opening of Chapter 1, “[f]rom the beginning of time, the centre of Asia was where empires were made” (3). Thus, the Persians, Romans, Ottomans, British, and many others all rose to power by taking advantage of the trade routes connecting the world and by creating “Silk Roads” of their own. The Silk Roads also provided opportunities for other peoples, including the nomads of the Central Asian steppes, to carve out positions of importance, as Sogdians, Bedouins, Uighers, and others grew wealthy by driving caravans through Asia.

Historical shifts and developments were often reflected in shifts and developments along trade routes. The empires of the Persians (including the Achaemenids and the Sasanians) were built on the trade that passed through their heartland. Both they and, later, the