New Medieval Books: The King’s Road
‘A Bottom-Up History of Diplomacy’ along the Silk Road between China and Central Asia, this book focuses on the years 850 to 1000. It aims to show the Silk Road was just as important a route for envoys as it was for merchants.
Ancient DNA reveals a multiethnic empire on the Steppe
Eurasia’s ancient and medieval history has seen several empires emerging out of the Steppe. A new study explores the rise of the Xiongnu, who foreshadowed the coming of the Huns and the Mongols.
Medieval earthquakes brought this boulder down on Nepalese town, study finds
A massive boulder weighing 300 tons can be found in Pokhara, the second-largest city in Nepal. A study shows how this and other huge debris deposits came down on this area during catastrophic medieval earthquakes.
Early medieval saddle discovered in Mongolia
The team’s radiocarbon dating pins the artifact to roughly around the year 420 AD, making it one of the earliest known frame saddles in the world.
Rise and Fall of Medieval Tibetan Empire linked to Climate Change
Between the 7th and 9th centuries AD a new empire emerged in medieval Asia – the Tibetan Kingdom under the Yarlung dynasty expanded its domain in all directions, reaching as far as the Indian Ocean. A new study links their expansion and subsequent downfall to climate change.
Mobile empire-building: Babur’s campaigns against the Afghans
By Timur Khan The Baburnama, the autobiography of Zahir al-Din ‘Babur’ (d. 1530), is extremely rich in personal reflections, observations, and details about…
The Baburnama and Afghan history
In 1526, Zahiruddin Muhammad ‘Babur’ (d. 1530) established his rule over a swath of northern India and thus created what most readers will know as the Mughal dynasty, which after some early fits and starts would rule an immense, rich, and powerful empire until the 18th century, and remain the nominal rulers of most of the subcontinent until 1858.
The Mongol Invasions of Japan
In the thirteenth century, aided by suicidal courage, remarkable skill, and unbelievable luck, the samurai dared to resist the Mongol steamroller – and lived to tell the tale.
What was the population of medieval South Asia? New study gives estimates
The population of South Asia was larger than previously thought during the Middle Ages. A new study estimates that around the year 640, this region’s population was about 58 million, and that by the year 1600 it had risen to 145 million people.
The Battle of the Pass: An Umayyad Military Disaster
The Battle of the Pass, also referred to as the Battle of the Defile, was fought during the summer of 731.
The Mongol Storm with Nicholas Morton
This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Nicholas Morton about the one hundred year rise of the Mongol Empire in the Near East, why they were so effective, and why they pursued global domination.
Chinggis Khan’s Missing Ten Years, 1186-1196
There is a stretch of ten years in Chinggis Khan’s early life where we have little information about his whereabouts. What was the future ruler of the Mongol Empire doing at this point?
Persian Poetry with Shahzad Bashir
This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Shahzad Bashir about the absolutely massive tradition of medieval Persian poetry, what it has in common with modern hip-hop, and its impact on Persian culture from the Middle Ages to today.
The Black Death originated in present-day Kyrgyzstan, study finds
One of the most important questions about the Black Death, the pandemic that caused millions of deaths in the 14th century, is where and when did it begin. Now a new study is pointing to a trading community in Lake Issyk Kul, in what is now Kyrgyzstan, as the place where the pandemic started in the years 1338 and 1339.
Medieval hairstyles: From bianfa to top-knots in Northeast Asia
The importance of hair and hairstyles among Chinese, Mongols and other peoples of northeast Asia during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.
Al-Muqanna‘: The Veiled Prophet of Transoxiana
One of the most serious revolts against the still young Abbasid Caliphate in the 8th century was led by a man best known in the sources as al-Muqanna‘, or “the veiled one.”
Genetic study connects the Avars to the fall of the Rouran Khaganate
In the year 555 AD, the Rouran Khaganate, based in northeast Asia, was defeated and scattered by a Turkish invasion. Around 567-8, a new nomadic group known as the Avars came to Eastern Europe. Now, a new genetic study has linked these two groups.
Uncovering the Story: Old Books, New Science, and the Silk Roads
Discover the back story behind Hidden Stories: Books Along the Silk Roads with an enthralling talk featuring the leader of the Toronto-based research team whose cutting-edge work made the exhibition possible.
Medieval Chinese and Inner-Asian Politics
This week’s guest on the Medieval Grad Podcast is Soojung Han, a PhD candidate in East Asian studies at Princeton University. Soojung Han talks with Lucie Laumonier about the Shatuo Turks who rose to power in the ninth century, after the fall of the Tang dynasty.
Metadata and Balinese Palm Leaf Manuscripts: Digitization Projects and Online Repositories
Paper given at the International Workshop on Metadata Standards for Palm Leaf Manuscripts
Reappraising the Silk Road: Byzantium and Ancient China
In this talk, as a Chinese byzantinist, I will present the recent focuses on Byzantium and ancient China along the Silk Road, based on which, to reappraise the significance of the Silk Road in the historical context.
Climate change caused the demise of Central Asia’s medieval civilizations, study finds
A new study challenges the long-held view that the destruction of Central Asia’s medieval river civilizations was a direct result of the Mongol invasion in the early 13th century.
Bad Bread, Big Wines, and Plenty of Meat: A Culinary Tour in the Year 1404
When Ruy González de Clavijo travelled to Samarkand in the early 15th century, he would experience a wonderful new world of foods.
Genetic study reveals insights into the Mongol Empire and the ancient Steppe
Genome-wide analysis spanning 6,000 years in the Eurasian Steppe gives insights to the formation of Mongolia’s empires.