I’m only 50 pages in, but I thought I’d mention a book that I’m really enjoying at the moment called “The Silk Roads: A New History of the World” by Peter Frankopan. I responded to a friend in a Facebook post, and enjoyed my own response enough (I’m modest that way) to want to convert it into this blog post.
As I said, I’m not that far into it. But, so far, it’s walking through a historical time line from the perspective of what things looked like in the Constantinople/Persia area without necessarily being a deep history of those places. Rather, it’s kind of telling what happened there as the situation changed to the east and west. When Rome became aggressive in the area and adopted Christianity as its state religion, Christians in the area had a tougher time — Zoroastrianism became more closely tied in as part of the Persian state identity and more militant as well. As the people of the central Asian steppes were displaced and/or marauded to the west and south, Rome and Persia found themselves aligned, and the power of Rome declined, Christianity was making inroads in Persia and co-opting Buddhism to some extent to expand to the east. (Any errors in this time line, I’m sure are mind — I’m reading this as a hobby and not necessarily studying closely).
That’s where it stood as I went to bed last night. The chapter ended with mention of a wave of bubonic plague that created a great deal of devastation in the 6th century and indication that Islam was about to get going in the 7th. So, Christianity is about to experience some reversals and Islam will spread along those trade routes.
What I like about this book is the shifted perspective. There is a great argument to be made — and the author is making it — that this was the heart of the world for much of human history. So much of how I learn history is that stuff happened in Egypt and Mesopotamia for awhile, but it’s a little foreign. Greece really got culture started. Rome rose and adopted Greek culture. Rome fell but the Catholic Church carried the torch until the Renaissance and Enlightenment. Europe kicked ass and founded America. The U.S. had the Civil War and then beat the Nazis. Roll credits.
I’m a bigger fan of history than most, I think. And I’m painfully aware of how much more there is to know. Part of what ails our society, in my opinion, is a significant lack of perspective about what has happened in other places and other times. So, read your history, people!
This sounds like an interesting read. You are right, Americans lack knowledge of everyone’s history. In part, that may because the country is still a relatively young nation. I also think that the myth of American “exceptionalism” is deeply entwined with many social institutions that chokes off history. Engulfed maybe a better word.
With this faux “exceptionalism” comes the post-WWII demand that the US be the best at everything. An impossible task and taken to its extreme, perhaps a dangerous aspiration. I heard a political commentator (can;t remember who) say that Americans see the world in extremes. If the US succeeds in one area it is because America is the greatest nation in the world, or the history of the world.
But when the country fails, the failure is seen through the lens of the demands for perpetual victory. There is no middle ground. Sputnik demonstrated the disaster that was American science. America is weak and powerless because of the Iranian Hostage affair and the pullout from Vietnam. The whole world is laughing at us. Well, likely Angela Merkel and Vladimir Putin are, laughing, but that is for another day.
The US landed on the moon about ten years after Sputnik. (Explorer one is still in orbit. Sputnik is CO2 and metal dust, having decayed in orbit.) The hostages came home and Iran is contained.
And Vietnam. Vietnam is a trading partner. A Vietnamese TA who sees my wife as his older sister came over to our house on Thanksgiving. And there are Vietnamese restaurants in nearly every city in America.
I guess I am on kind of a binge. I am rereading Fukayama’s “The End of History and the Last Man.” I suggest everyone dive into it. It is very well written, and was, and still is timely. And prescient.