ISSN: 2158-7051 ==================== INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RUSSIAN STUDIES ==================== ISSUE NO. 11 ( 2022/2 ) |
THE EURASIAN STEPPE: PEOPLE, MOVEMENT, IDEAS, By Ayse Dietrich* Richard Dietrich**, Published by Edinburgh University Press, Written
by Warwick Ball, Year of
Publishing: 2021. Subject Area: Central Asian history, Russian history. Book
Type: Regional history. Total Number of Pages: 424. ISBN: 978-1474488068, hardback, $24.95.
The Eurasian Steppe is one of the
more recent works on the history of Central Asia and/or the Eurasian steppe
that have appeared in recent years. The work consists of an introduction,
thirteen chapters, notes, bibliography and index and generally presents a
chronological narrative. This chronological account is interrupted by three
chapters dedicated to topics that the author believed merited a detailed
discussion: the origins, movements and language(s) of the Indo-Europeans
(Chapter 3), the image of the female warrior/Amazon (Chapter 5), and steppe art
(Chapter 6). While some of the information in the other chapters is not
significantly different from what is found in other books, there are several
qualities of this book that distinguish it from the other works and make it a valuable
contribution to the field of Eurasian studies.
To begin with, the author is an archaeologist by training with
extensive experience working and living in the Near East and surrounding
regions. As a result, The Eurasian Steppe often provides clear,
comprehensible archaeological perspectives on the people and states of the
steppe, a pespective that is not always presented in
as detailed a fashion in books written by historians without a background in
archaeology. Having visited many of the sites described in the book, the author
is also able to provide first-hand observations of these sites.
In the chronological accounts, the author dedicates longer
discussions to certain topics that he clearly believes are important and have
not been adequately discussed in other works. Examples of such discussions can
be found in chapters 8, 9 and 10. Chapter 8 covers the early history of the
Turkic peoples, a topic that has obviously been covered in all other works
related to the history of the Eurasian steppe. However, what makes this work
different is his examination of the term “Turk”, and the various peoples who
have designated as “Turks”. His discussion clearly demonstrates how flexible
this designation has been over the centuries. In chapter 9 he discusses the
impact of the peoples of the Eurasian steppe on the history and culture of
Europe in general, and Russia in particular. Throughout, the author is able to
demonstrate when, where and how various steppe peoples had a clear influence on
the course of European history, particularly in the early medieval period.
Finally, chapter 10 is dedicated to the Khazars,
their empire, and their complex legacy, a topic that is generally not covered
as completely as it is here. Chapter 12 discuss the establishment
and effect of Mongol states in Europe,
the first Mongol state in Russia, the Golden Horde, the defeat of the Mongols by the Russians at Kulikova Battle, establishment of other Tatar Khanates,
invasion of the khanates by the Russians, the emergence of new steppe groups on the southern steppes in the 17th
century and the last major tribal movement into Europe, the Kalmyks; and the last Chapter 13
examines Russia’s European credentials and Asiatic influences and Mongol
legacy.
The book contains an extensive bibliography of books and articles
related to the peoples, events and issues discussed in the text. While the
works listed in the bibliography are numerous and cover diverse topics related
to the history of the Eurasian steppe, there are two minor shortcomings to this
bibliography. One is the scarcity of original sources, the ancient and medieval
works on which our understanding of Eurasian history is based. The other is the
almost complete lack of sources, ancient or modern, in languages other than
English. As the author himself has so clearly shown in this work, the history
of the Eurasian steppe is linked to the history of numerous peoples and states,
and scholars from many countries have written works about it. Some of these
works certainly deserve mention in any bibliography on the Eurasian steppe.
Overall, The Eurasian Steppe: People, Movement, Ideas is a well-written and well-researched work on a vast topic. The
author’s style is enjoyable and interesting, and the book is extensively
illustrated. Its extended discussions on topics that have received less
attention in other works in the field provide a unique and valuable
contribution to our understanding of the history and impact of the Eurasian
steppe. For anyone interested in the history of Eurasia, The Eurasian Steppe: People, Movement, Ideas is highly recommended.
*Ayse Dietrich - Professor, Part-time, at Middle East Technical University, Department of History and Eurasian Studies. Editor and the founder of the International Journal of Russian Studies (IJORS) e-mail: editor@ijors.net, dayse@metu.edu.tr, dietrichayse@yahoo.com Richard Dietrich - Assistant Professor at Middle East Technical University, Departments of History and Latin and North American Studies, Ankara, Turkey
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