Steel and silk -- Silk in Roman society -- The Chinese empire and the Xiongnu -- The discovery of the west -- Securing the silk routes -- The Kushan empire -- The Sogdian intermediaries -- Caspian routes and the Crimea -- Black Sea voyages -- The Sarmatians -- The Parthian empire -- Parthia and...

Introduction -- The regional setting -- The Atlantic connection: Little Popo & the rise of Afro-European trade, c. 1600-1702 -- The era of the warrior kings: 1702 to 1772 -- The era of the traders: 1772 to c.1807 -- Disintigration & reconstitution: political developments, 1820s to 1870s -- From...

In the global marketplace of ideas, few realms spark as much conflict as religion. For millions of people, it is an integral part of everyday life, reflected by a widely divergent supply of practices and philosophical perspectives. Yet, historically, the marketplace has not always been...