Born on the steppe and refined through empire, join Milo as he explores the various types of clothing worn by men and women in the Achaemenid Empire, from the king and his nobles to everyday attire.
When in Persia, Dress as the Persians Do
Darius The Great and the Order of Governance
Out of chaos arose one of history’s most extraordinary rulers. Darius, a distant relative of Cyrus and once royal cup-bearer to Cambyses, toppled Gaumata and suppressed the revolts that plagued the Persian Empire, ascending as the new King of Kings. Yet it was not by military might alone that he maintained control over the vast empire. During his reign, Darius implemented a series of administrative, economic, and ideological reforms that not only stabilized Persia but also fostered its prosperity, setting a precedent for imperial governance that would endure for centuries.
Archeological Discoveries at the Astana Graveyard: Uncovering the Silk Routes’ Legacy
While much of the Silk Road’s history was long shrouded in legend and fragmented historical texts, modern archaeology has brought greater clarity to its narrative. One of the most illuminating discoveries in this regard is the Astana Graveyard, located near the ancient Turfan Oasis in China’s Xinjiang region. The artifacts unearthed there have significantly expanded our understanding of Silk Road commerce, mobility, and material culture.
Hindustan and the Central Asian Realms in Flux Along the Silk Road
In this article Jasleen Kaur examines the parallel political developments and interactions between the powers in Hindustan and the polities of the Mawara’ al-Nahr and the Khorasan in twelfth century, offering insights into how these diverse regions responded to similar challenges, all the while developing distinct political and cultural traditions.
The Origins of the Greco-Bactrian and Indo-Greek Kingdoms and Their Place in Modern Research
In the first article of his series on Hellenistic Asia, Harald Blot explores the origins of the famed—and equally mysterious—Greco-Bactrian and Indo-Greek Kingdoms, and examines the history of their study.
The Tocharians: Their Language and Literature
In 1903, an expedition of Prussian scholars investigated the ruins of the important caravan city of Turfan. The results of this expedition were nothing short of spectacular: the explorers unearthed a trove of manuscripts in more than 20 languages including Sogdian, Sanskrit, Old Turkish, and Syriac. Among the finds were also thousands of fragments written in an unknown language using a variant of the Indic Brahmi script.
Proto-Indo-European Religion
The Indo-Europeans were a nomadic people, shrouded in mystery. Their existence was first inferred by linguists who identified numerous syntactical and lexical similarities among various languages spoken across the Eurasian continent, from the British Isles to Central Asia. As a result, generations of linguists have faced the significant challenge of reconstructing the theorized proto-language that existed several thousand years ago. Alongside these linguistic efforts, interest in the culture and identity of the people who spoke this language also grew. In this article, I aim to explore one particular aspect of the Indo-Europeans: their religion and mythology, and how comparative linguistic research can help fill the gaps in our limited source material.
Political History of the Kara-Khanid Khanate: From its Origins to the Division of the Empire
The migrating Karakhanids arrived at the borders of the Islamic world around the middle of the 9th century. To their west, the Samanid emirs of Bukhara held sway over a vast territory. The Karakhanids settled around the city of Kashgar, currently one of the westernmost cities in China. They established an independent khanate, which — despite many challenges including rampant dynastic factionalism — would last into the early 13th century. At the height of their power, the Karakhanids ruled an empire which stretched from the Tarim Basin in the east to the Oxus River (Amu Darya) in the west. In this article we shall discuss the political history of the khanate up until its division around 1040.
The Karakhanid Khanate: Part 1: Origins, Culture and Economy
Around the city of Kashgar—now one of the westernmost cities in China—the Karakhanids established an independent khanate. Remarkably durable, the Karakhanid Khanate lasted until 1212. At its height, the dynasty ruled a vast territory in Central Asia, stretching from the Oxus River (Amu Darya) to the Tarim Basin.
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