You probably come from the West or Europe and if that’s the case you have a particular view of the world, a view that you were taught from an early age in school. This world view would have been reinforced as the truth and the objective narrative of the world and its history.
But there is another view you need to consider and that is set out in ‘The Silk Roads-a New History of the World’ by Peter Frankopan. Frankopan is professor of global history at Oxford and after reading his book you will look at the world differently and, hopefully, with greater understanding.
You will see, for example, that from time immemorial the West has sought to exploit the Middle East for its resources, especially oil, and your view of the middle east, religious fundamentalism, terrorism is bound to be altered and given a wholly different context.
The Silk Roads refers to the network of roads from the East to the West on which silk, spices, and other goods were transported from the East to the West and the subsequent creation of empires along those routes.
The Silk Roads goes a long way to explaining how the new silk roads are beginning to re-emerge with the growth of China and Asia.
This book is accessible yet comprehensive and is well worth the time spent to get a greater understanding of the world as it is now and how it has come about through the impact of trading and the silk roads.
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