Kind of embarrassed with a 16; need to do some more reading.
I would love to see how badly :) I would do on some sort of generalized "lesser known early civilizations" quiz. e.g. at the very least IVC and New Guinea highlands; maybe also some of the early American civilizations and/or the early Sahel.
Thanks for brining The Empire of the Steppes: A History of Central Asia to our attention. I snagged a used copy at a fairly reasonable price (before the price skyrockets?).
If you did Razib's steppe quiz, and you underestimated the proportion of people today who have steppe ancestry, read about the Ancient North Eurasians, that is the genetic heritage that includes my grandfather and I.
Unimaginable, another history, leading to a world with no trousers! Of all of the contributions of the ancient steppe peoples, this was one of the most important!
My paternal grandfather's ancestors came from the north edge, where the Steppe grades into the Coniferous Borial Taiga, and the rivers flow north. I already have, and have read, Beckwith's book. I should get, and read, all of the books that Razib recommends in this article.
You mentioned the Buddha being Indian on Twitter. Have you read Beckwith's Greek Buddha? In it, among other things, he claims that the Buddha was likely a Scythian, which if I recall correctly is sort of an early Persian ethnic group? I believe this was based on philological evidence/interpretation of the name Shakyamuni. Interested in your take on that. Do you buy it? FWIW he also makes some other wild claims, like Lao Tzu likely being based on the Buddha and that Pyrrho was almost certainly influenced by early Buddhism during his escapades to India with Alexander the Great.
To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and score a 20 on Razib's test!
I managed to get 20; I'd listened to the "Barbarian Empires of the Steppes" from the great courses a while back, so I had a few hints.
Kind of embarrassed with a 16; need to do some more reading.
I would love to see how badly :) I would do on some sort of generalized "lesser known early civilizations" quiz. e.g. at the very least IVC and New Guinea highlands; maybe also some of the early American civilizations and/or the early Sahel.
I got a 19. Not bad for someone with an ancestral aversion to mounted barbarians.
I got 24 - it says i’m ‘up on the steppe’ !
I didn’t try the quiz, but I’ve ordered one of the books, The Horse, The Wheel.. thanks for the recommendations
That is a fantastic book. Good choice.
Thanks for brining The Empire of the Steppes: A History of Central Asia to our attention. I snagged a used copy at a fairly reasonable price (before the price skyrockets?).
I did Razib's quiz, those of us who performed well on his quiz can call ourselves "Steppe Brothers"
23 on the Steppe test yaaay !!
Wondering about the answer to what the Steppe was responsible for.
I left out wine and the symposium, but is it all of them ?
If you did Razib's steppe quiz, and you underestimated the proportion of people today who have steppe ancestry, read about the Ancient North Eurasians, that is the genetic heritage that includes my grandfather and I.
Unimaginable, another history, leading to a world with no trousers! Of all of the contributions of the ancient steppe peoples, this was one of the most important!
My paternal grandfather's ancestors came from the north edge, where the Steppe grades into the Coniferous Borial Taiga, and the rivers flow north. I already have, and have read, Beckwith's book. I should get, and read, all of the books that Razib recommends in this article.
Important topic, great list. Here are a couple more books I've learned a lot from:
Thomas Barfield. The Perilous Frontier: Nomadic Empires and China 221 BC to AD 1757
Frederick Starr. The Lost Enlightenment: Central Asia's Golden Age from the Arab Conquest to Tamerlane
and both Barfield and Starr have books coming out this year on similar topics that look really interesting.
17 without trying too hard
scored 23, today. i believe i have zero steppe ancestry.
You mentioned the Buddha being Indian on Twitter. Have you read Beckwith's Greek Buddha? In it, among other things, he claims that the Buddha was likely a Scythian, which if I recall correctly is sort of an early Persian ethnic group? I believe this was based on philological evidence/interpretation of the name Shakyamuni. Interested in your take on that. Do you buy it? FWIW he also makes some other wild claims, like Lao Tzu likely being based on the Buddha and that Pyrrho was almost certainly influenced by early Buddhism during his escapades to India with Alexander the Great.
I have the book not convinced