Why read Raiders, Rulers, and Traders?

Book cover of Raiders, Rulers, and Traders

Book description

No animal is so entangled in human history as the horse. The thread starts in prehistory, with a small, shy animal, hunted for food. Over time, the domestication of horses, followed by the advent of riding, powered mighty empires: Persian, Mongol, Mughal. For more than two millennia, from Iran and…

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Asian history

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Why read it?

1 author picked Raiders, Rulers, and Traders as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

C. P. Lesley

Author

This nonfiction study of the millenial-long relationship between humans and horses is absolutely fascinating. Focused on the Eurasian steppe, the natural habitat of horses throughout most of history—and there lies its relevance to my own interests, as noted in my second pick of the year—the book also dives into Chinese and Iranian and Indian relationships with horses, tracing their domestication; changes in saddles, bridles, and other types of horse tack; breeding and the types of training used in various parts of the world; and even the mythology associated with horses.

But that's just the beginning. Until the development of…

From C. P.'s 3 favorite reads in 2024.