A review by zeteticzymurgy
The Barbarian Empires of the Steppes by Kenneth W. Harl

5.0

I've had my eye on this one for a while, and it absolutely lived up to my high expectations. I learned a ton about steppe nomads and the silk road, which I barely knew anything about previously. The silk road in particular seemed like a myth or something fictitous, so it was interesting to learn about what it actually was. It was also fascinating to realize how big an impact steppe nomads had on the sedentary peoples around them, ranging from China to Rome and everything in between. This course worked great as a standalone series, to be clear, but along the way it made me want to learn more about the histories of China, India, Russia, Islam, Byzantium, Persia, and more. Really, really good.