From one of the world's leading historians?a comprehensivenarrative of the 3,000 years that have formed Asia's people,culture, and global destinyTracing its origins in Mesopotamia to its modern role on theglobal geopolitical stage, historian Arthur Cotterell offers acompelling, lively, and readable account of one of the mostculturally diverse, and often misunderstood, parts of the world.Beginning with the emergence of the world's earliest civilizationin 3000 BC, Asia: A Concise History provides a fascinating look atthe global convulsions?like the rise and fall of Assyria andPersia, the medieval states that flourished after the advent ofIslam, and the modern transformations triggered by the lightningconquests of imperial Japan?that have shaped the continent.* Covers the great events and figures of Asian history, alongwith a look at the monumental remains that bear witness to thosetimes: the ziggurats of Iraq, the Taj Mahal, the Great Wall ofChina, the temple of Angkor Wat* Includes fascinating slices of history, including funeralarrangements for Qin Shi Huangdi in 210 BC; an extract from LordMacartney's journal of his 1793 diplomatic mission to the Qingemperor Qian Long; and Toyotomi Hideyoshi's edict of 1587 banningfirearms in Japan* Features boxed inserts of special interest?like a Babylonianrecipe for lamb stew circa 1500 BC* Contains over 100 illustrations, maps, and photos* Other books by Cotterell: The Minoan World, The FirstEmperor of China, The Encyclopedia of Mythology, andChariotDestined to become a reference staple for history buffs andstudents of Asian history, Asia: A Concise History offers readers abreathtaking narrative and wealth of detail that make the formativeperiods, key events, and personalities from this once remote partof the world come alive.

Preface xiIntroduction xiiiList of Maps xxPhoto Credits xxiPart 1: Ancient Asia 1Chapter 1: Ancient West Asia 3The First Civilisation: Sumer 3The Great Empires: Babylon, Assyria and Persia 12Understanding the World: Religion and Myth 21Endgame: Greco-Roman Europe Versus Persian Asia 30Chapter 2: Ancient South Asia 41Asia's Second Civilisation: The Indus Valley 41Epic India: The Aryan Invasion 49The Buddhist Revolution: The Mauryan Empire 55The Age of Invasion: From the Bactrians to the Huns 64Chapter 3: Ancient East Asia 74The Cradle of the East: The Shang Dynasty 74Classical China: The Zhou Dynasty 82Imperial Unification: The Qin and Former Han Emperors 90Imperial Crisis: The Failure of the Later Han 100Chapter 4: Ancient Central Asia 107The Steppe: An Intercontinental Highway 107Nomads: The Scourge of the Sown 116The Spread of Buddhism: The First Pan-Asian Faith 126The Great Raid: Attila the Hun 135Part 2: Medieval Asia 141Chapter 5: Medieval West Asia 143Islam: The Second Pan-Asian Faith 143The Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates 151The Coming of the Seljuks 157The Crusades 161Safavid Persia 166The Ottoman Empire 171Chapter 6: Medieval South Asia 178The Arrival of Islam 178The Hindu and Buddhist Kingdoms 186The Mughal Empire 192European Rivalry 202The British Triumph 210Chapter 7: Medieval East Asia 213Tang and Song China 213Confucian Korea 225Feudal Japan 230The Ming Revival 239Chapter 8: Medieval Central Asia 246The Turks and the Qidans 246The Tibetan Empire 251The Mongol Empire 256Tamerlane, the Sword of Islam 267The Manchu Conquests 271Chapter 9: Medieval Southeast Asia 277Independent Vietnam 277The Khmer Empire 282The Kingdoms of Burma 289The Island Powers: Srivijaya, Mataram and Majapahit 293The Slow Spread of Islam 300The Advent of European Power 302The Rise of the Thai 307Part 3: Modern Asia 315Chapter 10: Modern West Asia 317The Fall of the Ottoman Empire 317Between World Wars 322The Founding of Israel 327Syria, Lebanon and Jordan 328Iraq versus Iran 330Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States 335Modern Turkey 336Chapter 11: Modern South Asia 339The British Raj 339The Indian Mutiny 344The End of Company Rule 351Gandhi and Indian Nationalism 353Independence and Partition 358Sri Lanka and Bangladesh 360Chapter 12: Modern East Asia 363China's Humiliation 363Japanese Imperialism 369The People's Republic of China 378The Korean War 382The Rise of the Pacific Rim 384Chapter 13: Modern Central Asia 386The Russian Advance 386The Great Game 393Afghanistan, the Land of Bones 397Siberia and Mongolia 400The Central Asian Republics 403Chapter 14: Modern Southeast Asia 407The Dutch East Indies 407The British Possessions 410French Indochina and Thailand 415The Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere 419Post-War Decolonisation 423The Republic of Indonesia 427The Tragedy of Vietnam 430Filipino Democracy 434Postscript: The Rise of Present-Day Asia 437Glossary 441Further Reading 444Index 453