When Asia Was the World Traveling Merchants, Scholars, Warriors, and Monks Who Created the ""Riches of the ""East""

by Gordon, Stewart

• ISBN13: 9780306817397
• ISBN10: 030681739X
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-01-06
• Publisher: Da Capo Press

Summary

While European civilization stagnated in the "Dark Ages," Asia flourished as the wellspring of science, philosophy, and religion. Linked together by a web of spiritual, commercial, and intellectual connections, the distant regions of Asia's vast civilization, from Arabia to China, hummed with trade, international diplomacy, and the exchange of ideas. Stewart Gordon has fashioned a compelling and unique look at Asia from AD 700 to 1500a time when Asia was the worldby relating the personal journeys of Asia's many travelers.

Author Biography

Stewart Gordon is Senior Research Scholar at the Center for South Asian Studies at the University of Michigan, and author of three books on Asia. He lives in Ann Arbor.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. vii
Monasteries and Monarchs: Xuanzang, 618-632 CE	p. 1
Caliph and Caravan: Ibn Fadlan, 921-922 CE	p. 21
Philosopher and Physician: Ibn Sina, 1002-1021 CE	p. 39
Ingots and Artifacts: The Intan Shipwreck, circa 1000 CE	p. 57
Pepper and Partnerships: Abraham bin Yiju, 1120-1160 CE	p. 75
Nobles and Notables: Ibn Battuta, 1325-1356 CE	p. 97
Treasure and Treaty: Ma Huan, 1413-1431 CE	p. 117
Blood and Salt: Babur, 1494-1526 CE	p. 137
Medicines and Misunderstandings: Tome Pires, 1511-1521 CE	p. 157
The Asian World: 500-1500 CE	p. 177
Notes	p. 193
Suggested Reading	p. 215
Index	p. 223
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