Empires of the Steppes: A History of the Nomadic Tribes Who Shaped Civilization

“A vibrant account of how roaming warlords shaped technology, religion and culture.” —The Guardian

The barbarian nomads of the Eurasian steppes have played a decisive role in world history, but their achievements have gone largely unnoticed. These nomadic tribes have produced some of the world’s greatest conquerors: Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan and Tamerlane, among others. From a single region emerged a great many peoples—the Huns, the Mongols, the Magyars, the Turks, the Xiongnu, the Scyth...