Warriors of the Steppe: A Military History of Central Asia, 500 B.C. to 1700 A.D.

Freelance writer Hildinger vividly illustrates the long, bloody history of a pivotal period and place in world history. From the steppes of Central Asia came a long procession of nomadic tribes who relied on swift cavalry armed with powerful recurved bows. These tribes menaced societies in Europe and Asia until the advent of firearms and the tribes' own internal upheavals neutralized their destructive forays. Hildinger introduces the reader to the most important of these raiders--Scythians, Sarmatians, Huns, Bulgars, Turks, Mongols--while mentioning a host of other tribes who attacked Greece, Rome, Byzantium, China, Russia, the Ottoman Empire and many other states. A number of familiar names crop up--Chinggis Khan, Tamerlane, Attila, for example--during this fascinating tale of nomadic encounters with sedentary peoples from Europe to China. Hildinger concentrates on the period from the end of the Roman republic to the end of the reign of the Mongols, whose exploits occupy half the book. As a result, the story moves along without getting bogged down in too many details. Although not as scholarly as earlier treatments of this subject (Luc Kwanten's Imperial Nomads, for example), Hildinger's book provides just enough information to whet the appetites of readers as they become engrossed in an all-too-often overlooked era of world history. Maps and illustrations not seen by PW. (Aug.)