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HORSEMEN OF THE STEPPES by

HORSEMEN OF THE STEPPES

By

Pub Date: Sept. 24th, 1962
Publisher: World

In a quartet of ""You Are There"" episodes, the reader is invited to imagine himself a soldier defending Rome against a barbarian invasion; a Chinese princess sacrificed in marriage to the tribe of Hsuing-nu in order to unite both ruling houses and avert war; a Greek boy furiously racing his horse across the hilly terrain of the Steppes; a modern visitor at a performance of traditional ceremonies. Having sensed the spirit of these divergent cultures in an imaginative introduction, we are now ready to explore a little of the history of the Steppes people from Ancient Scythia to the exodus of the Kalmucks from Russia in the 18th century. The age old conflict between civilized and nomadic peoples often resulted in the destruction of one or the other. China and Rome defended their civilizations countless times against the invasion of nomadic tribes. The reigns of Genghis Khan and the Mongols, of Halug Bey and the Turks are two of the most significant aspects of history in this wide region. The complex story of the cultures from the Ukraine south to Samarkand, north to the Asian Urals and east to the Altai Mountains is not recounted in strict chronological order. The purpose of this book is to tell something of the most important events and tribes. It is accomplished in a lively and readable manner, beckoning the reader toward further study.