Empires and exchanges in Eurasian late antiquity : Rome, China, Iran, and the Steppe, ca. 250-750

Empires And Exchanges In Eurasian Late Antiquity Offers An Integrated Picture Of Rome, China, Iran, And The Steppes During A Formative Period Of World History. In The Half Millennium Between 250 And 750 Ce, Settled Empires Underwent Deep Structural Changes, While Various Nomadic Peoples Of The Steppes (huns, Avars, Turks, And Others) Experienced Significant Interactions And Movements That Changed Their Societies, Cultures, And Economies. This Was A Transformational Era, A Time When Roman, Persian, And Chinese Monarchs Were Mutually Aware Of Court Practices, And When Christians And Buddhists Criss-crossed The Eurasian Lands Together With Merchants And Armies. It Was A Time Of Greater Circulation Of Ideas As Well As Material Goods. This Volume Provides A Conceptual Frame For Locating These Developments In The Same Space And Time. Without Arguing For Uniformity, It Illuminates The Interconnections And Networks That Tied Countless Local Cultural Expressions To Far-reaching Inter-regional Ones. "The second phase of Roman-steppe relations began during the latter part of the fourth century, when Hunnic groups entered the western steppes, and lasted through the early sixth century. This 'Age of Attila' saw major shifts throughout Western Eurasia. Several decades after the battle of Adrianople, Huns moved into Europe and became unified early in the fifth century with a center of power in the Hungarian plain"--