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The Scythian Empire
- Central Eurasia and the Birth of the Classical Age from Persia to China
- Narrated by: Jim Lee
- Length: 7 hrs and 58 mins
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Publisher's summary
This audiobook narrated by Jim Lee provides a rich, discovery-filled account of how a forgotten empire transformed the ancient world
In the late 8th and early 7th centuries BCE, Scythian warriors conquered and unified most of the vast Eurasian continent, creating an innovative empire that would give birth to the age of philosophy and the Classical age across the ancient world—in the West, the Near East, India, and China. Mobile horse herders who lived with their cats in wheeled felt tents, the Scythians made stunning contributions to world civilization—from capital cities and strikingly elegant dress to political organization and the world-changing ideas of Buddha, Zoroaster, and Laotzu—Scythians all. In The Scythian Empire, Christopher I. Beckwith presents a major new history of a fascinating but often forgotten empire that changed the course of history.
At its height, the Scythian Empire stretched west from Mongolia and ancient northeast China to northwest Iran and the Danube River, and in Central Asia reached as far south as the Arabian Sea. The Scythians also ruled Media and Chao, crucial frontier states of ancient Iran and China. By ruling over and marrying the local peoples, the Scythians created new cultures that were creole Scythian in their speech, dress, weaponry, and feudal socio-political structure. As they spread their language, ideas, and culture across the ancient world, the Scythians laid the foundations for the very first Persian, Indian, and Chinese empires.
Filled with fresh discoveries, The Scythian Empire presents a remarkable new vision of a little-known but incredibly important empire and its peoples.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
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“A revolutionary rewriting of the current dominant view on Ancient Central Eurasia, The Scythian Empire will deeply transform what we believed the Greek, Roman, Persian, and Chinese classical ages were. Christopher I. Beckwith, one of the world’s leading linguists, has made accessible the story of the earliest known steppe empire in what is not only a provocative rethinking of Scythian history but a fascinating exploration of their language, art, and philosophy. Interpretatively audacious, adventurous, and ambitious, The Scythian Empire will generate debates for years and make readers see the history of Eurasia in an entirely unexpected way.”—Marie Favereau, author of The Horde: How the Mongols Changed the World
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Solid overview 3000 years of history
- By Alsor2000 on 07-19-20
By: Paul Kriwaczek
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The Kingdom of Kush
- A Captivating Guide to an Ancient African Kingdom in Nubia That Once Ruled Egypt
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Jason Zenobia
- Length: 3 hrs and 26 mins
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The kingdom of Kush was completely forgotten once it met its end. The stories of its might didn’t survive in the cultures of its successor kingdoms, possibly because Christianization soon followed, which required the people of the Nubian region to turn toward the East and the myths of the Christian messiah.
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Outstanding overview!
- By mchezaji Axum on 09-09-24
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Sumerians
- A Captivating Guide to Ancient Sumerian History, Sumerian Mythology and the Mesopotamian Empire of the Sumer Civilization
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Duke Holm
- Length: 2 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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The sheer importance of Sumerian culture in regards to world culture as a whole is impossible to overstate. This civilization is single-handedly responsible for some of the most major innovations in nearly every field relevant to maintaining a civilized society - this includes religion, lawmaking, architecture, schooling, art, literature, and even entertainment. Naturally, most of what we see as negative aspects of society were established in ancient Sumer as well. There wasn’t an aspect of Sumerian life that wasn’t plagued with corruption or devastation of one form or another.
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Lots of information in short book
- By Pamela on 01-04-19
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Fifth Sun
- A New History of the Aztecs
- By: Camilla Townsend
- Narrated by: Christina Delaine
- Length: 12 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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For the first time, in Fifth Sun, the history of the Aztecs is offered in all its complexity based solely on the texts written by the indigenous people themselves. Camilla Townsend presents an accessible and humanized depiction of these native Mexicans, rather than seeing them as the exotic, bloody figures of European stereotypes.
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Ethnocentric ethnohistory
- By Jeffrey D on 03-24-21
By: Camilla Townsend
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The Exodus
- By: Richard Elliott Friedman
- Narrated by: Richard Elliott Friedman
- Length: 5 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Biblical scholars, Egyptologists, archaeologists, historians, literary scholars, anthropologists, and filmmakers are drawn to the mystery of the exodus. Unable to find physical evidence until now, many archaeologists and scholars claim this mass migration is just a story, not history. Others oppose this conclusion, defending the biblical account.
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It started well......
- By kboy2008 on 04-21-20
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The Hyksos
- The History of the Foreign Invaders Who Conquered Ancient Egypt and Established the Fifteenth Dynasty
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Colin Fluxman
- Length: 1 hr and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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During Egypt's Second Intermediate Period, a mysterious foreign group of people, known as the Hyksos, conquered Egypt and established the 15th and 16th Dynasties some time shortly after 1700 BCE. For centuries, the Hyksos rule over Egypt was an enigma shrouded in half-truths and myth.
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This is more about what the Hyksos is not, this what it is.
- By cpdb on 12-17-19
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1177 B.C. (Revised and Updated)
- The Year Civilization Collapsed
- By: Eric H. Cline
- Narrated by: Eric H. Cline
- Length: 10 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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This audiobook narrated by acclaimed archaeologist and best-selling author Eric Cline offers a breathtaking account of how the collapse of an ancient civilized world ushered in the first Dark Ages.
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Look past the one-star reviews: this is an enlightening and engaging read.
- By Alonzo Nightjar on 03-07-22
By: Eric H. Cline
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A Brief History of the Celts
- Brief Histories
- By: Peter Berresford Ellis
- Narrated by: Christopher Oxford
- Length: 8 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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For centuries the Celts held sway in Europe. Even after their conquest by the Romans, their culture remained vigorous, ensuring that much of it endured to feed an endless fascination with Celtic history and myths, artwork and treasures. A foremost authority on the Celtic peoples and their culture, Peter Berresford Ellis presents an invigoration overview of their world. With his gift for making the scholarly accessible, he discusses the Celts' mysterious origins and early history and investigates their rich and complex society.
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A bit dry, but overall interesting
- By Lokkish on 04-13-15
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A Brief History of the Anglo-Saxons
- Brief Histories
- By: Geoffrey Hindley
- Narrated by: Eleanor David
- Length: 13 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Starting AD 400 (around the time of their invasion of England) and running through to the 1100s (the 'Aftermath'), historian Geoffrey Hindley shows the Anglo-Saxons as formative in the history not only of England but also of Europe. The society inspired by the warrior world of the Old English poem Beowulf saw England become the world's first nation state and Europe's first country to conduct affairs in its own language, and Bede and Boniface of Wessex establish the dating convention we still use today.
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A very dry history of the Ethels
- By Neil Chisholm on 07-23-13
By: Geoffrey Hindley
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Odin: The Origins, History and Evolution of the Norse God
- By: Jesse Harasta, Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Anthony R. Schlotzhauer
- Length: 1 hr and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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A one-eyed old man, with a gray cloak and a wide-brimmed hat leaning on a staff. A wanderer who appears when least expected, bringing triumph or doom. The god of prophecy, poetry and fate. A shape changer. A sorcerer. The god Odin cuts a dramatic figure in Norse mythology and is still a part of the popular imagination. He is the inspiration for figures like J.R.R. Tolkien's Gandalf the Grey, and he still appears in modern literature as varied as Marvel Comics and Neil Gaiman's novel American Gods.
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Not what I expected but enjoyable nontheless
- By Goose on 07-13-15
By: Jesse Harasta, and others
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Introducing the Ancient Greeks
- From Bronze Age Seafarers to Navigators of the Western Mind
- By: Edith Hall
- Narrated by: Sian Thomas
- Length: 12 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Acclaimed classics scholar Edith Hall's Introducing the Ancient Greeks is the first book to offer a synthesis of the entire ancient Greek experience, from the rise of the Mycenaean kingdoms of the sixteenth century BC to the final victory of Christianity over paganism in AD 391. Each of the ten chapters visits a different Greek community at a different moment during the twenty centuries of ancient Greek history.
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Surveying the Greeks
- By Jolene on 05-31-18
By: Edith Hall
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Mystery of the Magi
- The Quest to Identify the Three Wise Men
- By: Dwight Longenecker
- Narrated by: Stephen McLaughlin
- Length: 5 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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The Magi of nativity scenes are romanticized as well-dressed wisemen bringing gifts to Jesus. Traditional Chrstians tell of a miraculous star that guided exotic kings from Persia, India, and Africa. Academics dismiss both accounts as no more than a pious legend. Who is right? In The Mystery of the Magi, Dwight Longenecker shows that all sides are wrong and the Magi were diplomats from Petra, the capital of the Nabatean kingdom of Arabia.
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A Fascinating Deep Dive into the Story of the Magi
- By Pastor Ryan on 08-06-18
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Forgotten Peoples of the Ancient World
- By: Philip Matyszak
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 8 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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This thorough guide explores those civilizations that have faded from the pages of our textbooks but played a significant role in the development of modern society. Forgotten Peoples of the Ancient World covers the Hyksos to the Hephthalites and everyone in between, providing a unique overview of humanity's history from approximately 3000 BCE-550 CE. Each entry exposes a diverse culture, highlighting their important contributions.
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Gripping and seamless
- By Mike Heim on 05-13-21
By: Philip Matyszak
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Civilization was born 8,000 years ago, between the floodplains of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, when migrants from the surrounding mountains and deserts began to create increasingly sophisticated urban societies. In the cities that they built, half of human history took place. In Babylon, Paul Kriwaczek tells the story of Mesopotamia from the earliest settlements seven thousand years ago to the eclipse of Babylon in the sixth century BCE. Bringing the people of this land to life in vibrant detail, the author chronicles the rise and fall of power during this period.
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For more than a millennium, the Byzantine Empire presided over the juncture between East and West, as well as the transition from the classical to the modern world. Rather than recounting the standard chronology of emperors and battles, leading Byzantium scholar Jonathan Harris focuses on a succession of archetypal figures, families, places, and events.
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What listeners say about The Scythian Empire
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Bill Staley
- 10-29-23
Compelling argument; not too academic
Where did the ancient Greeks and Persians get the seeds of their cultures and philosophies? Professor Beckwith argues that the Scythians are the answer. I found this a fascinating audibook and read most of it twice. (Once through the lingiuist analysis was more than enough.) The first and last chapters were the most thought-provoking. The narrator was very good.
A January 21, 2023 review (not by a professor) in the Wall St. Journal concluded "As for Mr. Beckwith, his curiosity, imagination and learning—from the Yellow River to the Danube, from archaeology to linguistics—do what every history ought to do but few achieve: compel the reader to think." They did!
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- dkh5
- 06-13-23
Convincing
I actually liked the linguistic details given and found them to be convincing of his main argument. This book really opens up this ancient period and makes vital connections previously unseen.
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- cpdb
- 02-10-23
Demystifying the mysteries of the Ancient Worlds through a common source
It’s really hard to find writings about who the Scythians were and the impact they had on civilization. As opposed to most books and articles that try to limit the truth by describing what the Scythians were not.
I appreciate how the author connects the dots without over reaching into over speculation as is the norm with history.
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- Michal Kuzniar
- 05-08-23
Interesting but title is misleading
Interesting point of view with tons of (mostly linguistic trivia). It’s too repetitious (never ending „arya - harya - the royal ones” sentence). Book focuses mostly on linguistic analysis, thus title should reflect this properly. Without repetitions and better organisation it could be easily 2 hours shorter.
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- Doug
- 05-02-23
repetitious focus on language
I love history and historical books and have read hundreds of them. This book disappointed me immensely. It was a repetitious accounting of the word Scythian with an over-focus on language.
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- Thomas Block
- 02-12-24
Apparently everybody was an Aryan/Scythian
It is impossible to take this work seriously. Based on a handful of words, predominately the word Aryan, the author seeks to find that word in almost all ancient cultures as a self-designation which always means Royal Scythian descent. Thus the Medes, Persians, Chinese, Koreans all called themselves Aryans. They also were bilingual in their native language and Scythian (though for some reason they always recorded themselves only in their native language). They also had no agency, only the Scythians had that, just as only the Scythians developed true philosophy.
I could go on but there is little point. The Scythians did play some role in transmitting cultural traits to other cultures, but it is almost impossible to tell what that really was from this book. On a positive note, the narrator has a very pleasant voice and does a Heraclean job of pronunciation,
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