Hello Foreign Exchanges listeners, and welcome back to another episode in our irregular podcast series! I’m privileged to be joined this time out by by Kenneth Harl, Professor Emeritus of History at Tulane University, to talk about his book, Empires of the Steppes: A History of the Nomadic Tribes Who Shaped Civilization. It is a sweeping study of nomads across Eurasia and throughout history (and pre-history), from the earliest evidence of the Yamnaya culture on the Pontic–Caspian steppe to the Xiongnu in China, the Huns in Europe, the Turks in Central Asia and the Middle East, and the Mongols…everywhere. We talk about Professor Harl’s career, how he approached such an expansive subject, and get into some of the book itself. Enjoy!
Many thanks to Jake Aron of American Prestige for producing the show, and as always our music is Cambodian Odyssey by Kevin Macleod (CC by 3.0).
Please pick up Professor Harl’s book, available in hardcover now or you can preorder the paperback. If you’re a fan of history courses you can also check out Professor Harl’s many great series for The Teaching Company. And if you haven’t checked out Foreign Exchanges please do that too:
Empires of the Steppes, with Kenneth Harl