

Summary :
This was a period which witnessed not only complex political
events due to the arrival of warring dynasties and to ethnic
movements, but also far-reaching social, economic and cultural
upheaval. An epoch of rich and powerful empires such as
the Sasanians in Iran and the T'ang in China. There were
also waves of nomadic migrations and the constitution of
steppe empires which swept over these sedentary populations
and not only left their imprint on political and social
life but frequently added a new ethnic component to the
population. These multiethnic and multicultural societies
had their roots in great religious traditions such as Buddhism,
Zoroastrianism, Manichaeism, Christianity and Shamanism.
The advent of Islam in the region at the end of this period
brought fundamental changes to all aspects of life.
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Table of
Contents

Table
of Contents
Description of the project
Mohammad S. Asimov, President,
International Scientific Committee
Members of the International Scientific
Committee
List of
contributors
Chapter 1
Historical introduction
BA Litvinsky and
Zhang Guang-da
Chapter 2
Sasanian Iran - economy, society, arts and crafts
N.N. Chegini and
A.V. Nikitin
Chapter 3
Sasanian Iran - intellectual life
A. Tafazzoli and
A.L. Khromov
Chapter 4
The Kushano-Sasanian kingdom
A.H. Dani and
BA Litvinsky
Chapter 5
The Kidarite kingdom in Central Asia
E.V. Zeimal
Chapter 6
The Hephthalite Empire
BA Litvinsky
Chapter 7
Eastern Kushans, Kidarites in Gandhara and Kashmir,
and Later Hephthalites
A.H. Dani,
BA Litvinsky and
M.H. Zamir Safi
Chapter 8
The Gupta kingdom
K.Chakrabarti
Chapter 9
Khwarizm
E.E. Nerazik and
P.G. Bulgakov
Chapter 10
Sogdiana
B.I. Marshak and
N.N. Negmatov
Chapter 11
The city-states of the Tarim basin
Zhang Guang-da
Chapter 12
Kocho (Kao-ch’ang)
Zhang Guang-da
Chapter 13
Northern nomads
L.R. Kyzlasov
Chapter 14
The Türk Empire
D. Sinor and
S.G. Klyashtorny
Chapter 15
The Western Regions (Hsi-yü) under the T’ang Empire and
the kingdom of Tibet
Mu Shun-ying and
Wang Yao
Chapter
16
Tokharistan and Gandhara under Western Türk rule (650 -
750) J. Harmatta
and BA Litvinsky
Chapter 17
Religions and religious movements - I
Ph. Gignoux and
BA Litvinsky
Chapter 18
Religions and religious movements - II
BA Litvinsky and
M.I. Vorobyova-Desyatovskaya
Chapter 19
The Arab conquest
BA Litvinsky,
A.H. Jalilov and
A.I. Kolesnikov
Chapter 20
Central Asia, the cross-roads of civilizations
BA Litvinsky and
Zhang Guang-da
Maps
Bibliography
and References
Index
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