‘Passionate … illuminated with a marvellous array of paintings and portraits … the authors go beyond scholarship to give a bountiful review of Asia’s kingdoms’ – The Oxford Times

‘Winningly straightforward … a reliable and palatable introduction to a fascinating subject’ – Geographical Magazine

Asian empires led the world economically, scientifically and culturally for hundreds of years, and posed a constant challenge to the countries of Europe. How and why did those empires gain such power, and lose it? What legacies did they leave?

This major book brings together a team of distinguished historians and 200 illustrations to survey seven great Asian empires that rose and fell between 800 CE and the mid-20th century. Each was unique, yet fascinating similarities and parallels emerge:

The Mongol Empire
Ming Dynasty of China
Khmer Empire
Ottoman Empire
Safavid Empire of Persia
Mughal Empire of India
Meiji Restoration in Japan

See the complete list of contents

Splendidly illustrated and compellingly written, The Great Empires of Asia shows how those seven empires played a key role in forming today’s global civilization – and how, with the renewed ascendancy of Asia, their legacies will help shape the continent’s future.

The founding emperors were charismatic leaders such as Chinggis Khan, Babur and Hongwu. Military conquest was, of course, the basis of imperial power, but the Asian empires also proved highly successful in organizing and administering their enormous, multi-cultural domains. Most were surprisingly inclusive and tolerant of ethnic and religious differences.

Asian empires also amassed legendary wealth – and displayed it. An Asian style of empire was manifested in the grand buildings, the superb arts and crafts, the philosophical and religious speculation, and the science and technology of the time. Each empire in itself was a marvellous artefact, a distinctive cultural achievement.

Jim Masselos is an Honorary Reader in the History Department of the University of Sydney and a founding member of both the Asian Arts Society of Australia and the South Asian Studies Association of Australia. His publications include The City in Action: Bombay Struggles for Power and (as co-author) Dancing to the Flute: Music and Dance in Indian Art.

The Contributors:
Gábor Ágoston • Catherine Asher • Sussan Babaie • Helen Ibbitson Jessup • Timothy May • J.A.G. Roberts • Elise Kurashige Tipton

Also of interest
The Mughal Emperors and the Islamic Dynasties of India, Iran and Central Asia
Chronicle of the Chinese Emperors
Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire
Southeast Asia - A Concise History
The Great Empires of the Ancient World
The Age of Empires
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