54
Philosophies, Religions and History of India and Central Asia
UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI NAPOLI "L'ORIENTALE"
Overview
Date/time interval
Syllabus
Course Objectives
Expected Learning Outcomes
This course aims specifically to develop students’ ability to grasp the complexity of historical developments—an essential skill underpinning all studies in the humanities.
Ability to Apply Knowledge and Understanding
By the end of the course, students are expected to demonstrate knowledge of:
– The major issues and methodologies pertaining to the late antique and medieval history of Central Asia;
– The fundamental dynamics of the migrations of nomadic steppe peoples and their role in shaping state-like or imperial political formations;
– The challenges of periodization in the study of late antiquity and the medieval era;
– The forms of power and social structures characteristic of different historical phases in medieval Central Asia;
– The political evolution of power centers in Central Asia from the 5th to the 13th century (e.g., from tribe to empire);
– The pivotal role of the penetration and spread of Islam in Central Asia from the 10th century onward;
– The origins and political development of Russia (from the Slavs to the Rus’ and beyond);
– Economic trends and conjunctures in medieval Central Asia and their influence on the formation of political entities and centers of collective authority;
– The political and cultural interconnections between Central Asian history, neighboring political entities, and major “collateral” historical developments (e.g., the Byzantine Empire, China, Russia, the Arab-Islamic expansion).
Additional Expected Learning Outcomes
Independent Judgment
By the conclusion of the course, students should be able to interpret historical data critically and develop independent analytical perspectives on the political processes, social dynamics, and economic mechanisms that shaped the historical trajectories of Central Asia and Russia in late antiquity and the medieval period. This analytical capacity should also enable a deeper understanding of current global events.
Students should be able to communicate effectively—using precise and discipline-appropriate vocabulary—the economic, political, and social issues relevant to the history of Central Asia and Russia in these periods.
Learning Skills
Upon completion of the course, students will have acquired both the knowledge base and critical judgment necessary to engage independently and reflectively with complex contemporary phenomena. They will also be well prepared to pursue further historical and linguistic studies in the field of Oriental studies with a high degree of autonomy.
Course Prerequisites
Basic humanistic knowledge and knowledge of basic vocabulary related to economic concepts, forms of power and society (civilization, society, production, exchange, currency, institution, empire, kingdom, community, nobility...) are required. Basic knowledge of medieval and modern history is helpful, but not required. Familiarity, albeit minimal, with the concepts of migration, nomadism, sedentary communities is also recommended.
Teaching Methods
Lectures will be conducted in the classroom with the aid of PowerPoint presentations featuring geographical and conceptual maps of the topics covered. Additionally, there will be guided readings of primary sources (translated into Italian or English) to exemplify and deepen understanding of the historical processes examined. Each week will include structured class discussions, in which students are expected to actively participate, collaboratively analyzing the material and exploring its most salient aspects.
Assessment Methods
The knowledge and skills acquired will be tested through an oral interview with questions. During the course, students will also have to write a paper of approximately 3,000 words on a topic chosen from those covered during the course. If the student wishes, he/she may choose a topic of his/her interest even if not covered by the lecturer with the lecturer's permission.
NOTE. Non-attending students will be required to prepare one additional monograph (for a total of two) of their choice from the proposed texts. It is also possible to prepare on a monograph text of your choice upon approval of the professor.
Texts
- L. Pubblici, La Rus' di Kiev, un crocevia fra Europa e Asia nel medioevo, Roma, Carocci 2025.
- L. Pubblici, Storia dei Mongoli. Dalle steppe all’impero (secoli XIII-XV), Roma, Carocci, 2023.
- M. Bernardini, Tamerlano. Il conquistatore delle steppe che assoggettò l’Asia dando vita a una nuova civiltà, Roma, Salerno, 2022.
- L. Pubblici, Cumani. Migrazioni, strutture di potere e società nell’Eurasia dei nomadi, Firenze, Firenze University Press, 2021 (disponibile in open access sul sito dell’editore).
- A.C.S. Peacock and D. G. Tor (eds.), Medieval Central Asia and the Persianate World. Iranian Tradition and Islamic Civilisation, London, Bloomsbury, 2017.
- M. Bernardini-D. Guida, I Mongoli. Espansione, imperi, eredità, Torino, Einaudi, 2012.
- P. Golden, Central Asia in World History, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2011 (capp. 1-7, pp. 1-104).
Contents
Central Asia and the Silk Roads: trade, diplomacy, cultures
Course Program
Module 1 – Foundations: From Antiquity to the Early Middle Ages
Geography and Ancient Civilizations
- Introduction: physical and historical geography of Central Asia and Russia
- Steppes, deserts, and river systems: how geography shaped history
- Defining "Central Asia" and "Russia" in a historical context
Environment, Climate, and Ancient Peoples
- Nomadic pastoralism vs. sedentary agriculture
- The emergence of the Silk Roads: trade and cultural exchange
Central Asia between the Middle East and China
- The Hellenistic legacy (Greco-Bactrian, Kushan)
- Sogdian merchants and early globalization
Push from the East: Central Asia in the Early Centuries of the Common Era
- The Xiongnu, Yuezhi, and the rise of steppe confederations
- Indirect connections between Han China and Rome
From Late Antiquity to the Early Middle Ages
- The Hephthalites (“White Huns”) and the Sasanian Empire
- The Turkic Khaganates: the first Turkic empires
Module 2 – The Rise of the Rus’ and Early Interactions
The Birth and Development of the Rus’
- Viking merchants (Varangians) and the founding of Kievan Rus’
- The role of the Volga trade route
The Rus’ and Its Neighbors
- Contacts with Byzantium, the Khazars, and Volga Bulgaria
- The impact of the Pechenegs and Cumans
Central Asia before the Arab Expansion
- Sogdiana, Khwarezm, and the last Zoroastrian strongholds
- Tang dynasty influence in the Tarim Basin
Module 3 – Islamic and Mongol Transformations (Medieval Period)
Islam, Nomads, and the Silk Roads
- Nomads and oasis cities: economic and cultural exchanges
- Urbanization along the Silk Road: Samarkand, Bukhara, Merv
The Arab Expansion: Islam in Central Asia
- The Battle of Talas (751) and its consequences
- Persianized culture under the Samanids
Central Asia on the Eve of the Mongol Conquest
- The Kara-Khitai and the Khwarezmian Empire
- The fragmentation of the Seljuk legacy
Module 4 – The Mongol Empire and Its Consequences
The Rise of the Steppe: The Mongols and the Conquest of Central Asia
- Genghis Khan’s reforms and military strategies
- The destruction of Khwarezm: a case study in Mongol warfare
The Caucasian Divide – Part I: The Mongols in Central Asia and Iran
- The Ilkhanate and Persian administration
- Scientific exchanges under Mongol rule (e.g., Nasir al-Din al-Tusi)
The Caucasian Divide – Part II: The Mongols in Russia
- The Golden Horde and the debate on the “Tatar Yoke”
- The rise of Moscow under Mongol sovereignty
The Chinggisid Legacy: Tamerlane and Post-Mongol Central Asia
- Timur’s empire: between Turkic and Persian identity
- The Ulus system and the fragmentation of the steppe
Module 5 – Advanced Themes: Toward Modernity
State Formation and National Identities
- The Uzbek Khanates and the decline of the Silk Road
- The Shaybanids and the rise of Bukhara, Khiva, and Kokand
Nomadic Legacies in the Modern World
- Soviet national delimitation and the creation of Central Asian republics
- Contemporary issues: resource exploitation vs. sustainable pastoralism
Methodological Approaches
- Comparative studies of empires
- Analysis of primary sources (e.g., The Secret History of the Mongols, Ibn Battuta’s travels)
- Debates in global history (e.g., “nomadic statehood,” ecological determinism)
Final Project
Research paper on a topic of the student’s choice, to be discussed with the instructor.
Course Language
Italian