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Browse materialsMIT 21H.580 · Fall 2003

From the Silk Road to the Great Game: China, Russia, and Central Eurasia

Subject: History

Art: Matilda of Flanders, Bayeux Tapestry 4 variant, 1070 · Public domain

Instructor: Prof. Peter C. Perdue
Term: Fall 2003
Level: Undergraduate
What's inside: 1 lecture note · 1 reading · 14 other files · 3 web pages
Materials open: MIT OCW

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Source: MIT OpenCourseWare 21H.580 From the Silk Road to the Great Game: China, Russia, and Central Eurasia, Fall 2003, Prof. Peter C. Perdue — original course page on ocw.mit.edu ↗. License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Study order: MIT's own listing order, section by section. Taken from MIT's published course files, downloaded from ocw.mit.edu on September 23, 2026. How RedLectern is built.

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Review Items for Midterm Geography QuizPDF Download

MIT OpenCourseWare, Prof. Peter C. Perdue, 21H.580 From the Silk Road to the Great Game: China, Russia, and Central Eurasia, Fall 2003.

License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 · Edition: Fall 2003 · Open the original course on OCW ↗

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From the Silk Road to the Great Game: China, Russia, and Central Eurasia

Before you start

What's here, and what isn't

Not included here

Materials by section

Syllabus

Lecture Notes

Exams

Lecture 1: Big Questions: World Systems and Civilizations The Pivotal Role of Central Eurasia

Lecture 2: Corpses and Chariots: Mummies, Horses and the Rise of Nomadism

Lecture 3: The Rise of the Silk Route Trade Han, Xiongnu, and Roman Empires

Lecture 4: Religions along the Silk Routes: Islam, Christianity, Manicheanism, Judaism, Buddhism

Lecture 5: Cave Paintings and Sculpture: Dunhuang and Others

Lecture 6: Caravans and Conquest: Marco Polo, Rabban Sauma, and Kublai Khan

Lecture 7: Ming China and the Rise of Muscovy

Lecture 8: Manchu Conquest of Central Asia, Russian and Mongolian Negotiations

Lecture 9: There will be a film shown in the first session of this week, during class time. It is NOT optional. You will have to write a 1-2 page commentary on it.

Lecture 10: Tibet and Xinjiang’s Role in Central Asian Politics

Lecture 11: Nineteenth Century Great Game: Britain, Russia, and China

Lecture 12: Twentieth Century Explorers and Looters: Aurel Stein, et. al

Lecture 13: Soviet Rule in Central Asia: From Revolution to Environmental Catastrophe

Lecture 14: Post-Soviet Developments in Central Asia and Xinjiang

Lecture 15: Intercultural Contacts from Amsterdam to Japan: Yo-yo Ma and the Silk Road Project The Dalai Lama in the Modern World Richard Feynman “goes” to Tuva