Praise for Raiders, Rulers, and Traders
An Economist Best Book of the Year
A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice
“Fascinating, compelling, and scholarly history of horses, raiders, and rulers that brings the great horse-powered empires of Central Asia to life, and places the horse at the center of world history where it belongs.”
—Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of The World: A Family History of Humanity
“A dog may be humanity's best friend, but the horse is certainly the greatest ally. With the strength of horses added to their own modest physical abilities, humans radically changed everything from agriculture and transportation to sports and warfare. From milking to marauding, David Chaffetz’s Raiders, Rulers, and Traders takes the reader on a well-paced ride through the history of this revolutionary and emotional alliance of human and animal.”
—Jack Weatherford, New York Times best-selling author of Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World
In Raiders, Rulers, and Traders, David Chaffetz recounts the history of the horse, the animal most entangled in centuries of human civilization. From ancient Assyria and Persia, to the thirteenth-century Mongols, to the high noon of colonialism, horses have enabled new forms of warfare, encouraged long-distance trade routes, and acquired deep cultural and religious significance. Drawing on recent research in fields including genetics and forensic archaeology, Chaffetz provides a novel explanation for the turbulent history of the Silk Road, and demonstrates how horse breeding was indispensable to conquest and statecraft. Raiders, Rulers, and Traders is a captivating account of the great horse empires that have shaped our world.
"[An] engaging history… David Chaffetz makes a convincing case for why no other animal has had such a profound impact on human history."
― Victor Mallet, Financial Times
“..,offers a wise and jaunty chronicle of the role played by horses in the rise of empires...Mr. Chaffetz weaves his tale with great descriptive verve.”
— Tunku Vadarajan, Wall Street Journal, July 26, 2024
“Chaffetz ably traces swathes of history across continents, underlining how horses made kingdoms and cultures. [He] brings an authoritative tone to his complex tale… The result is a consistently engaging and highly informative narrative.”
— Kirkus Review, May 2024
“Deeply researched, elegantly written.. . . ‘Raiders, Rulers and Traders’ [describes] a defining aspect of Chinese, Indian and Persian civilisations.” The Economist
“A thrilling trip through 2,000 years of history” The New York Times