Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire

A book by this title has just been released by Fitzhugh et al. Fitzhugh is the director of the Arctic studies Center and Curator of the Department of Anthropology at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History. So you might guess that this is an important work.

The text is in the form of short essays by about forty-two contributors, many of them Mongolians. This format makes for enjoyable reading for one who likes to skip about. Very many objects are illustrated, all in color.

This book actually solves a kind of recent dilemma. It was intended to accompany the Genghis Khan exhibit at the HMNS, of which I have published here on the bows and arrows in the display. According to the book, certain procedural problems necessitated the display opening without the book or the signage which would have made sense out of the exhibit. Better late than never.

I recommend this book highly to anyone interested in the Mongol invasion era. Such diverse topics as DNA studies, cave burials, discussion on every type of artifact from coinage to silk clothing, horse tack and anything else imaginable. The artists and historians-histories are discussed in detail.

Not expensive. Jack