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Why Did Europe Conquer the World
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Imagine that a time machine could carry you back to the year 900 and land you anywhere on earth for an extended stay. Where would you go live?
As you consider the possibilities, you might want a bit of useful advice—namely, avoid western Europe at all costs.1 Why reside there, when it was poor, violent, politically chaotic, and by almost any yard- stick, hopelessly backward? There were no cities, apart from Córdoba, but it was part of the Muslim world. Luxuries (silks, perfume, and spices, which flavored an otherwise bland cuisine and served as the health food of the day) were scarce and extremely expensive. To get them, you had to trade with Middle Eastern merchants and sell the few western goods they deigned to purchase, such as furs or slaves. And if you were not care- ful—if, say, you wandered down to the beach in Italy—you yourself might be captured and delivered into slavery.
Choosing Europe would, in short, be like opting to move to Afghanistan today. You would be far better off picking the Muslim Middle East, for back in 900 it was richer and more advanced, culturally and technologically, and would be a much more inviting destination. It had cities; markets brimming with goods from around the world, from Indian sandalwood to Chinese ceramics; and scholars who were extending works of ancient Greek science that were still unknown in western Europe.
Philip T. Hoffman - Personal Name
1st Edtion
978-0-691-13970-8
NONE
Why Did Europe Conquer the World
English Language
English
Princeton University Press
2015
USA
1-283
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