Raiders, Rulers, and Traders: The Horse and the Rise of Empires
David Chaffetz, 22 January 2025 19.00 GMT In Person Only
at the Army & Navy Club In collaboration with The Iran Society
Members Only
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A captivating history of civilisation that reveals the central role of the horse in culture, commerce and conquest
No animal is so entangled in human history as the horse. The thread starts in prehistory, with a small, shy animal, hunted for food. Over time, the domestication of horses, followed by the advent of riding, powered mighty empires: Persian, Mongol, Mughal. For more than two millennia, from Iran and Afghanistan to China, India and, later, Russia, the deep and ancient bond between humans and their horses connected a vast continent, forged trade routes, linked cultures and fueled war machines.
Scholar of Asian history David Chaffetz tells the story of the steppe raiders, rulers and traders who amassed power and wealth on horseback from the Bronze Age through the twentieth century. Drawing on a wealth of primary sources―in Persian, Turkish, Russian and Chinese―Chaffetz presents a ground-breaking new view of what has been known as the “Silk Road”, and a lively history of the great horse empires that shaped civilisation.
Members are welcome to begin arriving at the Army & Navy Club from 18.30 GMT with the talk set to begin at 19.00 GMT. A jacket, collared shirt, and smart trousers, dress or skirt are required. A tie, whilst always welcome is not a requirement.
David Chaffetz has built a career in the corporate sector spending a significant proportion of his working life with IBM. He is now a Non Executive Director with RadarRadar, a data and risk management company.
A regular contributor to the Asian Review of Books and member of the Royal Society for Asian Affairs, he is also the author of A Journey through Afghanistan and Three Asian Divas and has travelled extensively across Asia for more than forty years. He divides his time between Lisbon and Paris.
