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ix I have written this book as an introduction to the cultural developments of Central Asia, from the 3rd millennium BCE to the 1st millennium CE up to the Arab conquest. My interest has been in the rich and varied cultural mixing that happened in the two great ranges of Central Asia: the steppe lands of the north and the sedentary regions of the south. Though I explore each of these zones in its own terms, I also aim to show how the regular interaction between the zones, though this could be hostile at times, proved, more often, to be mutually beneficial. The theme that works its way through the book is the role played by trade. What I have tried to examine are the myriad ways that trade has stimulated cultural interaction. The book is intended for any reader interested in the issues of ancient Central Asia. However, I have aimed this at the reader with limited or no knowledge about the region. I am thinking specifically of advanced high school students or college undergraduates who may be taking a course in world history. The structure of the book follows the others in this series. I have written fifty artifact entries in which I examine some aspects of life in ancient Central Asia. With these objects I have worked to flesh out some of the aspects of the religious, economic, cultural, and daily lives of the many peoples who called Central Asia home during a roughly six-thousand-year period of time. While some of the objects were considered to have been created as artworks, most were not, and even some that qualify today as art pieces were not considered so when they were made. The artifact entries are grouped by topic: numbers 1–8 are about Clothing and Identification 9–14 Houses and Household Furnishings 15–18 Music, Sports, and Entertain- ment 19–28 Economy and Trade 29–30 Transportation 31–34 Rulership 35–39 Arms, Armaments, and Combat 40–47 Religion 48–50 Funerary Practices. However, these objects also tell other stories, and I have regu- larly added references to them into the discussions of other issues. Many of the artifact entries are really two items providing for a richer investigation. These items present numerous paths of investigation, and I have explored as many as possible. HOW TO USE THIS BOOK