TY - GEN AU - Dean, Riaz TI - Stone tower : Ptolemy, the silk road, and a 2,000-year-old riddle SN - 9780670093625 U1 - 915.69403 PY - 2022/// CY - Gurugram PB - Penguin Viking India KW - Historical Geography KW - Travel KW - Silk road KW - Ptolemy, Claudius -- 100-178 KW - Afghanistan KW - Bactrian Empire KW - Central Asia KW - China KW - Dunhuang KW - Euphrates River KW - Geographia KW - Gold KW - Greek-Roman KW - Han Dynasty KW - Kushan Empire KW - Jade Gate KW - Mongols KW - Mughal Dynasty KW - Nile River, delta KW - Sogdians KW - Tarim Basin KW - Western Regions KW - Xiongnu Empire KW - Yuezhi KW - Zhang Qian KW - Ancient Cartography KW - Ciaudius Ptolemy N1 - Includes bibliographical references and index N2 - A path traversed by caravans laden with silk, spices and much more besides, the old Silk Road influenced trade, religions, cultures and economies across Europe, Asia and far beyond. In his latest book, Riaz Dean blends the best of this region’s history and geography with ancient cartography to solve a 2,000-year-old riddle that has perplexed scholars for centuries: Where was the Stone Tower that the great geographer Claudius Ptolemy had written about? This highly significant but now-lost landmark represented the midpoint and thumping heart of the Silk Road, as merchant caravans plied their wares between the Occident and the Orient. From the significance of the Heavenly Horses to the intrigues of geopolitics and war between clans and kingdoms, Dean brings to life the legendary Silk Road even as his evocative narrative and meticulous research pinpoints the Stone Tower’s probable location somewhere by the so-called Roof of the World ER -