Temujin as Steppe Revolutionary

[Kolaksay]

Found an interesting article entitled "Something New Under the Sun: The Mongol Empire’s Innovations in Steppe Political Organization and Military Strategy" by Thomas J. Barfield, Boston University for The 8th International Congress of Mongolists, Ulaan Baatar, August 5-12, 2002.
My browser keeps garbling bookmark as: www.mongolianculture.com/2002%20Mongol%20conference%20pa.htm
but just googol "Mongol Barfield" and it should come up, or go to www.mongolianculture.com.
The author argues that Temujin's reformation of traditional steppe military empires was actually revolutionary and not just one more steppe confederacy empire like those that preceded it or followed it. It is a short article. Please read it and then comment; the author's insights and argument are downright refreshing, at least to me, and so I am interested in the opinions of y'all.

[H. İhsan Erkoç]

Thank you for your contribution

[jakujin]

I like that article, which is still up on the net; these views of his are also found in his book:

Thomas J. Barfield, The Perilous Frontier: Nomadic Empires and China, 221 BC to AD 1757, Blackwell 1989

[boron]

Something that comes to mind, though not of the steppes, is also how the Muslim Arabs were able to transform from a series of tribal-based communities to a centralized empire within the first century or so.

[H. İhsan Erkoç]

That was mostly due to the usage of Byzantine and Sassanid officials who entered into the service of the Caliphs following the Muslim conquests.

[boron]

Jun 4, 2013 10:32:42 GMT 3 H. İhsan Erkoç said:

That was mostly due to the usage of Byzantine and Sassanid officials who entered into the service of the Caliphs following the Muslim conquests.

There was a group of Buddhist people called Barmakids who also came under the service of the Abbased caliphs.

-From a page of my Middle-East history book

BTW yes new forum look!

[H. İhsan Erkoç]

Indeed, the Barmakids were an important group. It's interesting how they prepared the plans of the city of Baghdad similar to Buddhist monasteries in Central Asia.