Of all the conquerors who swept out of Central Asia, two names stand out in European memory - Attila the Hun and Genghis Khan the Mongol. Both are remembered for massacres and devastation; yet whereas Genghis is also famous for the laws he imposed on half of Asia and for the trade which flourished under Mongol rule, Attila's notoriety seems unrelieved by positive achievements. But what was Attila's short-lived empire really like? What happened to the Huns afterwards, and what role did the nomads of Central Asia play in the centuries between Attila and Genghis Khan?

Introduction · Chronology · The Nomads and their Neighbours · Weapons, Horses, Transport and Fortifications · The Nomad Peoples · The Second Wave · The Silk Road · The Third Wave · Peoples of the Forest · The Fourth Wave · The Plates

David Nicolle was born in 1944 and worked for the BBC, including the overseas broadcasting service before returning to university, obtaining his PhD in Edinburgh. He subsequently taught at Yarmouk University in Jordan, since which he has contributed a substantial number of Osprey titles. He is a specialist in medieval arms and armour and has written several books as well as numerous articles for specialist journals.