A New Publication: A Kernel of Truth

 A new chapter from Unit IV of my book, "The Enchanting Encounter with the East", continues the topic of the previous extract, Beware of Barbarians. It gives an account of real people behind the scenes, the steppe dwellers of the Eurasian grasslands.

Tags: Petachia of Ratisbon, Sima Qian, The Secret History of the Mongols, Temujin, Al-Jahiz, Plano Carpini

You may read this section on my website https://independent.academia.edu/BaizermanMichael

https://www.academia.edu/44328510/A_Kernel_of_Truth

This paper is open for discussions so you can join in. Discussion is a new development of Academia services and the circle of my readers has widened drastically. Not everyone likes my treatment of 'barbarians' but I think I have touched a vital string. I generally evade commenting on my papers; however, if something was not clear, I am ready to clarify the point. 

Unit IV of my book tells the story of Alexander Gate --a medieval legend-- and endeavors to immerse it into historical context. Some chapters reflect the twists of the legend; others add the contemporary background. 

I have already updated 25 investigations on my site from the three projects. 

Also, I decided to widen the ring of my readers. I have started updating the previous chapters of my book to be placed on scribd.com. This is an Internet library that I use in my research. Since my papers are unpublished, I upload them in the Documents section, with illustrations and notes. This is the latest version of my extracts. I have already uploaded two chapters from Unit I,   

https://www.scribd.com/document/479457186/What-if-the-Earth-is-the-Sphere

    https://www.scribd.com/document/481500313/How-to-Measure-the-Earth-s-Circumference

If you would like to support my work, follow my 'publications', now on two sites, Academia and Scribd. 

The Gold of Wangara (2)

 Hi guys,

Image: An improvised flea market at Sahel

Courtesy:  Photo: PGskot | CC BY-SA 4.0

I began processing the data I have collected about the Wangara traders. This association was a merchant network that linked the gold producers of West Africa with the entrepots in the Sahel. Gold for the salt exchange was the most obvious but not the only one avenue of this counteraction. 

The material is controversial and I am unsure what will the outcome be. For example, what weight I would give for the empires of Western Sudan: Ghana, Mali, and Songhay. There is much data but since I am a novice in African history, it is not easy to decide where I should stop. Besides, my main interest in this project seems to be maritime discoveries, so how much room should be provided for economic and human interest history?  

The first three chapters of my projects are available on my page at Academia:

https://www.academia.edu/41214506/How_Wide_Spans_the_Ocean_Sea

https://www.academia.edu/42166248/Beyond_the_Pillars_of_Hercules

https://www.academia.edu/43517659/The_Rediscovered_Islands

I hope I have found another site where I can upload my articles. I have to check if they accept the same papers that I have already placed on Academia. It might be another part of my reading audience who attends virtual libraries but not academic sites. If I succeed, I will tell you about my progress. 

I would like to read and analyze my correspondence with the scientists who left comments on my article about barbarians:

 https://www.academia.edu/44115626/Beware_of_Barbarians

I hope to repeat this wonderful experience with my future papers. 

I also interacted with Jack Snowden concerning his latest paper

https://www.academia.edu/44238803/Italian_Invasion_of_Ottoman_Rhodes_May_1912_Ottoman_Surrender_at_Psithos_on_Rhodes

Jack engages in the history of the Ottoman Empire. 

Wish you good luck and safe passage throughout these troubled times.