Archeologists Unearth Remains of Genghis Khan's Palace on Mongolian Steppe

Associated Press ^ | Oct 6, 2004 | Audrey McAvoy

[Cronos]

I'd rather they found Alexander's tomb.

I dunno, IMO, I'd call Genghis Khan a greater conqueror than Alexander -- all Alex did was knock off the Persian Shah and gain his Empire -- the hard work had already been done by the Assyrian, Babylonian and Persian Empires, he didn't add on too much more -- when he did face a sizable and determined force (Porus) he barely succeeded. And Porus was only a very minor Indian king Alex's army got scared when they heard of the even larger armies further to the East

[PatrickHenry]

I dunno, IMO, I'd call Genghis Khan a greater conqueror than Alexander ...

Yes, but without Alexander, the Persians might have conquered Greece. There would have been no Western Civilization. So I'd say that notwithstanding Alexander's smaller territory compared to Genghis, Alexander was far more important. Besides, Alexander was a student of Aristotle. It's possible that a lost manuscript or two got buried with him. His tomb -- because of its possible contents -- could be a far more important find than that of Genghis.

[aculeus]

Bump!

[Publius6961]

Love these threads.

BUMP!

[FairOpinion]

GGG PING -- looks like nobody pinged you to this yet.

[Cronos]

Yes, but without Alexander, the Persians might have conquered Greece.

That may have been a good thing -- the Persians were tolerant and highly civilised (remember, among other things wine cultivation started in Iran) and they didn't have a gay culture...

There would have been no Western Civilization

Well there would have been one -- but it would have been a Romano-Persian culture -- Persia would not have moved as far west as Italy -- they were not a maritime power. They would have been stopped by the mountains to the north of Greece. Rome would have been Rome but with Persian influences. Who knows, Rome defeated the giant Hellenic kingdoms after the Second Punic War, they may have defeated the Persians earlier and had an Empire stretching from Britain to India or beyond. A stronger Rome would have meant a stronger Christianity and probably noIslam as they would have been smote by the power of Rome

[SunkenCiv]

I'd agree that Alexander just defeated the Persian king (who was betrayed and murdered by nobles if memory serves) and took over the existing empire. However, Genghis Khan did the same thing in China -- as you said, "the hard work had already been done." Elsewhere in Asia his forces (with or without him) would ride up unexpectedly, kick the crap out of everyone, kill a bunch of people, took a bunch of booty, set up a puppet regime, and leave, having eaten up everything in sight.

The Scythians and various other westbound invaders from the steppe were more significant than Genghis Khan, although I've heard tell that he may have left literally millions of offspring all over the place due to, well...

Genghis Khan: Father to Millions?
by Rossella Lorenzi
June 22, 2004

The Mongol emperor's habit of killing the men and inseminating the women when his army conquered a new territory, coupled with handing the Empire and other wealth to his sons, and their sons, would explain how the chromosome came to such prevalence today, said Sykes.

The final piece of evidence came from the Hazara, a hill tribe in Pakistan who had a strong oral history of being descended from Genghis Khan.

"The Y chromosome was present in the Hazara, but not in the surrounding tribes, who did not have this oral history. Though the evidence is circumstantial, it is, I believe, very strong," Sykes said.

Alexander's conquest didn't hold together as a single unit after his untimely death, but altogether the various kingdoms covered a slightly larger area and lasted in some cases for centuries. Unlike the Persian Empire that area included Greece, which Persia never managed to conquer (not for lack of trying).

I'd also agree that a Persian victory against the city-states of Greece could have done irreparable damage to the unfolding civilization we often take for granted.

George W. Bush will be reelected by a margin of at least ten per cent

Election 2004 threads on FR

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks, FairOpinion!

Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on, off, or alter the "Gods, Graves, Glyphs" PING list --
Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.
The GGG Digest -- Gods, Graves, Glyphs (alpha order)

[AmericanVictory]

I believe that the spelling has evolved over the centuries. It is now Kerry Con, John Con, or simply John the Con, Kerry on!

[judywillow]

>Remember, it's pronounced zhin-jhis.

It was pronounced 'Chengis'. The term Chengisxhan was a title adopted at the all-tribal council which elected him ruler of high Asia around 1206, or 'ruler over all such as live in felt tents'. The man's giv en name was Tem-ujin.

The guy was the ultimate self-made man. His conquest of Northern China and the later conquest of all of China by his dynasty should in theory have been impossible since there was a population differential of at least 100/1 between China and Mongolia. Kind of like a squirrel killing a lion and eating it.

[msdrby]

ping

[Henchman]

He was a KELT!

[VOA]

bump

[farmfriend]

ping

[Pharmboy]

He was a KELT!

Is that a Kosher Celt?

[SunkenCiv]

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