Raiders, rulers, and traders: The horse and the rise of empires

David Chaffetz’s Raiders, Rulers, and Traders reframes three millennia of Eurasian history around the horse, arguing that control of equine breeding, mobility and supply, rather than commodities or bureaucracy, drove empire formation, warfare and trade. This review assesses its contribution to Central Asian studies, where it restores nomadic and tribal societies as strategic actors. It highlights the treatment of the Turkmen and the Akhal-Teke horse, supported by an original word-frequency analysis. The review also identifies a central limitation: the uneven coverage of Turkmen sub-groups, notably the Goklan and Yomut, whose distinct breeds and varied responses to Russian expansion would have strengthened the ecological-specialization argument. The book is judged a significant and durable contribution to Eurasian and Central Asian historiography.