This impressive volume aims to connect the past and present of nomadic Eurasia. The author, a renowned expert in paleometalurgy and radiocarbon dating, expands his scope to Eurasian nomadic lifestyles and to their role in human history. It is not an encyclopedia, but rather a summary of the author's personal achievements in archaeology and scientific methodology placed in a broader context of general historical knowledge.

Part I, as an introduction and a summary of natural and social backgrounds, could perhaps be more interdisciplinary in scope and more precise in definitions of region, timespan, and human population. Although maps of the “geoecological landscape” (author's term) are included (Fig. 2.1–2) together with comments and photos of a variety of landscapes, a geographic and ecological description of the main area of interest (the steppic belt of Eurasia) would help to distinguish historical processes taking place “inside” from external influences, especially if nomads also frequented other ecological zones such as tundras, forests and deserts. As the Eurasian paleoecology was unstable during the Holocene, climatic changes could be related to human adaptations and migrations through time. An anthropological definition of nomads of the steppes against other pastoralists, hunter-gatherers, and farmers of neighbouring geoecological regions would be equally useful at the beginning, if the following text aims to be largely comparative. Classic works of anthropology and linguistics are quoted and discussed (55–58), but the explanatory potential of both disciplines, together with the latest achievements offered by paleogenetics, will certainly be broader.

Nomadic prehistory is focused on the pastoralists of the steppes (Part II). The approach, predominantly archaeological, also incorporates related historical comments from Chinese or Greek sources. The chapter summarizing various inventions (“gifts,” in author's words) of Eurasian nomads such as horseback riding, monotheism, building mounds, and mausoleums is inspiring. Nomads were also involved in early metal-working, although this was not an exclusively nomadic phenomenon. The presentation and description of Circumpontic and Caucasian paleometalurgy and its spatio-temporal development represent a strong part of the book (Chapters 8–19, also chronology in Appendix 1).

The historical section (Part III) starts with the ideological collision of large, institutional religious systems, but the reader may ask about the heritage of Eurasian shamanism in these processes. The text continues to describe and evaluate several nomadic waves such as Huns, Turks, and Mongols. Using a variety of parallels from west European history in this section presents a mosaic of ideas and impressions. The argumentation strengthens as the author nears Russian history, including the Soviet and post-Soviet periods (Part IV).

Given the nature and organization of the evidence, Part V offers a series of reflections rather than clear answers. The author's personal experience in ancient technologies and chronology allows him an authoritative discussion on inventions, migrations, and complex developmental events which he calls “explosions” (593). At the same time, the concept of “self-sufficiency,” raised by the author at the end of the book (609–11), involves cultural stability within a given environment. The discussion in Part V opens additional and provocative questions about the role of the unique, open, and “endless” steppe landscape of North Eurasia in world history and ideology, and about utility of past evidence for the orientation in complex societies and politics of today.

The role and heritage of Eurasian nomads in the history of humanity is clearly underestimated in recent world literature and this books aims to fill the gap. Written from the perspective of an experienced and distinguished Russian scholar, it is highly inspirational and well-equiped with photos, maps, and graphs in full color. The original artistic work of Dashi Namdakov, inspired by old nomadic patterns, complete the volume. In the future, advanced methods in science such as paleoecology, anthropology, and genetics will certainly enlarge the scope of evidence and argumentation on socioeconomic and historical consequences. I recommend this volume to anyone interested in an evidence-oriented study of Eurasian nomadism, in its comparative potential, and in the perspectives of further research.