The Great Empires of AsiaAsian empires led the world economically, scientifically, and culturally for hundreds of years, posing a constant challenge to the countries of Europe. How and why did those empires gain such power, and lose it? What legacies did they leave? This book brings together a team of distinguished historians to survey seven great Asian empires that rose and fell between 800 CE and the mid 20th century: the Mongol Empire, Ming Dynasty of China, Khmer Empire,