Uploaded July 2022 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
This is an interview with Professor David Graff Director of Undergraduate History at Kansas State University. In his work, "The Eurasian Way of War: Military practice in seventh-century China and Byzantium" Professor Graff outlines a compelling argument which deconstructs the notion of an Eastern and Western "Way of War" as well as highlights the process by which the common security threat posed by steppe peoples lead both Tang China and Byzantium to organize, equip, and command their armies in similar ways.
Professor David Graff's Book can be found here: amazon.com/Eurasian-Way-War-Seventh-Century-Byzantium/dp/0415460344
Chapters:
0:00 Who is David Graff?
0:57 Academic vs Hobbyist Historical Comparisons
3:02 Sources for Comparing Tang and Byzantine Empires
6:17 Classical Chinese
7:24 When will David Graff’s translation of Li Jing’s Art of War be released?
8:51 How does Li Jing’s Art of War compare to the Emperor Taizong’s Military Classic?
12:34 How similar are Li Jing’s Art of War and the Strategikon?
15:29 Defining Eastern and Western Ways of Warfare
22:00 Do Eastern and Western Ways of Warfare exist in the sources?
24:38 Major similarities between Tang China and Byzantium
26:55 What role did the crossbow play in Tang armies?
28:34 What is the role of infantry in the Tang military?
30:24 What are the Fubing troops?
33:18 The decline of the Fubing system
40:52 The common enemy of Tang China and Byzantium
42:30 What makes the steppe so formidable?
44:35 What do steppe armies struggle with?
47:00 Responses to steppe armies
49:09 How successful were Tang and Byzantine militaries in responding to the steppe?
50:42 The role of ethnic / cultural identity in the Tang’s success
55:38 Did Byzantium share deep connections to the steppe?
57:34 Was the traction trebuchet brought to Europe by steppe nomads?
1:01:13 How did the rise of the Tibetan Empire change the dynamic?
1:04:26 Does Tibet cause Tang China to change their approach to the military as a whole?
1:08:56 Will the field of military history eventually abandon the notion of a Western Way of War?
1:12:25 What role does Chinese military history play in the field of history more broadly?
1:15:25 Professor David Graff’s announcement to the world!
Music：
Outro Music = Song: Chinese Thunder Drums Album: World Drums: African, Samba, Taiko, Chinese and Middle Eastern Music.
This is an interview with Professor David Graff Director of Undergraduate History at Kansas State University. In his work, "The Eurasian Way of War: Military practice in seventh-century China and Byzantium" Professor Graff outlines a compelling argument which deconstructs the notion of an Eastern and Western "Way of War" as well as highlights the process by which the common security threat posed by steppe peoples lead both Tang China and Byzantium to organize, equip, and command their armies in similar ways.
Professor David Graff's Book can be found here: amazon.com/Eurasian-Way-War-Seventh-Century-Byzantium/dp/0415460344
Chapters:
0:00 Who is David Graff?
0:57 Academic vs Hobbyist Historical Comparisons
3:02 Sources for Comparing Tang and Byzantine Empires
6:17 Classical Chinese
7:24 When will David Graff’s translation of Li Jing’s Art of War be released?
8:51 How does Li Jing’s Art of War compare to the Emperor Taizong’s Military Classic?
12:34 How similar are Li Jing’s Art of War and the Strategikon?
15:29 Defining Eastern and Western Ways of Warfare
22:00 Do Eastern and Western Ways of Warfare exist in the sources?
24:38 Major similarities between Tang China and Byzantium
26:55 What role did the crossbow play in Tang armies?
28:34 What is the role of infantry in the Tang military?
30:24 What are the Fubing troops?
33:18 The decline of the Fubing system
40:52 The common enemy of Tang China and Byzantium
42:30 What makes the steppe so formidable?
44:35 What do steppe armies struggle with?
47:00 Responses to steppe armies
49:09 How successful were Tang and Byzantine militaries in responding to the steppe?
50:42 The role of ethnic / cultural identity in the Tang’s success
55:38 Did Byzantium share deep connections to the steppe?
57:34 Was the traction trebuchet brought to Europe by steppe nomads?
1:01:13 How did the rise of the Tibetan Empire change the dynamic?
1:04:26 Does Tibet cause Tang China to change their approach to the military as a whole?
1:08:56 Will the field of military history eventually abandon the notion of a Western Way of War?
1:12:25 What role does Chinese military history play in the field of history more broadly?
1:15:25 Professor David Graff’s announcement to the world!
Music：
Outro Music = Song: Chinese Thunder Drums Album: World Drums: African, Samba, Taiko, Chinese and Middle Eastern Music.
