Acknowledgements; List of abbreviations; Introduction; Part I. The History and Theory of Barbarism: 1. Introducing the barbarian: problems of barbarism and religion; 2. Anquetil-Duperron: despotism and prophecy in Sassanid Persia; 3. Antoine-Yves Goguet: the Confusion of Tongues and the origins of civility; 4. Thomas Carte: Japhetic settlers in the western islands; 5. The first Germans: lethargy and passion in a transhumant culture; Part II. Joseph de Guignes and the Discovery of Eurasia: 6.

Gentile history in the further Asia; 7. The many faces of Fo: the problem of religion in Eurasian history; 8. Hans, Huns and RomansL the rhythms of barbarism and empire; Part III. The New World and the Problem of History: 9. The invention and discovery of savagery; 10. Robertson's America: the Scottish theoretical encounter with the New World; 11. The universe of savagery and the search for history; 12. Ancient history for modern settlers: the response to Robertson; Part IV.

The Crisis of the Seaborne Empires: 13. European history and the global ocean; 14. The antiquity of Asia: legislators, priests and the tragedy of history; 15. American savages and European barbarians: the invasion of the natural world; 16, Slaves and settlers: the sugar islands in the new geopolitics; 17. Utopia and revolution: the northern continent in history; Conclusion; 18. Gibbon and the Empires; Envoi; Bibliography of works cited; Index.