A fascinating look at world history through the examination of twelve specific carpets.

Examining the context of the state of the world when each one was made, from the ancient to the contemporary, tracing the lives of the weavers, the buyers and sellers, the thieves and the museums, ranging far in geography and time, this was a very good lens to look at world history.

My only complaint is this DRC had none of the images the finished book has; I waited to write this review until I saw a finished book, so I could judge for myself how well the author's careful descriptions of these art objects evoked my perception of them.

Very well indeed, as it happens.

Best aspect of the read was the charming-to-me blend of personal anecdote and intensive research. They're blended in a way that evokes the sensation of having a personal chat with that world-renowned subject matter expert who's our personal bestie that we all have. (Or wish we did anyway.)

Flying on her magic carpet of knowledge across huge spans of time and space, Author Armstrong shows us how human creativity and skill are "rewarded" by exploitation and subjugation all too often. The existence of imperialism is not new. It is always, however, driven by greed. The subject of greed shifts over time but it never leaves us.

As the chapters are devoted to specific carpets from different cultures and eras, coveted by imperialists, a chronological organization would not work very well. It's sort of loosely there if you squint just right. I recommend reading the book as presented, however, not trying to do something more "orderly" with its vast erudition on a subject I'd bet not many of us know much about. It might help to space the chapters out, more like stories in a collection. I did that more or less by accident.

It should surprise no one that the majority of the anonymous creators of these artworks were women, and all were from disadvantaged, relatively powerless groups. A recurring theme, this, in Western colonial attitudes.

Feminists, art-history buffs, anti-imperialist readers, and the serious trivia hounds are encouraged to pick one up. Casual lovers of pretty books, well, if carpets are you thing yes; we're not looking at a coffee-table book, though.

Well worth springing for the paper book. I think the ebook must have some of the illustrative images but how they come across will be heavily device dependent. Stick to the half-millennium-old printing technology.

History underfoot and on display
Jul 31
Threads of Empire: A History of the World in Twelve Carpets by Dorothy Armstrong (St. Martin’s Press, 2025)

Reviewed by Elizabeth Stice



Is it possible to tell the history of the world in twelve carpets? Perhaps not quite, but it is possible to write world history organized around twelve carpets. In Dorothy Armstrong’s Threads of Empire, each carpet has its own story, but also serves as a pocket door to a broader historical moment or topic. One carpet takes us to the Yalta Conference in 1945, one takes us to pre-Meiji Japan, one takes us to Siberia before the AD period, and others take us other interesting places. Each carpet is an occasion to consider a time and place, typically an empire, and a relationship to power.



Threads of Empire is not built exclusively on famous carpets nor is it an attempt to catalog the “best” carpets in the world. Some carpets in the book are famous enough to be known by non-experts, like the Ardabil carpet. At least one carpet in the book is a “fake.” Some are authentic but relatively unknown. Through deft story-telling, Armstrong has managed to write an interesting book about rugs for a general audience. She covers what we know about production methods, opens our eyes to those who likely made each carpet, and shares its journey from point of origin to museum or private collection. Many different cultures, personalities, and time periods are involved.



The chapters in Threads of Empire have the ability to draw in the reader and take us to unexpected places. A good example is the chapter on a knotted-pile carpet from sixteenth century Anatolia, which wound up in the Black Church in Braşov, Transylvania. In this chapter, Armstrong explains and how and why so many prayer rugs made by Muslims wound up in churches, as rugs to warm parishioners and sometimes as objects on the pulpit or altar. This chapter takes us to the forefront of Lutheranism and its plain churches in sixteenth-century Carpathia, which we experience through the story of Johannes Honterus and the Black Church. From there, we follow the Saxons of Transylvania, and local Lutheranism, through successive centuries and empires. And we follow prayer rugs on their journey from the Ottoman Empire as trade goods and then, in later centuries, out of Carpathia to private collections, as they were smuggled out of churches, often sold without permission. Armstrong picks up one thread and follows it, while accounting for the intersecting threads and the patterns in history.



In many places, Armstrong brings our attention to power. Armstrong argues that carpets have often been symbols not only of wealth, but of power. The “empire” in Threads of Empire is intentional. Churchill and Stalin and FDR took that famous Yalta photo posed on carpets. Hitler had a copy of the Ardabil carpet. Yet most historic carpets were created by women and people who left little historical record—one carpet in this book was created by prisoners in British India. Many carpets have been made under government direction and strong external control. Armstrong continuously reminds us of the contrast between the creators of carpets, and what the carpets may have meant to them, and the ways in which carpets become symbols and are bought and sold at exorbitant prices by powerful people. The book’s tone is consistent with other critiques of empire, especially Western empires.



If the link between carpets and power is not entirely familiar, the relationship between time and textiles has long been observed. In Greek mythology, the Three Fates hold the thread of human life, one spinning, one measuring, and one cutting. In The Odyssey, Penelope weaves daily. The estimated time it should take her to complete her work has been recognized by her suitors as an acceptable unit of time for her to mourn for her missing husband. Unwilling to move on, she unweaves nightly, holding out hope for Odysseus that stretches across years. Time and textiles travel together. Native American wampum belts tell stories in their intricately woven beads. Quilts chronicle family history. In the 2008 movie Wanted—famous for the curving bullet scene—a group of assassins respond to orders handed out by the “Loom of Fate.”



If time and textiles are obviously linked, writing about carpets is also a good way of showing the warp and weft of history as a discipline. Threads of Empire highlights the strengths and weaknesses of existing scholarship and methods. In some cases, we can fairly easily assign point of origin for carpets and offer solid dating for them. Our knowledge of empires and museums helps us assess the context of many carpets. In other cases, we have only a range of possible times and a list of possible places. For some carpets, we know very little about the original context. In almost every case, design interpretation has been anything but reliable by earlier experts. Previous interpretations have not only been erroneous but have sometimes been driven by bad motives. All the ways in which we can and cannot understand carpets with the knowledge and tools we have reflect the power and the limits of history as a discipline.



At times Threads of Empire presses against the borders of history as a discipline. This book walks the line between comfortable and uncomfortable use of historical imagination in nonfiction. Armstrong builds many paragraphs on assumptions or phrases like “we can imagine.” At times that can be unsettling for a historian. However, Armstrong is always clear about her approach. Her attempts to help us enter the historical moment through imagination are not disguised. In many cases, they do help us reflect on carpets and contexts in rich ways. And these exercises are clear responses to gaps in the historical record. We do not know what kind of a sight Toyotomi Hideyoshi made in his jinbaori made from an Iranian kilim. We do not even know if he ever wore it. We can only imagine it. Armstrong encourages us to do so.



Threads of Empire is intriguing in part because of its ability to weave together the familiar and the unfamiliar. The V&A Museum appears, as does the British Empire. So does the Ottoman Empire and the Pergamon Museum in Berlin. We also encounter nomadic people, ancient Siberia, central Europe, and legendary carpet experts. It would be hard to imagine a reader picking up the book and being disappointed by too familiar contents.



One clear takeaway is the emphasis on the significance of Persia and especially the Safavid Empire. Armstong not only demonstrates the reach of their cultural goods, but argues for much more knowledge of them by other empires and conscious appeal to their image. That is debatable at points—was Hideyoshi consciously referencing Persian empire with his apparel?—but altogether Armstrong succeeds in helping us see what was before us, even underfoot, but perhaps missed by non-experts.



Threads of Empire is an altogether interesting book. It is clearly written and can engage the general audience well. While many people might assume they would not enjoy a book about carpets, many of them would be in error about that. Good history helps us see connections between peoples, times, and places, and uses narrative to enrich our understanding of the world around us. Threads of Empire does just that.

A masterclass in the history of the world... told through twelve incredible carpets! (I did a lot of Googling to seem images of the carpets!) Armstrong not only shares her love of textiles, she uses textiles to join together the textile and the history that was happening in the world! I learned so much! I was surprised and fell in love with history all over again!

If you like textiles... you will LOVE this book. If you like history... you will LOVE this book! I highly recommend!

I would like to thank Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital copy of this book! It was published June 17, 2025.

In this fascinating book about twelve unique carpets from around the world, Dorothy Armstrong weaves a history of the world through these intricate yet overlooked objects. From the 5th century BCE to the middle of the twentieth century, the twelve carpets capture the histories, politics, cultures, and events of various communities from around the world such as the Scythians and the Yalta Peace Conference in 1945. Exploring the tools, methods, and images used to make these carpets, Armstrong’s material world history book is a fascinating and nontraditional read for historians and artisans alike. The mix of technical and historical language mixes the two focuses of the book together in absolutely fantastic detail, and the two topics balance each other out perfectly and do not overwhelm the other throughout because the language is fairly straightforward. Armstrong’s incredible research and knowledge about carpets really shines, and readers will appreciate her insights and technical know-how as they appear in this unique book. A great book for art historians, material historians, and generally craftsy people, this is an immersive and engaging new history book that readers will absolutely love because of its unique selection of historical events, cultures, and locations and the fascinating lens of carpets and textiles.

Well crafted rugs tell stories. Armstrong, with her love of the subject, did a fine job telling those stories. Quilts frequently get the attention for historical works like this and I was glad to see a different focus. I like how she combined the historical setting of the carpet's creation as well as the history of the carpet itself. I was surprised at the labor, of children or slaves, unlike quilt origins. I was not as interested in the actual materials used in the carpets and found that information not as interesting. Her writing style did make the information less dry, however.

This book did give me a new appreciation for what one can reveal about culture through creations such as carpets. It is a book for readers who would like to look at the world through the often overlooked topic of carpet construction and trade.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent review.

Armstrong focuses on twelve carpets, yes, but at its heart this is a book exploring power and the powerless throughout history.

I learned more than I expected while reading this nicely constructed and beautifully written work.
I enjoyed how each chapter focuses on a different carpet without being boring or getting bogged down.
If you are a fan of history, enjoy micro-histories, or simply want to learn more, then this is probably a book you shouldn't pass up.


Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the dARC of this work in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 rounded to 5

Twelve exquititely-written chapters, each focused on a specific carpet.

My only problem is not a problem for someone who buys the book: NetGalley did not include illos.

That said, the writing is an arabesque swooping from ancient history to the present, covering a broad range of geographical distance and historical figures, including a precis of the state of the world when each particular carpet was created. The human side is there: the conflicts involved inweaving it, owning it, claiming it, then tracing its history.

A truly worthy book!

***ARC received from St. Martins Press and NetGalley, opinions are all my own. Thank you!***

Threads of Empire is a unique view of history, told through the stories of twelve different carpets. While I expected that this might be more focused on the carpets its actually a balanced look at both the carpets that the history of the world around the time that they would have been created.

This history is expansive, covering both multiple time frames but also countries. There is chapter dedicated to the carpets that were laid out for the chairs that FDR, Stalin and Churchill sat in for the icon pictures taken during the Yalta Conference. I would have never thought to look at a simple carpet from such an iconic image and try to explore its background yet the author does this. Not just that but also the history of what was going on during the Yalta Conference.

I think my favorite chapter was the fourth chapter. This one is focused on a Jinbaori that was worn by Toyotomi Hideyoshi that was created using imported silk kilim that was woven in Safavid Iran. Its fascinating to think how far a single piece of fabric can travel back in the 1500s and what another country looked at it and decided to do with it. Textiles can travel far, easy to box up and trade as its always something that people would have a need for. I liked when the book followed the carpets from their makers up to current time.

This book can get a little heavy on the history and unfortunately it can get a little dry making it a little difficult to follow along. Not only difficult to follow along but a bit overwhelming. I was hoping for more about the textiles and the people that created them but this is probably more of a history book with the carpets as a through point but not the main focus point.

The only downside to have a digital ARC was that I was missing the pictures. They are definitely needed to get a full picture of the carpets that are being talked about. The author does a good job of describing them and bringing them to life just through words but you really do need the images to get the full feel for the carpets.

In the end despite some of my issues I did like this book, I loved learning about the carpets. That something people created so many years ago still are around today even with the fear that the art may be lost. I do hope that this book may inspire others to pick up a textile art so that one day people would write a book about their art.

Threads of Empire is a fascinating and engaging read that brings to life the role of specific carpets in shaping global history. McNeil weaves together rich research and storytelling to show how rugs have influenced trade, politics, and the rise and fall of empires. I found it very informative without feeling dry—just really interesting and eye-opening. A great pick if you’re into history told from a unique perspective!

A very detailed, well researched historical analysis and study of the relationship between carpets and power in select areas of the world. A disadvantage of an advanced digital copy is the absence of illustrations and that is not the author’s or publisher’s responsibility. Thanks to #NetGalley and #ThreadsOfEmpire for advanced digital copy.

This was a fascinating book that was so much more than just the history of the carpet. Rather than going back to the beginning and tracking how carpets came to be and the ways they were culturally important to the regions they were created in, the author picks particular carpets and discusses how those specific carpets are and were important to the whole of the history they interacted with. From archaeological digs, to some of the most important meetings between men, to the impoverished or imprisoned workers who created the carpets, this book shows how the strands of time are woven much like the fibres and knots used to hold the carpets together. Definitely one to check out if you are interested in carpet making or history, or both! I read this e-book through NetGalley.

This nonfiction book explores various snippets of history that are all somehow related to carpets. Each of the twelve main sections starts with a different historical carpet and weaves in topics ranging from materials, tools, designs, and cultural significance to counterfeiting, British imperialism, and the beginnings of the Cold War. I was particularly intrigued by the sections about the Ardabil Carpet, the Black Church Muslim prayer rugs, Hideyoshi’s jinbaori, and the dragon carpet. I really want to see what some of these carpets look like. I read an advanced copy, which did not have any pictures, but I believe the final copy does include photos. Overall, I found this book to be interesting and well-researched.

Threads of Empire: A History of the World in Twelve Carpets by Dorothy Armstrong is one of the most fascinating books I’ve read in a long time. I was drawn in by the author’s lyrical style of writing immediately. The subject matter is complex and complicated, loaded with historical and political facts and intrigues and the history and methods of carpet making, yet it was presented in such a way as to be approachable, accessible, and understandable.

The book is divided into twelve chapters, each focused on a specific carpet. It’s not that simple – or boring – though. You are taken on a magic carpet ride, so to speak, across time and space. Ancient history to the present, significant historical figures and places, the state of the world when each particular carpet was created and the disputes, conflicts and machinations involved in creating it, owning it, claiming it, following it through its lifetime and owners. Fascinating, centering situations and events you may have already been aware of on this particular decorative item.

It is apparent significant research went into the writing of this book and that each word was carefully chosen. Often when I would pause with a question, looking for further clarity about a word or phrase or paragraph, author Armstrong anticipated it and the answer I was looking for was right there in the subsequent text.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for providing an advance copy of Threads of Empire via NetGalley. It was so interesting and alive, never dry like a textbook lesson or lecture. I enjoyed learning about these carpets and the stories surrounding them and recommend this book without hesitation. I voluntarily leave this review; all opinions are my own.

The rug in my dining room was mass produced and bought at a discount store. It's a purely utilitarian object that I bought and put in my house to keep my dog from slipping on the fake hardwood while he recovered from a sports industry. If the cat barfs on it, fine. If food spills on it, whatever. But as with most things, this kind of ordinary object can carry a real burden of history and importance, some of which are detailed in Dorothy Armstrong's book Threads of Empire: A History of the World in Twelve Carpets.

Armstrong examines twelve carpets, each woven with great skill and for various purposes. They have their intended uses—horse blanket, carpet, etc.—but most often it's their second life that brings the most interest. That horse blanket becomes a pawn in the Kremlin's war for identity (and territory). One highly decorated Iranian carpet is turned into wartime garb for a samurai, and that bit of tailoring tells a saga of trade routes and status. A collection of rugs in an otherwise austere chapel in Eastern Europe provides an odd point of connection between a string of Christian priests and the Muslim women who wove—and interworked signs of their faith into—these objects of practical use and worship alike. There are battles of experts over the authenticity of prized specimens, strategic placements at international peace summits, and enough demand for these relics to spur a flourishing trade of fakes sophisticated enough to stay a half-step ahead of authentication methods.

I love these "biography of things" that take a specific and often overlooked object and delve into what it can tell us about people and civilizations that came before us. In this case, the things we place beneath our feet, or under our knees, or between our horse and saddle. Most of the rugs discussed come from the same general area of the world, though the regions where the portions of their respective stories ultimately take place are much more scattered, as are the times in which they were created. The ways these practical objects are turned into trophies, too, is intriguingly multifaceted.

One thing sometimes lost in the discussion about objects and the things they tell us about a long-ago group of people is the individual or individuals who actually made them. For the most part, Armstrong points out, this has been lost to history—not just because of the length of time but also because, to our knowledge, they were skilled but poor, and/or—far worse for the historical record—women. There are few resources to fill in the gaps on who the individual weavers, of course; in some cases, they lived and died millennia ago. Armstrong attempts to fill that gap with suppositions about their lives based on the records we have about what life was like around that time and around that place. While those attempts weren't enough for me to feel I had a firm grasp on the time or place, but it did succeed in making me wonder about the hands that made the rugs in question on an individual level. Isn't imagination the first step to knowing someone? Wondering about their aching bones and the muscle memory that made animals and scenes of adventure appear out of knots and string?

That wondering is the thing that reveals—if not a weakness, then an oversight, or a preference not clearly explained in the front matter. Armstrong writes that her survey is obviously incapable of producing a thorough history of carpets or their makers or the people who have paid in fortune or blood to take possession of them. This is, after all, an "episodic and eclectic" survey of objects and history and power. Though the stories span the world, the origin of each carpet seems to come from a relatively small part of the world. Undoubtedly, the Middle East isn't the only creche for carpet artistry; I'd be interested in the origins of rugs from other regions, and how their legacies have endured. (And this is, as the subtitle tells us, the history of the world in twelve carpets!) Then again, there's a reason "Persian rug" carries such a reputation even today. And perhaps it's flattery for Armstrong that her work has left this reader wanting more.

I will never look at a carpet the same!

THREADS OF EMPIRE: A HISTORY OF THE WORLD IN TWELVE CARPETS by Dorothy Armstrong, PhD, comes out tomorrow, 6/17 and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in art, history, or culture. Dr. Armstrong writes lyrical descriptions of each carpet featured and brings the details and research of each into vivid focus. This was so engrossing that I found myself staying up late into the night reading. I did not know carpets could be so fascinating, but the stories and histories in this book are so intriguing!

Despite my late night reading, I cannot wait to get my hands on a finished copy of the book to better see each of the twelve featured carpets. I found myself doing research on each to see the visuals early, since my review copy didn’t yet include those images. Fear not! The final copy will include visuals within the book and it’s sure to make this even more engrossing.

😘 Thanks to @stmartinspress for the gifted early review copy! All opinions are my own.

Dorothy Armstrong examines carpets from a surprising variety of angles, from utility to a projection of power or wealth. Each of the twelve has a story about it’s origin, purpose or destiny. That sounds dry and boring, the reality is full of surprises and the writing more than holds ones interest. While reading one section I kept glancing down at a my wool latch hook rug. My mother bought it as a kit, and conned me into taking it after doing about 3 inches. I realized it is a loose interpretation of a double ended niche design. That design was developed for rugs exported to Transylvania without explicit Muslim images in the 18th century. So that tidbit was interesting on a personal level, but the whole book is interesting that way. There is the question of who decides on a rugs’ authenticity and how is it decided. Could an ‘antique’ rug be a forgery? Then there were carpets made by prisoners in colonial India, which was exemplary of British cultural attitudes at the time. Armstrong is authoritative and the book is well researched.

I received a digital advanced copy compliments of St. Martin’s and NetGalley.

Threads of Empire: A History of the World in Twelve Carpets by Dorothy Armstrong offers a unique new way of looking at the historical connections across the globe. Each chapter focuses on one carpet, which Armstrong then uses to talk about the political and historical goings on of the area it was (probably) made in, where it is displayed now, where it was found, how they all interconnect and the carpet might have come from one plce to the other, etc.

Why were certain types of carpets valued as "the best" in different places at different times? I had always assumed it was either personal taste or the quality of the material and construction of the object itself, but Armstrong argues that politics of empire and race actually play a much larger role- and that what was considered "the best" type of carpet therefore changed depending on where you were and what your agenda was. Asthetics had little to do with it.

There were times where the writing was dense and hard to follow. Ironically, this was most often when Armstrong was talking about the rugs themselves. I never felt like I got any real understanding on the technical language of carpets she used, this seemed more like something she assumed you already knew and wasn't going to give a primer on to beginners. Some of the empires and traveling back and forth trade routes might have made better sense to me with maps (I'm more a visual person) but I read an ARC so the final version might have maps and images of the carpets she's talking about.

An interesting way of looking at trade routes, empire building, views of "other" over time and how it all changes through the eyes of carpets. Some chapters were definitely better than others but people interested in a different look at history should give this one a chance.

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

This was a wonderful book.Because every chapter had a story behind the carpet and how it related to history. It went back before christ and all the way through the modern times. Especially like the story about when women will get married and maybe make the rugs. Also, it was very interesting.
About in america how they were prized in these homes especially Famous people. Also what's interesting about scotland two and how they looked At Rugs as well. They played important part 2, especially after war 2 when they had the conference of At a t Y e l t. Great book

This book explores the history of twelve significant carpets, revealing the intertwined stories of power, craftsmanship, and the lives of the weavers who created these objects coveted by emperors, shahs, and other world leaders. This fascinating and easy-to-read book offers unique insights into global history.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.