Does anyone have any primary sources on Genghis Khan (need for assinemnt)

by Comrade_Tanker

I need to find primary sources on Genghis Khan for an assignment, but all I can seem to find is the "secret history of the Mongols". if anyone has quotes from his enemy's or his achievements that would be helpful, I mainly wana focus on his achievements and changes he made to Mongolian life.

AksiBashi

There aren't that many primary sources on Chinggis Khan himself, though there are a few detailing Mongol campaigns that he didn't lead personally (like the initial Mongol campaigns in Anatolia and Iran, which are mentioned in Ibn al-Athīr's al-Kāmil fī al-Tārikh ["Complete History"].^(1)) One source that might interest you, though I don't think it's been translated into English (so you'd have to rely on short quotations and summaries, unless you happen to read Chinese) is the Mengda Beilu ("Thorough Account of the Mongol Tartars"), a description of Mongol territory in Northern China (ruled by Chinggis Khan's viceroy Muqali—so again, not a direct source for the life of the khan himself).

While I suspect you made this topic with literary sources in mind, keep in mind that material culture can also act as a primary source! There are extant coins and other materials from the reign of Chinggis Khan that might inform your argument—here's a non-academic example of how it could be done.

AncientHistory

Hi - we as mods have approved this thread, because while this is a homework question, it is asking for clarification or resources, rather than the answer itself, which is fine according to our rules. This policy is further explained in this Rules Roundtable thread and this META Thread.

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Additionally, while users may be able to help you out with specifics relating to your question, we also have plenty of information on /r/AskHistorians on how to find and understand good sources in general. For instance, please check out our six-part series, "Finding and Understanding Sources", which has a wealth of information that may be useful for finding and understanding information for your essay.