The Royal Hunt in Eurasian HistoryFrom antiquity to the nineteenth century, the royal hunt was a vital component of the political cultures of the Middle East, India, Central Asia, and China. Besides marking elite status, royal hunts functioned as inspection tours and imperial progresses, a means of asserting kingly authority over the countryside. The hunt was, in fact, the "court out of doors," an open air theater for displays of majesty, the entertainment of guests, and the bestowal