Far Edges of the Known World

$38.99

Far Edges of the Known World

SKU: 9781526653734 Category:

Temporarily out of stock

What was it like to live on the edges of ancient empires, at the boundaries of the known world?

When Ovid was exiled from Rome to a border town on the Black Sea, he despaired at his new bleak and barbarous surroundings. Like many Greeks and Romans, Ovid thought the outer reaches of his world was where civilisation ceased to exist. Our fascination with the Greek and Roman world, and the abundance of writing that we have from it, means that we usually explore the ancient world from this perspective too. Was Ovid’s exile really as bad as he claimed? What was it truly like to live on the edges of these empires, on the boundaries of the known world?

Thanks to archaeological excavations, we now know that the borders of the empires we consider the ‘heart’ of civilisation were in fact thriving, vibrant cultures – just not ones we might expect. This is where the boundaries of ‘civilised’ and ‘barbarians’ began to dissipate; where the rules didn’t always apply; where normally juxtaposed cultures intermarried; and where nomadic tribes built their own cities.

ISBN: 9781526653734
Publication date: 04/03/2025
Price: $38.99
RRP: $38.99
Format: Paperback
Temporarily out of stock
Publishing status: Due March
Author: Rees, Owen Dr
Imprint: Bloomsbury