‘A tour of those farflung places where Romans rarely dared to venture’ - The Times

‘This is the book for expanding your ancient history horizon’ - Tristan Hughes, host of 'The Ancients' podcast

What was life like on the borders of ancient empires, on the edges of the known world? When Ovid was exiled from Rome to a frontier town on the Black Sea, he despaired of his new, empty, and barbaric environment. Like many Greeks and Romans, he believed that the outer regions of his world were places where civilization ceased to exist. Our fascination with the Greek and Roman world, and the abundance of writings we have from it, means that we usually explore the ancient world from this perspective. Was Ovid's exile really as bad as he claimed?

Fortunately, thanks to archaeological excavations, we now know that the borders of the empires we consider the 'heart' of civilization were actually thriving, vibrant cultures – just not the ones we would expect. Here the dividing lines between 'civilized' and 'barbarian' begin to dissolve; where rules do not always apply; where normally opposing cultural groups coexist; and where nomadic peoples build their own cities.

With journeys ranging from the burning caravans of Morocco to the frozen winters of the northern Black Sea, from Co-Loa in the Red River Valley to the rain-battered forts south of Hadrian's Wall, Owen Reese explores the powerful empires and diverse peoples in Europe, Asia, and Africa beyond the reaches of Greece and Rome. In doing so, he offers us a new, startlingly rich lens through which to understand the ancient world.

Pages: 384, Year of Publication: 0225, Dimensions: 15.3x15.3cm