In the Land of a Thousand Gods
A History of Asia Minor in the Ancient World
-
- USD 25.99
-
- USD 25.99
Descripción editorial
A monumental history of Asia Minor from the Stone Age to the Roman Empire
In this critically acclaimed book, Christian Marek masterfully provides the first comprehensive history of Asia Minor from prehistory to the Roman imperial period. Blending rich narrative with in-depth analyses, In the Land of a Thousand Gods shows Asia Minor’s shifting orientation between East and West and its role as both a melting pot of nations and a bridge for cultural transmission. Marek employs ancient sources to illuminate civic institutions, urban and rural society, agriculture, trade and money, the influential Greek writers of the Second Sophistic, the notoriously bloody exhibitions of the gladiatorial arena, and more. He draws on the latest research—in fields ranging from demography and economics to architecture and religion—to describe how Asia Minor became a center of culture and wealth in the Roman Empire. A breathtaking work of scholarship, In the Land of a Thousand Gods will become the standard reference book on the subject in English.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Informed by decades of archaeological fieldwork in Turkey, Marek, professor of ancient history at the University of Zurich, uses a sensitive, high-resolution perspective to examine Asia Minor (as the Romans called the Anatolian peninsula, the geographic region that makes up most of modern Turkey) in antiquity. Encompassing fields as diverse as political theory, theater, mathematics, and military tactics, this is an expansive, formidable work of scholarship that should prove indispensable to students of the Near East, though it can be impenetrable for nonspecialists. Whether he's unravelling the particularities of Roman tax assessment or unpacking passages of classical literature, Marek demonstrates a deep and nuanced knowledge that can be thrilling to witness even when it obfuscates (as when he casually uses ancient Greek, Latin, and Syriac). As various forms of centralized administration take root, a "cacophony of war and chaos" in the early chapters gives way to lighter subjects in the book's second half. For example, inhabitants of the region spent eye-watering sums on spectacula including athletic contests, impromptu declamations of rhetoric, and gladiatorial battles and Marek observes that this phenomenon was embedded in a "deeply rooted culture of pleasure" that "was almost unparalleled until the advent of the American Way of Life." It's a dense work, but patient readers will be richly rewarded. Maps & illus.
