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Twilight Cities: Lost Capitals of the Mediterranean
Its name means 'centre of the world', and since the dawn of history the Mediterranean Sea has formed the shared horizon of innumerable cultures. Here, history has blurred with legend. The glittering surface of the sea conceals the remnants of lost civilisations, wrecked treasure ships and the bones of long-drowned sailors, traders and modern refugees.
Of the many cities that dot this ancient coastline, Tyre, Carthage, Syracuse, Ravenna and Antioch are among the oldest and most intriguing. All are beautifully situated, and for layers of history and cultural riches they are rivalled only by their sister cities of Rome, Istanbul and Jerusalem. Yet their fates have been remarkably different. Once major power centres, all five have declined into relative obscurity. Nevertheless, their entwined history takes in Alexander the Great, Nebuchadnezzar, Archimedes and the Roman, Byzantine, Arab and Norman conquests, and their greatness still lingers for those who seek it out.
To bring these mysterious lost capitals to life, historian Katherine Pangonis sets out on a voyage from the dawn of civilisation on the Lebanese coast to a modern-day Turkey wracked by the devastation of the 2023 earthquake. Combining on the ground research with spellbinding storytelling skills, here is a revelatory new story of the Mediterranean, and a powerful reflection on the sometimes fleeting glory of empires.
Of the many cities that dot this ancient coastline, Tyre, Carthage, Syracuse, Ravenna and Antioch are among the oldest and most intriguing. All are beautifully situated, and for layers of history and cultural riches they are rivalled only by their sister cities of Rome, Istanbul and Jerusalem. Yet their fates have been remarkably different. Once major power centres, all five have declined into relative obscurity. Nevertheless, their entwined history takes in Alexander the Great, Nebuchadnezzar, Archimedes and the Roman, Byzantine, Arab and Norman conquests, and their greatness still lingers for those who seek it out.
To bring these mysterious lost capitals to life, historian Katherine Pangonis sets out on a voyage from the dawn of civilisation on the Lebanese coast to a modern-day Turkey wracked by the devastation of the 2023 earthquake. Combining on the ground research with spellbinding storytelling skills, here is a revelatory new story of the Mediterranean, and a powerful reflection on the sometimes fleeting glory of empires.
288 pages, Paperback
Published October 15, 2024
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1189 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
August 5, 2023
This was such a relaxing read. Just cruising around different cities looking at history. Twilight Cities put me in such a good mood.
November 5, 2024
A really enjoyable journey through some ‘lost’ ancient capitals of the Mediterranean. Pangonis comes to each city in turn, taking the reader on a whistlestop tour through history, archaeology and culture, looking at the people and events which have shaped these lost cities through time.
Whilst offering much to an unfamiliar reader, I did feel some of the material felt overused, as by following the same formula for each city, some contextual information was repeated multiple times which didn’t feel needed. Moreover, I felt that some areas were brushed over whereas others felt a little drawn out, without a clear elucidation of how the author made these prioritisations.
I’d have liked to see this additional space used to take a look at Alexandria, which although arguably less ‘lost’ than many of the other cities of this list, felt like a fairly glaring omission from a book of this focus, particularly given its unparalleled role in culture and learning.
Overall, a really interesting foray into cities and cultures I was largely unfamiliar with, if a little repetitive and lacking breadth for me to fully recommend to others.
Whilst offering much to an unfamiliar reader, I did feel some of the material felt overused, as by following the same formula for each city, some contextual information was repeated multiple times which didn’t feel needed. Moreover, I felt that some areas were brushed over whereas others felt a little drawn out, without a clear elucidation of how the author made these prioritisations.
I’d have liked to see this additional space used to take a look at Alexandria, which although arguably less ‘lost’ than many of the other cities of this list, felt like a fairly glaring omission from a book of this focus, particularly given its unparalleled role in culture and learning.
Overall, a really interesting foray into cities and cultures I was largely unfamiliar with, if a little repetitive and lacking breadth for me to fully recommend to others.
August 6, 2023
While definitely interesting, I did struggle with this a little. It definitely requires concentration.
October 10, 2024
O carte pentru șezlong la mare. Ușor de citit, prezentând istoria pe scurt a câtorva orașe "uitate" de pe malul Mediteranei.
June 20, 2024
A wonderful read, review to come!
October 7, 2024
I picked this up randomly as it had a pretty cover and the title sounded like a great concept for a book. The idea IS great, but the execution isn't so strong. This book needs a good editing- it's quite hard to read and there is a lot of unnecessary repetition. The most successful passages are the 'travel journal' ones rather than the historical narrative ones.
September 8, 2024
Really interesting read with good content, but could have done with a better editor as the chapter length varied widely and the sentences often required a re-read or two to parse their meaning.
Great book though, thoroughly enjoyed.
Great book though, thoroughly enjoyed.
March 11, 2025
SUCH a fun read for what it is, which i would describe as a well organised thematic travelogue - contemporary observations interspersed with historical narratives and anecdotes. message: the soul of a city lives on!
August 3, 2024
This book concludes with the following quote from G.M. Trevelyan:
“The poetry of history lies in the quasi-miraculous fact that once, on this earth, once, on this familiar spot of ground, walked other men and women, as actual as we are today, thinking their own thoughts, swayed by their own passions, but now all gone, one generation vanishing into another, gone as utterly as we ourselves shall shortly be gone, like ghosts at cockcrow.”
Twilight Cities is a travel history of the Mediterranean. It was only published last year, so it’s incredible fresh and relevant to the modern reader. The author is a young female historian who is presumably British (based on spelling and expression). I found this book to be very personal, which makes it to be all the more enriching. The author truly loves the subject matter. You would think a book like this would be haunting, but I found it to be pleasant. It is full of interesting tidbits and very concise.
In this short book, the reader is taken on a clockwise journey around the Mediterranean to five once-prominent cities. They are, in order, Tyre, Carthage, Syracuse, Ravenna, and Antioch. I’m a fan of all things Roman, and I constantly find myself drawn back to Mediterranean history, so this book was perfect. I also just finished a huge history of the Eastern Roman Empire, so it was interesting for me to hit some of these places again from a different angle.
One thing that all of these places had in common is that they were all once territories of the Romans. However, each, sparing Ravenna, have unique histories of their own.
You have Tyre, mentioned in the Bible, and once a great and powerful center of trade for the Phoenicians. Now it’s a small and irrelevant town in southern Lebanon. Carthage, the city of Hannibal and the great empire that challenged Rome, is now a suburb of Tunis, the capital of Tunisia. Most of it from Hannibal’s day is gone. Syracuse, Sicily, was once the greatest of the Greek cities and of Archimedes. Now it’s relatively insignificant. Ravenna, capital of the Roman Empire after Rome, home to some of the best preserved East Roman art and architecture and home of Dante. Now just a small city in Northern Italy, and not one on typical Rome tourist trips. And lastly, Antioch, the great city of the east. Founded by Alexander’s men, home of early Christianity. Now the Turkish city of Antalya, and largely in ruins.
Antioch was most interesting for me, as it directly pertains to East Roman history. On top of its impressive history, fortifications, and Christian identity, it’s also a place of great tragedy. Numerous earthquakes, plague, famine, and sieges tell its story. And Antioch is the maybe the most forgotten of them all. This book is so new that it even details the 2023 earthquake, which sadly killed thousands and destroyed a multitude of historical sites.
I can’t help but give this five stars because I love how the author cares like I do. I’m envious that she has traveled to and knows all of these places, some of which are in not so safe areas. There were a few small errors and the book could be repetitive, but I have no major complaints.
“The poetry of history lies in the quasi-miraculous fact that once, on this earth, once, on this familiar spot of ground, walked other men and women, as actual as we are today, thinking their own thoughts, swayed by their own passions, but now all gone, one generation vanishing into another, gone as utterly as we ourselves shall shortly be gone, like ghosts at cockcrow.”
Twilight Cities is a travel history of the Mediterranean. It was only published last year, so it’s incredible fresh and relevant to the modern reader. The author is a young female historian who is presumably British (based on spelling and expression). I found this book to be very personal, which makes it to be all the more enriching. The author truly loves the subject matter. You would think a book like this would be haunting, but I found it to be pleasant. It is full of interesting tidbits and very concise.
In this short book, the reader is taken on a clockwise journey around the Mediterranean to five once-prominent cities. They are, in order, Tyre, Carthage, Syracuse, Ravenna, and Antioch. I’m a fan of all things Roman, and I constantly find myself drawn back to Mediterranean history, so this book was perfect. I also just finished a huge history of the Eastern Roman Empire, so it was interesting for me to hit some of these places again from a different angle.
One thing that all of these places had in common is that they were all once territories of the Romans. However, each, sparing Ravenna, have unique histories of their own.
You have Tyre, mentioned in the Bible, and once a great and powerful center of trade for the Phoenicians. Now it’s a small and irrelevant town in southern Lebanon. Carthage, the city of Hannibal and the great empire that challenged Rome, is now a suburb of Tunis, the capital of Tunisia. Most of it from Hannibal’s day is gone. Syracuse, Sicily, was once the greatest of the Greek cities and of Archimedes. Now it’s relatively insignificant. Ravenna, capital of the Roman Empire after Rome, home to some of the best preserved East Roman art and architecture and home of Dante. Now just a small city in Northern Italy, and not one on typical Rome tourist trips. And lastly, Antioch, the great city of the east. Founded by Alexander’s men, home of early Christianity. Now the Turkish city of Antalya, and largely in ruins.
Antioch was most interesting for me, as it directly pertains to East Roman history. On top of its impressive history, fortifications, and Christian identity, it’s also a place of great tragedy. Numerous earthquakes, plague, famine, and sieges tell its story. And Antioch is the maybe the most forgotten of them all. This book is so new that it even details the 2023 earthquake, which sadly killed thousands and destroyed a multitude of historical sites.
I can’t help but give this five stars because I love how the author cares like I do. I’m envious that she has traveled to and knows all of these places, some of which are in not so safe areas. There were a few small errors and the book could be repetitive, but I have no major complaints.
May 5, 2025
I found it a fascinating idea to be writing about those four cities that have been obscured by the centuries, precisely because their importance as antique and medieval centres of trade, politics and religion have them sometimes pop up into texts we might read, or shows we might watch, without giving us any kind of a clear picture as to what they are. Katherine Pangonis certainly remedies the situation by creating a vivid atmosphere in which the four cities are depicted. Her evident love for those ancient towns colour the descriptions and truly make us see their former glory and prosperity, the architectural and artistic wealth that they contained, or still contain (mostly in the case of Ravenna and Syracuse). The urge to go visit these sites is great upon reading these pages. Relatedly, the fact that the author adds touches of contemporary travel to the history of these cities is both original and welcome. Pangonis relates her own stays in these urban centres, the monuments she visited, the locals she met and talked with. In many cases, these moments lead to very interesting and profound takes on the modern vision of these cities (so different the twenty-first century context is) and the legacies their ancient selves have left. Finally, the fact that the four cities are at least somewhat interconnected adds a layer of significance that is relayed by the author, especially in that it helps us in taking the measure of the former importance of the subjects.
This is not a perfect book: the amount of information and the interconnectedness of the cities can make things hard to follow at times, and one forgets information given by the author, especially that which comes at the beginning of the chapter. The writing itself sometimes left something to be desired, with some repetitions and less-than-ideal turns of phrase.
My biggest criticism, though, has to do with inconsistencies that pepper the book. There are not a great number of them by any means, but it is jarring when it happens (looking at you Hannibal Gisco who gets executed but comes back to lead his army two paragraphs later).
A very enjoyable read.
This is not a perfect book: the amount of information and the interconnectedness of the cities can make things hard to follow at times, and one forgets information given by the author, especially that which comes at the beginning of the chapter. The writing itself sometimes left something to be desired, with some repetitions and less-than-ideal turns of phrase.
My biggest criticism, though, has to do with inconsistencies that pepper the book. There are not a great number of them by any means, but it is jarring when it happens (looking at you Hannibal Gisco who gets executed but comes back to lead his army two paragraphs later).
A very enjoyable read.
October 26, 2024
A neatly-packaged account of 5 Mediterranean capitals from the pre-Hellenistic to the medieval eras. I particularly enjoyed the chapters on Tyre and Antioch, but all five chapters come as a really clever mix of evocative travel writing and sweeping but informative history.
I’d wager there isn’t a huge amount of original research involved, but it works really nicely as a compendium of stories which may not have been told in this context before.
Really impressive from such a young and promising historian!
I’d wager there isn’t a huge amount of original research involved, but it works really nicely as a compendium of stories which may not have been told in this context before.
Really impressive from such a young and promising historian!
February 25, 2025
This book is about five ancient cities of the Mediterranean - Tyre, Carthage, Syracuse, Ravenna and Antioch. Pangonis considers each city in turn, providing details about their founding, their chequered history over time, their role in the complexities of regional politics, warfare and conquest, and their cultural significance. Alongside this project, Pangonis also shares contemporary and personal descriptions of the places and the effect they have on her.
I found it pretty interesting and I wasn't tempted to stop reading, but my core issue was that I couldn't work out if it thinks it's a serious history or a travel book. The writer's personal insertions are a bit jarring. Like one minute you're telling me about the Phoenician empire and its religious practices, then the next you are narrating your concerns about sunscreen as you snorkel off the coast of Tyre? Or spending your last few pages on the city of Ravenna talking about the iconoclastic style and ice-blue eyes of contemporary street artists and skateboarders? I realise that blending personal / memoir style observations into non-fiction can be very successful in the right hands, but I just didn't feel these were those hands.
It's also entirely void of theory or any organising thesis, which, being trained as a historian myself, irritates me. Popular history can still incorporate ideas! Tom Holland's book Pax, which I read last month, is a great example of this done well. There are also places in the book where Pangonis makes throwaway comments which could be the start of a really fascinating conversation on something significant, such as cultural relativism - she talks about the infant sacrifices of Carthage and says something like oh well cultural ideas about infants were different, who are we to judge, hand-wave hand-wave, then moves on. Not only does that strike me as an inadequate treatment of the topic, it misses a real opportunity to get into the questions of comparative values and historicity that this framing would have allowed. I found that quite disappointing.
It also gestures at another weakness of the narrative, which is the differential (more negative) treatment of the monotheistic religions (especially Christianity and Islam) compared with the pagan traditions and beliefs referenced. I understand that it is tempting to read against the grain and sympathise with the "losers", but there is scant basis even in the evidence Pangonis presents to support the idea that any other belief systems of the time were more benign / less destructive / provided a better life for everyday people than the newly emerging monotheistic faiths. The BCE and early CE periods were often bloody, frequently violent, and full of challenges for almost all peoples, but also featured periods of calm and great cultural attainment, and this is true in cities with all kinds of religious affiliation. Pagan cities had no monopoly on peace, wisdom, beauty, and truth. (This should not be read as a defence of either Christianity or Islam per se. Rather, it is an acknowledgment that by any measure, both have been and continue to be extremely successful and culturally potent movements, which have both light and dark sides, and have not been objectively worse for most people living within them than the pagan and other traditions that preceded them.)
That said, the descriptions in this book are great - really lush and evocative - and definitely make me want to visit Tyre and Syracuse in particular. I think it's likely a more enjoyable reading experience if you just consider it a travel book with some historical details in it, rather than a serious history text.
I found it pretty interesting and I wasn't tempted to stop reading, but my core issue was that I couldn't work out if it thinks it's a serious history or a travel book. The writer's personal insertions are a bit jarring. Like one minute you're telling me about the Phoenician empire and its religious practices, then the next you are narrating your concerns about sunscreen as you snorkel off the coast of Tyre? Or spending your last few pages on the city of Ravenna talking about the iconoclastic style and ice-blue eyes of contemporary street artists and skateboarders? I realise that blending personal / memoir style observations into non-fiction can be very successful in the right hands, but I just didn't feel these were those hands.
It's also entirely void of theory or any organising thesis, which, being trained as a historian myself, irritates me. Popular history can still incorporate ideas! Tom Holland's book Pax, which I read last month, is a great example of this done well. There are also places in the book where Pangonis makes throwaway comments which could be the start of a really fascinating conversation on something significant, such as cultural relativism - she talks about the infant sacrifices of Carthage and says something like oh well cultural ideas about infants were different, who are we to judge, hand-wave hand-wave, then moves on. Not only does that strike me as an inadequate treatment of the topic, it misses a real opportunity to get into the questions of comparative values and historicity that this framing would have allowed. I found that quite disappointing.
It also gestures at another weakness of the narrative, which is the differential (more negative) treatment of the monotheistic religions (especially Christianity and Islam) compared with the pagan traditions and beliefs referenced. I understand that it is tempting to read against the grain and sympathise with the "losers", but there is scant basis even in the evidence Pangonis presents to support the idea that any other belief systems of the time were more benign / less destructive / provided a better life for everyday people than the newly emerging monotheistic faiths. The BCE and early CE periods were often bloody, frequently violent, and full of challenges for almost all peoples, but also featured periods of calm and great cultural attainment, and this is true in cities with all kinds of religious affiliation. Pagan cities had no monopoly on peace, wisdom, beauty, and truth. (This should not be read as a defence of either Christianity or Islam per se. Rather, it is an acknowledgment that by any measure, both have been and continue to be extremely successful and culturally potent movements, which have both light and dark sides, and have not been objectively worse for most people living within them than the pagan and other traditions that preceded them.)
That said, the descriptions in this book are great - really lush and evocative - and definitely make me want to visit Tyre and Syracuse in particular. I think it's likely a more enjoyable reading experience if you just consider it a travel book with some historical details in it, rather than a serious history text.
January 19, 2025
This book held a lot of promise, but as has been pointed out by others, would have benefited from better editing. As it was it lacked focus, and often felt a bit muddled, jumping from place to place and time to time, which made it a bit difficult to focus. Still, the subject matter was fascinating and it was wonderful to go a bit deeper into the histories of these fascinating places.
January 16, 2025
Few inaccuracies but overall a decent read.
May 22, 2024
I like the format of personal memoir mixed with history and culture of a place (or places in this instance) and tracing the history of a city through the ages is a nice touch.
I liked thd focus on these distinct cities and how they featured in important moments in the rise and fall of empires. Some to disappear entirely, some to become completely overshadowed.
Personally I'd have liked more of the experiences of the author roaming around the locations. Almost like a holiday which happens to have an informed tour guide next to you explaining what happened at this place long ago.
Did like the history refresher though been a while since I've read roman or crusader history.
I liked thd focus on these distinct cities and how they featured in important moments in the rise and fall of empires. Some to disappear entirely, some to become completely overshadowed.
Personally I'd have liked more of the experiences of the author roaming around the locations. Almost like a holiday which happens to have an informed tour guide next to you explaining what happened at this place long ago.
Did like the history refresher though been a while since I've read roman or crusader history.
July 12, 2024
It’s fine, and the Ravenna chapter especially interesting, but the editing is sloppy, it reads like 5 separate essays made into a book (unnecessary repetition of who people are, events etc), and the travel guide style juxtaposes with some dry history
September 14, 2023
Rather surprised that there are a few historical errors in the book.
September 12, 2025
...in Syracuse, the ghosts feel like they raise the city up; in Ravenna, Nicola thinks they hold it back. [loc. 3703]
Pangolis explores five ancient capitals (Tyre, Carthage, Syracuse, Ravenna and Antioch) leavening historical detail with her own impressions of each city's modern remnants: a blend of history and travel writing which works better in some chapters than in others. This book won the Somerset Maugham Award (which, I learn, is 'to enable young writers to enrich their work by gaining experience of foreign countries'): Pangolis's previous work was Queens of Jerusalem, which I have not read.
One aspect of the book that I found fascinating was the intermingling of past and present: for instance, 'at least 30% of the [male] Tyrians are indeed descendants of the Phoenicians'. Though this is a source of pride, it's also been used to differentiate between Christians and Muslims. Carthage, which began as a Phoenician settlement, has an only slightly lower percentage of Phoenician genes amid its populace, but Pangolis writes that she did not 'meet a single Tunisian who describes themselves as Phoenician'. History can be a mixed blessing. As one artist in Ravenna tells the author, he grew up with 'this phantasmic history, which dwarfs everything the city is in the modern day. That trumps the reality of the city. ... Ravenna is so much more than her history, but you grow up with these ghosts.' [loc. 3699]
Some of the cities she explores are in ruins -- more now than at the time of writing, 2023, when 'the thunder of Israeli rockets could be heard in the city of Tyre'. Massive Israeli airstrikes in 2024 destroyed much of the ancient city. Antioch, where Pangolis had bathed in the hammam with the local women, suffered severe damage in the 2023 Turkish earthquake: the chapters on Antioch and its modern overlay Antakya are an elegy for a shattered city.
The chapters are sometimes repetitive, and sometimes read like potted histories (lists of battles, kings, religion). Pangolis often omits the BC on dates: this confused me at first ('recent results do indeed put the foundation of the city sometime between 835 and 800') and would be more acceptable if the histories she recounts didn't span both BC and AD. And the section on Ravenna (with its lengthy description of Lord Byron's affair with a Ravennese lady) didn't quite fit with the other cities under discussion.
Also, I think the author was confused: 'In the archaeological museum in Syracuse there can be found the skeleton of a curious one-eyed dwarf elephant. In 1914 the palaeontologist Othenio Abel suggested that the presence of these giant one-eyed creatures in Sicily gave rise to the legend of [the Cyclops] Polyphemus' [loc. 1852]. No, the elephants weren't one-eyed: their skulls, though, do have a large central opening, the proboscis cavity.
Overall an interesting read, but I would have liked more of the author's modern experiences ('the crackle of the live coral'; climbing over walls to visit the stones of Carthage) and less of the battles-and-kings history.
Some things I learnt:
'In 1985, the mayors of Carthage and Rome finally signed a peace treaty, officially ending the Third Punic War, which otherwise had lasted 2,131 years.' Justinian's Plague wiped out nearly a quarter of the population in the eastern Mediterranean The Marsala shipwreck 'reads like an instruction booklet for ancient shipwrights, with letters from the ancient Phoenician alphabet demarking where sections joined another, and which piece went where' [loc. 1174]August 18, 2023
I was shocked such an error-strewn book could be published, even if one could get past its mixture of "what I did on my holidays" with poorly-researched history and far too many cliches.
I stopped reading at the many mistakes of the Syracuse section.
Examples. The Syracuse section is introduced by a wholly made-up quote from Cicero "You will often have been to Moussa Id that Syracuse is the largest of Greek cities..." This mystified me until it later turned out Moussa was an African immigrant the author (not Cicero) met! How he ended up in the main introduction as if from Cicero I have no idea.
The author describes the skeleton of a "curious one-eyed dwarf elephant" in the museum. Elephant's trunks are flesh, so their skulls have a big hole in them. That's not a one-eyed elephant! The author must be utterly incredulous.
The rulers of Gela were not kings, and I gave up when she referred to a famous Spartan general as Gylippos of Syracuse.
I'd read through the Tyre and Carthage section often thinking that it was not quite right, but only when I read a section I knew something about was it obvious that this work just doesn't pass muster.
I stopped reading at the many mistakes of the Syracuse section.
Examples. The Syracuse section is introduced by a wholly made-up quote from Cicero "You will often have been to Moussa Id that Syracuse is the largest of Greek cities..." This mystified me until it later turned out Moussa was an African immigrant the author (not Cicero) met! How he ended up in the main introduction as if from Cicero I have no idea.
The author describes the skeleton of a "curious one-eyed dwarf elephant" in the museum. Elephant's trunks are flesh, so their skulls have a big hole in them. That's not a one-eyed elephant! The author must be utterly incredulous.
The rulers of Gela were not kings, and I gave up when she referred to a famous Spartan general as Gylippos of Syracuse.
I'd read through the Tyre and Carthage section often thinking that it was not quite right, but only when I read a section I knew something about was it obvious that this work just doesn't pass muster.
July 22, 2024
The content here is really interesting and sheds new light on both the cities themselves and the connections between them across the Mediterranean. The issue for me was with the style of writing, which jumps from analytical to emotive and from an historical to a personal narrative in ways I sometimes found jarring. It enabled the author to skip over historical episodes that felt important from the passing references I read, only to spend what felt like too much time worrying whether she would get sunburn swimming in the sea at noon in Lebanon. It also meant events were frequently mentioned in passing that either felt repetitive of what I'd already ready read or that skipped ahead by hundreds of years, only to come back to the same historical moment and then repeat the same thing later in present or past tense. That said, there's enough here that it definitely made me want to visit Syracuse.
July 3, 2024
I really enjoyed it. In a way it is a more personal companion piece (thematically and somewhat stylistically) to Norman Davies' 'Vanished Kingdoms'. There are some minor and curious 'errors' (calling Aachen a southern German city, the really archaic spelling of Hapsburg), but it's not as bad - in my opinion - as some other reviews suggest.
I appreciate Pangonis' central argument and sentiment, that a lot of 'history' is romantic imagination caught in the mostly accidental material remains of the past.
The mixture of travel writing and history makes it readable, the minor attention to the women's history of the cities visited makes it stand out.
Close to necessary reading for anyone visiting one of the cities mentioned.
I appreciate Pangonis' central argument and sentiment, that a lot of 'history' is romantic imagination caught in the mostly accidental material remains of the past.
The mixture of travel writing and history makes it readable, the minor attention to the women's history of the cities visited makes it stand out.
Close to necessary reading for anyone visiting one of the cities mentioned.
December 29, 2023
I loved this book. I really hope it gets the credit and readership it deserves. Katherine sets out to fire and inspire an interest in her so-called lost cities and she certainly achieved it with this reader. Her gentle weaving of contemporary descriptions, ancient history and personal reflections has a wonderful ease and accessibility to it. She allows you to silently accompany her as she walks, talks and swims her way through these fascinating cities. Ironically, I suspect her style would prove particularly popular if applied to the better known cities of the Mediterranean. Perhaps fire and inspire a more general interest in ancient history among us great unwashed.
July 10, 2023
I loved this beautiful book about the ancient cities around the Mediterranean, which had once been thriving capitals for hundreds if not thousands of years and have now fallen into relative obscurity. It was an easy read, yet thoroughly researched and documented and read like a cross between an historical account of each of the five cities - Tyre, Carthage, Syracuse, Ravenna and Antioch- and a travel guide. It made me want to visit each of them for myself, although I have been to Syracuse already and following the earthquakes earlier this year, would probably steer clear of Antioch.
September 14, 2023
Katherine is back once again with another fantastic read filled with real people and real world context.
As some one who knows relatively little about the Mediterranean world outside of the medieval kingdoms and the crusades, ‘Twilight Kingdoms’ gave me some much needed historical context and placed some of the world forgotten capitals back on the map. From Alexander the Great and Hannibal to Lord Byron and Dante, this book describes a world spanning millennia and there really is something for everyone.
If I could have done, I’d have given 6 stars!
As some one who knows relatively little about the Mediterranean world outside of the medieval kingdoms and the crusades, ‘Twilight Kingdoms’ gave me some much needed historical context and placed some of the world forgotten capitals back on the map. From Alexander the Great and Hannibal to Lord Byron and Dante, this book describes a world spanning millennia and there really is something for everyone.
If I could have done, I’d have given 6 stars!
November 9, 2024
This was an enjoyable read about some places and times I had not previously been aware of. The Mediterranean link is a nice way in, but tenuous for a couple of these cities.
The book was very well researched and moved at a good pace - only really felt it got bogged down a bit in the latter sections of the final chapter where the number of names and changes of hands became a bit much for a non-specialist like me.
Overall I’ve learned several things I didn’t know and have now got an interest in finding out more about.
The book was very well researched and moved at a good pace - only really felt it got bogged down a bit in the latter sections of the final chapter where the number of names and changes of hands became a bit much for a non-specialist like me.
Overall I’ve learned several things I didn’t know and have now got an interest in finding out more about.
November 9, 2024
An engaging read that traces the rise and fall of five once-eminent cities - Tyre, Carthage, Syracuse, Ravenna, and Antioch. As far as history writing goes, the book does a great job of condensing lengthy archival records into digestible essays. But from the perspective of travel writing, I do wish a little more was written about how these cities look and feel today. Nevertheless, it’s the kind of book that will likely intrigue you enough to go down Wikipedia rabbit holes, if not outright vacation planning daydreams.
November 22, 2024
A beautifully descriptive history written by Katherine Pangonis who chose to narrate her work, adding another dimension from her perspective, erudition and love of the subjects, making this an excellent meandering wander through then to now.
This is a fabulous history of places, once capitals, setters of trends, wagers of war, where inhumanity is found in humanity from their beginings to our 21st century.
As a student of European history I would have appreciated this on my set text list.
Thank you for your collected works Katherine Pangonis, so very much appreciated (-:
This is a fabulous history of places, once capitals, setters of trends, wagers of war, where inhumanity is found in humanity from their beginings to our 21st century.
As a student of European history I would have appreciated this on my set text list.
Thank you for your collected works Katherine Pangonis, so very much appreciated (-:
August 22, 2025
A very informative read about places I knew a little bit about. Some parts were easy to read, especially about Antioch, others were a bit harder, it was a bit inconsistent on the tone it wanted to set. Parts were very analytical and academic (heeded by the fact I struggle with name pronunciation). Antioch was the best chapter, I think because it took on a more emotional, personal tone. My heart broke for Katherine and the citizens of Antakya, but the lesson from the book is that towns can be razed and yet they always rebuild, stronger than ever before.
August 9, 2024
Taking five once-great cities that line the Mediterranean, the author goes into their classical and Medieval histories, telling us the details of the rise and fall of each, portraying the famous people involved, and giving us a glimpse of the cities today. Very readable and an entertaining way to cover a massive amount of history, from before the start of the Iron Age to the heyday of the Ottoman Empire. Highly recommended for anyone traveling in the region, or anyone who would like to go to such places (and who wouldn't want to spend time in the Mediterranean?).
October 13, 2024
Great little book covering the history of 5 lesser known cities...or less covered. These places always get a mention in other histories but as asides and only in the brief. Learnt more about Phoenicians and Carthage from this than dozens of books on the ancient world combined. 5 massive chapters cover each city from origins to present day and the authors does well to cover as much as possible while keeping things relatively light.
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