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The Far Edges of the Known World: Life Beyond the Borders of Ancient Civilization
¿Cómo era vivir en los márgenes de los antiguos imperios, en los límites del mundo conocido? Muchos griegos y romanos pensaban que las fronteras de su mundo marcaban el final de la civilización. Gracias a las excavaciones arqueológicas, hoy sabemos que en las fronteras de lo que consideramos el corazón de la civilización existieron culturas vibrantes y complejas. Owen Rees explora los poderosos imperios y pueblos diversos de Europa, Asia y África, más allá del alcance de Grecia y Roma, y el resultado es una mirada sorprendentemente rica y reveladora sobre el mundo antiguo.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published February 13, 2025
About the author
Owen Rees
10 books21 followersOwen Rees is an interdisciplinary researcher at Birmingham Newman University with a core specialism in ancient history.
He studied at the universities of Reading and Nottingham before completing his PhD at Manchester Metropolitan University in 2018. Previously, Owen held postdoctoral fellowships at the Institute of Medical Humanities at the University of Durham, and a Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship at the University of Nottingham.
He is also the founder and lead editor of badancient.com, which brings together a growing network of specialists to fact-check common claims made about the ancient world.
He studied at the universities of Reading and Nottingham before completing his PhD at Manchester Metropolitan University in 2018. Previously, Owen held postdoctoral fellowships at the Institute of Medical Humanities at the University of Durham, and a Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship at the University of Nottingham.
He is also the founder and lead editor of badancient.com, which brings together a growing network of specialists to fact-check common claims made about the ancient world.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews
June 23, 2025
At the beginning of this book the author comments that we have a great deal more information about some ancient civilisations than others, the difference being accounted for by the extent of the written records they left. In this book (I listened to the audio version) he looks at 3 such civilisations, Egypt, Greece and Rome, and considers how they interacted with the peoples they encountered on their periphery. Given the lack of written records, he uses mainly archaeological evidence to draw his conclusions, and goes on a sort of world tour, gradually extending further and further away from the Mediterranean.
I must say I thought this was good. The book opens with a look at the southern frontier of Egypt, at Egyptian forts and nearby Nubian settlements. The author notes that Egyptian and Nubian pottery styles were different, and the pottery within the forts was overwhelmingly Egyptian in style with one exception – cooking pots – which were predominantly Nubian. The most likely explanation is that Egyptian soldiers were cohabiting with Nubian women. The subsequent chapter examines the Canaanite (later Israelite) city of Megiddo, and provides the (to me) remarkable information that analysis of skeletal teeth found at the site and dated to the second millennium BCE, revealed that at least some of the inhabitants consumed products such as vanilla, turmeric and banana, which at the time were only grown in SE Asia. This suggests that either these products arrived in Megiddo as a result of trade, (though bananas would not have kept fresh) or that merchants from the city travelled to SE Asia. We’re talking well over 3000 years ago here. Amazing!
Later chapters look at the Greek colonies of Olbia (present-day Ukraine), Naucratis (Egypt) and Massalia (Marseilles). I found the latter particularly interesting in terms of how the Greeks interacted with the Gauls. The section on Rome looks at Hadrian’s Wall (where there seem to have been some rather disturbing goings-on) and, in another excellent chapter, the city of Volubilis, in present-day Morocco.
The final section of the book takes us beyond the classical world, and the interrelations of Greeks and Romans with cultures outwith their control, including those of the Eurasian steppe, present day Pakistan and India, and the Axumite Empire of Ethiopia/Eritrea. The book also features the city of Co Loa, in Vietnam. The Romans had a good knowledge of the Indian subcontinent but only the haziest knowledge of SE Asia. Nevertheless, the region was connected to western Europe by trade, even if that trade was indirect.
I suppose you could say that the book gives the reader a different perspective on the classical world, by showing us that world through its periphery. A perfect sort of book for my taste.
I must say I thought this was good. The book opens with a look at the southern frontier of Egypt, at Egyptian forts and nearby Nubian settlements. The author notes that Egyptian and Nubian pottery styles were different, and the pottery within the forts was overwhelmingly Egyptian in style with one exception – cooking pots – which were predominantly Nubian. The most likely explanation is that Egyptian soldiers were cohabiting with Nubian women. The subsequent chapter examines the Canaanite (later Israelite) city of Megiddo, and provides the (to me) remarkable information that analysis of skeletal teeth found at the site and dated to the second millennium BCE, revealed that at least some of the inhabitants consumed products such as vanilla, turmeric and banana, which at the time were only grown in SE Asia. This suggests that either these products arrived in Megiddo as a result of trade, (though bananas would not have kept fresh) or that merchants from the city travelled to SE Asia. We’re talking well over 3000 years ago here. Amazing!
Later chapters look at the Greek colonies of Olbia (present-day Ukraine), Naucratis (Egypt) and Massalia (Marseilles). I found the latter particularly interesting in terms of how the Greeks interacted with the Gauls. The section on Rome looks at Hadrian’s Wall (where there seem to have been some rather disturbing goings-on) and, in another excellent chapter, the city of Volubilis, in present-day Morocco.
The final section of the book takes us beyond the classical world, and the interrelations of Greeks and Romans with cultures outwith their control, including those of the Eurasian steppe, present day Pakistan and India, and the Axumite Empire of Ethiopia/Eritrea. The book also features the city of Co Loa, in Vietnam. The Romans had a good knowledge of the Indian subcontinent but only the haziest knowledge of SE Asia. Nevertheless, the region was connected to western Europe by trade, even if that trade was indirect.
I suppose you could say that the book gives the reader a different perspective on the classical world, by showing us that world through its periphery. A perfect sort of book for my taste.
January 9, 2026
Rather than talking about the well-known ancient empires and their history, this book with its clear and easy-to-follow narrative, draws our attention to lesser known worlds, focusing on the citizens and their communities.
August 22, 2026
Owen Rees has noted that the study of ancient societies is dominated by a few civilizations that mastered written language and holding together large political entities. One reason for this is that such societies have left behind written records that can be studied by later generations. Rees is concerned that non-literate societies are not getting their just due because most of what we know about them has come from the accounts left by their literate neighbors. He suspects that such accounts may be either biased, ill-informed, or both.
He has attempted to correct this situation by providing in this book descriptions of a dozen or so societies that were, for the most part, located on the fringes of the world as seen from the point of view of the dominant civilizations of the time. The result are some very interesting narratives of places that I had either never heard of or had only a very dim awareness of their existence. He compares the written narratives of other contemporary societies concerning such places with evidence put together by latter day archaeology. I found these accounts to greatly improve my perception of the ancient world.
He has attempted to correct this situation by providing in this book descriptions of a dozen or so societies that were, for the most part, located on the fringes of the world as seen from the point of view of the dominant civilizations of the time. The result are some very interesting narratives of places that I had either never heard of or had only a very dim awareness of their existence. He compares the written narratives of other contemporary societies concerning such places with evidence put together by latter day archaeology. I found these accounts to greatly improve my perception of the ancient world.
December 23, 2024
The Far Edges of the Known World is a multicultural history of the ancient world, exploring border-town civilisations beyond the map of the famous Egyptian, Greek and Roman empires.
As a relative newbie to ancient history, I found this an accessible and engaging read, despite the huge amount of historical research that has clearly gone into it. The writing is rich in detail and references, using the literature and artefacts of the past to really bring those long-lost worlds to life. Rees fully acknowledges the limitations of the Western historic tradition, but is able to use those classical parameters to provide context to the world beyond.
A smart and striking take on ancient history, I found The Far Edges of the Known World a fascinating read.
*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review*
As a relative newbie to ancient history, I found this an accessible and engaging read, despite the huge amount of historical research that has clearly gone into it. The writing is rich in detail and references, using the literature and artefacts of the past to really bring those long-lost worlds to life. Rees fully acknowledges the limitations of the Western historic tradition, but is able to use those classical parameters to provide context to the world beyond.
A smart and striking take on ancient history, I found The Far Edges of the Known World a fascinating read.
*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review*
September 18, 2025
3.5 stars
August 4, 2026
EEEK. i wanted to like this book so much more than i did. i love the premise—we cannot simply look at the places the western canon has deemed central to the ancient world; to survive in any location is to embrace multiculturalism; it is vital and interesting to look at the interactions between different cultures, especially in ways that end up forming new, discrete ones—but i do not love this book.
the writing dragged and never quite focused on what i wanted it to. just as we were getting in to a location, we left. and while i understand much of our extant sources are greek and roman, for a book proclaiming to go beyond the reaches of greco-roman dominance, we sure hear a lot from them.
the writing dragged and never quite focused on what i wanted it to. just as we were getting in to a location, we left. and while i understand much of our extant sources are greek and roman, for a book proclaiming to go beyond the reaches of greco-roman dominance, we sure hear a lot from them.
June 6, 2025
Thus, he had a decision to make. He could embrace the situation he was in, soak in the undiluted beauty of the Black Sea coast and explore the peaks and valleys that guide the mighty Danube to the west; or become the victim in his own self-pitying narrative. He picked the latter, and at times his writings read like the petulant protestations of a spoiled teenager. He considered his exile as a brutal punishment, and his views of Tomis were particularly scathing: “This bitter place than which there can be nothing more sad in all the world.”
The Far Edges of the Known World must work with the far edge of our known sources, but it makes a good fist of it. I suspect twenty years ago such a book would be significantly sparser, so to see it come out now with its reference to new methods of seeing the past reminds us that as history moves forward, so does our understanding of it.
The Ethiopian/Kenyan and Vietnamese sections are perhaps the most “informative” in terms of introducing new perspectives, but there’s enough reworking of “well known” parts such as Hadrian’s Wall to keep it interesting. Rees works hard to switch our perspective, which broke through to me most in terms of the “city” in the middle of Scythian lands.
What we find beyond the edges of the map are similar stories to our own. Ones that highlight human perseverance, ingenuity and resourcefulness. We see the same power imbalances at play and the need to adapt in order to survive. We also find cultures that do not live up to some of the stories told by our classical authors. These are not barbaric, uncivilised harbingers of chaos: they are complex societies, some of whom chose very different social infrastructures.
As the main theme is that we should change our perspective generally rather than a focus on one group of people through the ages, that does mean there is no overarching narrative that explains the course of history. The book is not trying to do that, so it would feel harsh to penalise it for that “failure”, but it is worth noting in terms of its limitations (again a reminder to me that only assigning stars to a book can be quite limiting). Rees is making a suggestion that you look away from the social/political/cultural centres of power and their perceptions of reality without fully immersing you in any far flung region in particular (though Africa gets some nice overrepresentation).
I enjoyed the teaser to a different way of thinking.
The Far Edges of the Known World must work with the far edge of our known sources, but it makes a good fist of it. I suspect twenty years ago such a book would be significantly sparser, so to see it come out now with its reference to new methods of seeing the past reminds us that as history moves forward, so does our understanding of it.
The Ethiopian/Kenyan and Vietnamese sections are perhaps the most “informative” in terms of introducing new perspectives, but there’s enough reworking of “well known” parts such as Hadrian’s Wall to keep it interesting. Rees works hard to switch our perspective, which broke through to me most in terms of the “city” in the middle of Scythian lands.
What we find beyond the edges of the map are similar stories to our own. Ones that highlight human perseverance, ingenuity and resourcefulness. We see the same power imbalances at play and the need to adapt in order to survive. We also find cultures that do not live up to some of the stories told by our classical authors. These are not barbaric, uncivilised harbingers of chaos: they are complex societies, some of whom chose very different social infrastructures.
As the main theme is that we should change our perspective generally rather than a focus on one group of people through the ages, that does mean there is no overarching narrative that explains the course of history. The book is not trying to do that, so it would feel harsh to penalise it for that “failure”, but it is worth noting in terms of its limitations (again a reminder to me that only assigning stars to a book can be quite limiting). Rees is making a suggestion that you look away from the social/political/cultural centres of power and their perceptions of reality without fully immersing you in any far flung region in particular (though Africa gets some nice overrepresentation).
I enjoyed the teaser to a different way of thinking.
November 23, 2025
The Far Edges of the Known World analyses the ancient world through an interesting lens - rather than the core empires of Greek, Rome, or Egypt, this book demonstrates how societies and cities on the periphery of these empires can inform us about history that often gets left behind. I love a good ancient history book, and this one taught me about parts of the world and its history that I hadn't heard of before.
September 29, 2026
Far Edges of the Known World by Owen Rees explores how ancient civilizations interacted with societies at the edges of their known worlds. Moving across Egypt, Greece, Rome and Eurasia, the book brings to life the trade networks, cultural exchanges and religious influences that connected seemingly distant places. We tend to think of ancient civilizations as isolated with limited contact but they were anything but isolated - exchanging ideas about religion, culture, architecture, sculpture and language.
I particularly enjoyed the unexpected connections it reveals. Egyptian trade extended as far as Southeast Asia and Britain, while places such as Naucratis (Egypt) became meeting points for Greek and Egyptian ideas. Massalia (modern-day Marseille) offers fascinating stories of exploration, including Pytheas's voyage into the Arctic (beyond the Arctic circle). Other highlights include the Greek interactions with Scythians at Olbia in modern day Ukraine, the multicultural communities along Hadrian's Wall in Britain, and Taxila's role as a major crossroads for Buddhism (and the start of Greek influences in Gandhara - Afghanistan and eventually India). Recently for example, Buddhist idols were found in Berenike in Egypt.
The book also explores places that are less familiar, such as the fortified settlements of Bilsk in Ukraine, the remarkable fortified city of Co Loa in Vietnam, and Aksum's role in the spread of Christianity in Africa as well as the lesser known role in the spread of Islam in the early years of it's spread. Megiddo in modern day Israel, with its many layers of settlements accumulated over millennia (over 20 layers), is another striking example of how some cities cities can serve as windows into successive civilizations.
These distant outposts of empire and pockets of civilisation were rarely isolated even in the Pre-Christian era. They were centres of trade, regligious and cultural exchange often connecting societies that we tend to study separately. The book offers a fascinating perspective on the ancient world, showing just how interconnected it was long before modern-day globalization.
I particularly enjoyed the unexpected connections it reveals. Egyptian trade extended as far as Southeast Asia and Britain, while places such as Naucratis (Egypt) became meeting points for Greek and Egyptian ideas. Massalia (modern-day Marseille) offers fascinating stories of exploration, including Pytheas's voyage into the Arctic (beyond the Arctic circle). Other highlights include the Greek interactions with Scythians at Olbia in modern day Ukraine, the multicultural communities along Hadrian's Wall in Britain, and Taxila's role as a major crossroads for Buddhism (and the start of Greek influences in Gandhara - Afghanistan and eventually India). Recently for example, Buddhist idols were found in Berenike in Egypt.
The book also explores places that are less familiar, such as the fortified settlements of Bilsk in Ukraine, the remarkable fortified city of Co Loa in Vietnam, and Aksum's role in the spread of Christianity in Africa as well as the lesser known role in the spread of Islam in the early years of it's spread. Megiddo in modern day Israel, with its many layers of settlements accumulated over millennia (over 20 layers), is another striking example of how some cities cities can serve as windows into successive civilizations.
These distant outposts of empire and pockets of civilisation were rarely isolated even in the Pre-Christian era. They were centres of trade, regligious and cultural exchange often connecting societies that we tend to study separately. The book offers a fascinating perspective on the ancient world, showing just how interconnected it was long before modern-day globalization.
January 18, 2026
Eine unerzählte Geschichte der Antike – Oder: Warum Zeus nicht der Nabel der Welt war
Wer bisher glaubte, die Zivilisation ende dort, wo der Olivenanbau aufhört, und jenseits des Forum Romanum beginne unmittelbar das Reich der Monster, der braucht dieses Buch als dringend verordnetes Gegengift. Owen Rees liefert mit „Eine unerzählte Geschichte der Antike“ den längst überfälligen Beweis, dass nicht alle Wege nach Rom führen – manche führen eben nach Co Loa in Vietnam oder an den Turkana-See in Kenia.
Rees beginnt seine Demontage des westlichen Hochmuts herrlich bissig mit dem antiken Superhelden Jason, der seiner Frau Medea allen Ernstes erklärt, sie solle dankbar sein, dass er sie vom „Rand der Welt“ in die griechische Zivilisation entführt habe. Während die klassischen Griechen an den Rändern ihrer Karten noch Kannibalen, Kopfjäger und Gorgonen vermuteten, zeigt Rees, dass dort reale Menschen mit komplexen, hochentwickelten Kulturen lebten – die uns bisher vor allem deshalb egal waren, weil sie keine Togen trugen und kein Griechisch sprachen.
Dieses Buch ist eine furiose Ohrfeige für den provinziell-elitär eingestaubten althistorischen Blick, der alles ignoriert, was nicht in Marmor gemeißelt auf der Akropolis steht. Rees erweitert den Horizont der Antike weit über das Mittelmeer hinaus und macht klar: Geschichte war schon immer global, nur unsere Lehrbücher waren es nicht. Ein exquisiter Weckruf für alle, die dachten, die Antike sei eine rein europäische Privatparty gewesen – mit Zeus als Türsteher.
Wer bisher glaubte, die Zivilisation ende dort, wo der Olivenanbau aufhört, und jenseits des Forum Romanum beginne unmittelbar das Reich der Monster, der braucht dieses Buch als dringend verordnetes Gegengift. Owen Rees liefert mit „Eine unerzählte Geschichte der Antike“ den längst überfälligen Beweis, dass nicht alle Wege nach Rom führen – manche führen eben nach Co Loa in Vietnam oder an den Turkana-See in Kenia.
Rees beginnt seine Demontage des westlichen Hochmuts herrlich bissig mit dem antiken Superhelden Jason, der seiner Frau Medea allen Ernstes erklärt, sie solle dankbar sein, dass er sie vom „Rand der Welt“ in die griechische Zivilisation entführt habe. Während die klassischen Griechen an den Rändern ihrer Karten noch Kannibalen, Kopfjäger und Gorgonen vermuteten, zeigt Rees, dass dort reale Menschen mit komplexen, hochentwickelten Kulturen lebten – die uns bisher vor allem deshalb egal waren, weil sie keine Togen trugen und kein Griechisch sprachen.
Dieses Buch ist eine furiose Ohrfeige für den provinziell-elitär eingestaubten althistorischen Blick, der alles ignoriert, was nicht in Marmor gemeißelt auf der Akropolis steht. Rees erweitert den Horizont der Antike weit über das Mittelmeer hinaus und macht klar: Geschichte war schon immer global, nur unsere Lehrbücher waren es nicht. Ein exquisiter Weckruf für alle, die dachten, die Antike sei eine rein europäische Privatparty gewesen – mit Zeus als Türsteher.
October 13, 2025
History's common narrative is frequently focused on the major empires, often starting from Mesopotamia before focusing on Egypt, Greece, and Rome. But, Earth has always been bigger then this suggests, with peoples throughout the world. Owen Rees' The Far Edges of the Known World: Life Beyond the Borders of Ancient Civilization considers this premise of what life for the 'barbarians' or 'savages' actually meant, drawn from surviving sources or archeological findings.
The narrative both begins and ends in Africa, but travels throughout the world, moving chronologically from prehistory to the mid-seventh century. Each chapter focuses on a specific settlement, exploring the different powers that operated in or near it and how its history was shaped by this relationship between or near an empire. Stories of warfare, trade or the assimilation or creation of new people. Some sections are studies of matrioska doll civilizations such as the Egyptian reliance on Greek traders and merchant.
A welcome expansion of life in the ancient world that addresses the misapprehensions of empires as the zenith of civilization.
Recommended to readers of history, archeology or travel writing.
I received a free digital version of this book via NetGalley thanks to the publisher.
The narrative both begins and ends in Africa, but travels throughout the world, moving chronologically from prehistory to the mid-seventh century. Each chapter focuses on a specific settlement, exploring the different powers that operated in or near it and how its history was shaped by this relationship between or near an empire. Stories of warfare, trade or the assimilation or creation of new people. Some sections are studies of matrioska doll civilizations such as the Egyptian reliance on Greek traders and merchant.
A welcome expansion of life in the ancient world that addresses the misapprehensions of empires as the zenith of civilization.
Recommended to readers of history, archeology or travel writing.
I received a free digital version of this book via NetGalley thanks to the publisher.
October 15, 2025
This book focuses on life along the boundaries and frontiers of the famous ancient civilizations such the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans. Each chapter is a different site and discusses its history and archaeology. I loved the premise of taking the spotlight away from the traditional favorites and instead showcasing a broader perspective, but I definitely found some chapters more interesting than others. Some chapters covered the daily lives of people while others seemed more like a general overview of that place. Overall I found this book informative and enjoyed my experience reading it.
June 2, 2026
This book does a great job of pointing out areas of history that have been overlooked, the obvious biases in historical sources, and it draws attention to what can be learned from looking at new/different perspectives in the historical record.
It takes its time showing just how limiting it is to view ancient history purely from Greek and Roman perspectives and how much more can be understood from considering the perspectives of the people they interacted with.
I think this is good as a book about history but it's GREAT as a book about historiography.
It takes its time showing just how limiting it is to view ancient history purely from Greek and Roman perspectives and how much more can be understood from considering the perspectives of the people they interacted with.
I think this is good as a book about history but it's GREAT as a book about historiography.
July 31, 2026
Very interesting tour of ancient peripheries. Really demonstrates that cultural exchange has been happening for thousands of years, and driving innovation all the while. Definitely worth a read, thanks Max for recommending it to me!
September 17, 2025
Picture each chapter as a different roll at an all-you-can-eat sushi place. One where you’re excited to devour some of them but others you’re just really not into at all. However, you need to finish each and everyone one because if you don’t, PUNISHMENT! That’s what I got from this.
October 11, 2025
A tour de force of the farthest edges of the ancient known world. Brilliantly researched and compellingly written!
January 7, 2026
Great content, uninspiringly written.
November 25, 2025
Pfoe hé wat een kutboek. Zo saai en slecht geschreven, zo niet prikkelend en verbeeldend. Slechts een suffe opsomming als een droog Wikipedia-artikel. "Eerst deed de Farao dit. Maar toen deden de Nubiërs dat. En toen deed Farao weer..." Gaap. Ik had kunnen weten dat het niks was: op de kaart van Europa tijdens de Romeinse tijd staat Nederland in haar volle glorie met Flevoland en de Afsluitdijk. Was het zó moeilijk om een kaart van die tijd te vinden?
September 29, 2026
V interesting overview of life at the periphery but it suffers from lack of depth at times. He also hasn’t grown up from the uni style of writing conclusions and linking paras
March 29, 2026
A very clever, interesting and well-written view of a period of world history.
April 13, 2026
This book offers a unique journey through the "far edges" of classical civilization which I imagine will be new terrain to most readers, even those familiar with ancient history. Many Roman history enthusiasts will be familiar with the story of the poet Ovid and his despair at having been exiled to coast of the Black Sea, but aside from his protestations at having to live on the periphery of civilization, few books will actually dive into what these supposedly "barbaric" regions were like. I particularly enjoyed the final section of the book, where we get an overview of what we know about interactions between the Romans and the far East. Having taken an archaeology course a long time ago in college, I also enjoyed reading how the author dissects what we've learned about each of these cities through the archaeological record — we know more than we might imagine! This is not a page-turner, but it is worth a read if you have any interest in going beyond the standard histories of Greece and Rome.
June 7, 2026
The history and archaeology makes for an interesting read but I would enjoy it more without the spoon-feeding of political views on the side.
Rees is only ever 2 paragraphs away from preaching about multiculturalism and you get the impression he is desperately holding back from doing so throughout.
I was unsurprised by his final conclusion that multiculturalism “did not eradicate individual identity or cultural pride but enhanced it”.
This is based, not on written sources expressing this feeling, but on archaeological evidence of trade and cohabitation of people from different cultures, upon which Rees imprints feelings that support his narrative.
Rees is only ever 2 paragraphs away from preaching about multiculturalism and you get the impression he is desperately holding back from doing so throughout.
I was unsurprised by his final conclusion that multiculturalism “did not eradicate individual identity or cultural pride but enhanced it”.
This is based, not on written sources expressing this feeling, but on archaeological evidence of trade and cohabitation of people from different cultures, upon which Rees imprints feelings that support his narrative.
May 1, 2025
In dit boek neemt Rees je mee naar 'de verre uithoeken' van de bekende wereld, al moet ik zeggen dat ik dat toch wel met een korrel zout neem. Ik had gedacht dat we het over plekken zouden hebben die heel ver verwijderd van de Middellandse Zee zouden hebben - centraal staat de klassieke oudheid - maar dat is toch niet zo. Je moet het niet ruimtelijk bekijken, maar eerder cultureel. Alleen, dat is toch wel iets anders, vind ik, en je creëert de verkeerde verwachtingen.
Het komt er namelijk op neer dat het uiteindelijk toch nog heel vaak gaat over plekken waar een sterke aanwezigheid van de Egyptische, Griekse en Romeinse cultuur is, en waar die cultuur ook omgekeerd wordt beïnvloed door de lokale bevolking. Ik had eerder gedacht dat het over plekken zou gaan die helemaal niks met de klassieke volkeren te maken zouden hebben.
Desondanks is het wel een heel interessant boek, omdat het grotendeels focust op het 'gewone leven', niet dat van koningen en dergelijke, maar van soldaten, kooplieden en gewone inwoners. Het gaat over belastingen, handel en voorwerpen voor bij het dagelijks gebruik. Dat biedt een andere invalshoek, en er valt ook genoeg uitzonderlijks en opmerkelijks te zeggen over de plaatsen op zich en hun geschiedenis, zowel lokaal als in het grotere geheel. Wat dat betreft is de auteur zeker wel in zijn opzet geslaagd en heeft hij me aangenaam verrast.
De vertaling is van Aad Janssen & Joost Pollman en die hebben dat goed gedaan. De terminologie en naamgeving is goed overgenomen, de tekst loopt vlot, er staan geen kromme zinnen in. Alleen bij de redactie heeft de uitgeverij wat steken laten vallen, want er staan nogal wat hinderlijke typfouten in de uitgave. Je ziet op gezette tijden wel een punt te veel of een letter te weinig. Dat kon beter. Maar verder: puike Nederlandse versie!
8/10
Het komt er namelijk op neer dat het uiteindelijk toch nog heel vaak gaat over plekken waar een sterke aanwezigheid van de Egyptische, Griekse en Romeinse cultuur is, en waar die cultuur ook omgekeerd wordt beïnvloed door de lokale bevolking. Ik had eerder gedacht dat het over plekken zou gaan die helemaal niks met de klassieke volkeren te maken zouden hebben.
Desondanks is het wel een heel interessant boek, omdat het grotendeels focust op het 'gewone leven', niet dat van koningen en dergelijke, maar van soldaten, kooplieden en gewone inwoners. Het gaat over belastingen, handel en voorwerpen voor bij het dagelijks gebruik. Dat biedt een andere invalshoek, en er valt ook genoeg uitzonderlijks en opmerkelijks te zeggen over de plaatsen op zich en hun geschiedenis, zowel lokaal als in het grotere geheel. Wat dat betreft is de auteur zeker wel in zijn opzet geslaagd en heeft hij me aangenaam verrast.
De vertaling is van Aad Janssen & Joost Pollman en die hebben dat goed gedaan. De terminologie en naamgeving is goed overgenomen, de tekst loopt vlot, er staan geen kromme zinnen in. Alleen bij de redactie heeft de uitgeverij wat steken laten vallen, want er staan nogal wat hinderlijke typfouten in de uitgave. Je ziet op gezette tijden wel een punt te veel of een letter te weinig. Dat kon beter. Maar verder: puike Nederlandse versie!
8/10
June 10, 2026
This review first appeared on my Substack newsletter, Omnivorous.
It’s been a surprisingly long time since I’ve read a book about the ancient world, so when I saw The Far Edges of the Known World: A New History of the Ancient Past at my local library, I knew it was going to be my next nonfiction history read. I love that we’re in a moment where historians are shedding light on just how interconnected the ancient world was. There’s no doubt that civilizations like Greece, Rome, and Egypt were powerful, and there’s also no doubt they exerted a strong influence on their world but, as Owen Rees points out, that’s just a part of the story. Our appreciation of antiquity is enriched and deepened and given nuance when we look at the margins.
Indeed, as Rees argues in the beginning of the book, these margins were places of remarkable vitality, where cultures and civilizations met and blended, creating a sort of remarkable ferment. For all that those from the center–such as the poet Ovid, who viewed his banishment to the shores of the Black Sea as the worst sort of punishment and had almost nothing nice to say about the people among whom he found himself–might see these places as inherently inferior, they were instead thriving locales. Thanks to historians like Rees, such places are finally getting their historical due.
Given the paucity and unreliability of many narratives written by the Greeks and Romans about those who lived outside their borders–even Herodotus, for all of his usual punctiliousness, was prone to flights of imagination when his own rigor failed him–Rees has to rely much more on the archaeological record to fill in the gaps. Fortunately, the field has made some remarkable discoveries over the past several decades, and we can now paint remarkably detailed portraits of life at the borders of the more familiar ancient world civilizations. Thus, thanks to Rees’ meticulous scholarship, we learn about such fascinating places as Naucratis–the first permanent Greek settlement in Egypt, existing long before the foundation of Alexandria–and Olbia (in modern-day Ukraine), where the cultures of the Greeks and the Scythians met and melded. Even though I have a degree in classics and history and have read extensively about the ancient world, I still found myself enthralled by Rees’ account and the many new things I was learning.
The thing about the ancient world, as Rees reminds us again and again, is that it was far messier than our tidy historical accounts would suggest, and goods, and people, moved much further afield than we might realize. Thus it is that a soldier from Africa could well end up serving on Hadrian’s Wall, far away from his homeland, and how objects from a place like Aksum in modern Ethiopia could end up in graves in England. This constant interchange also led to the meshing of ideas and styles, as we can see, for example, in Greco-Buddhist art, which became particularly prominent in cities like Taxila (in modern-day Pakistan).
I also particularly appreciated the extent to which Rees brings Africa into the frame of discussion. It’s become far too common to exclude much of the continent (except for Egypt) from understanding and discussions of the classical world, even though, as we know, much of North Africa was in the Roman sphere of influence and, at times, part of the Empire itself. Fortunately, this book begins and ends in Africa, highlighting the important role that places like the Kingdom of Aksum had in terms of its relations with the other major powers of both antiquity and Late Antiquity.
Rees is one of those historians with a knack for storytelling, and he keeps you gripped as he explores these far-flung places. It’s not every author who could so effectively turn archaeology into compelling narrative history, but Rees certainly has the knack. He also brings these ancient cities to life, allowing us to glimpse, if just for a moment, what it must have been like to wander these ancient streets. Moreover, thanks to the records left behind in places like Karanis, Egypt, we also get to hear the voices of ancient people who left copious records behind for us to examine. Thanks to Rees these people can live again.
In addition to shifting our perspective from the center to the periphery, Rees also focuses on the common folk rather than the wealthy and the powerful. Whether it’s the soldiers and their families making do at Hadrian’s Wall or the aforementioned citizens of Karanis, he gives us a cherished glimpse of what life was like on the ground. In doing so, he also demonstrates the extent to which some of the more outlandish claims made by the ancient historians–such as the assertion that the Scythians drank out of cups fashioned from human skulls–had more truth to them than we might assume. Antiquity remains as full of surprises as it ever has been, which helps to explain why it remains such an enduring source of fascination, and sometimes revulsion, for those of us living in the present.
Sometimes it’s easy to forget that the ancient world, like our own, was populated by folks just trying to get by, all while inhabiting their contradictions. Time and again throughout the book, however, Rees brings home to us the beauty and the complexity of the human condition. This, I think, is one of the most remarkable things about contemporary archaeology. It really forces you to reckon with the daily life and lived reality of the people who preceded us. The people of the ancient world might not have been exactly like us–how could they be, when their world was so vastly different–but they’re also not all that different, either.
The Far Edges of the Known World is a timely reminder of the extent to which our understanding of the ancient world remains distorted by our relentless centering of the cultures that became key to the later West’s fashioning of itself. By broadening out the scope and by bringing various other nations and cultures into the frame and by making them the center of analysis, Rees gives us a much-needed new perspective on antiquity. I can’t recommend this book highly enough!
It’s been a surprisingly long time since I’ve read a book about the ancient world, so when I saw The Far Edges of the Known World: A New History of the Ancient Past at my local library, I knew it was going to be my next nonfiction history read. I love that we’re in a moment where historians are shedding light on just how interconnected the ancient world was. There’s no doubt that civilizations like Greece, Rome, and Egypt were powerful, and there’s also no doubt they exerted a strong influence on their world but, as Owen Rees points out, that’s just a part of the story. Our appreciation of antiquity is enriched and deepened and given nuance when we look at the margins.
Indeed, as Rees argues in the beginning of the book, these margins were places of remarkable vitality, where cultures and civilizations met and blended, creating a sort of remarkable ferment. For all that those from the center–such as the poet Ovid, who viewed his banishment to the shores of the Black Sea as the worst sort of punishment and had almost nothing nice to say about the people among whom he found himself–might see these places as inherently inferior, they were instead thriving locales. Thanks to historians like Rees, such places are finally getting their historical due.
Given the paucity and unreliability of many narratives written by the Greeks and Romans about those who lived outside their borders–even Herodotus, for all of his usual punctiliousness, was prone to flights of imagination when his own rigor failed him–Rees has to rely much more on the archaeological record to fill in the gaps. Fortunately, the field has made some remarkable discoveries over the past several decades, and we can now paint remarkably detailed portraits of life at the borders of the more familiar ancient world civilizations. Thus, thanks to Rees’ meticulous scholarship, we learn about such fascinating places as Naucratis–the first permanent Greek settlement in Egypt, existing long before the foundation of Alexandria–and Olbia (in modern-day Ukraine), where the cultures of the Greeks and the Scythians met and melded. Even though I have a degree in classics and history and have read extensively about the ancient world, I still found myself enthralled by Rees’ account and the many new things I was learning.
The thing about the ancient world, as Rees reminds us again and again, is that it was far messier than our tidy historical accounts would suggest, and goods, and people, moved much further afield than we might realize. Thus it is that a soldier from Africa could well end up serving on Hadrian’s Wall, far away from his homeland, and how objects from a place like Aksum in modern Ethiopia could end up in graves in England. This constant interchange also led to the meshing of ideas and styles, as we can see, for example, in Greco-Buddhist art, which became particularly prominent in cities like Taxila (in modern-day Pakistan).
I also particularly appreciated the extent to which Rees brings Africa into the frame of discussion. It’s become far too common to exclude much of the continent (except for Egypt) from understanding and discussions of the classical world, even though, as we know, much of North Africa was in the Roman sphere of influence and, at times, part of the Empire itself. Fortunately, this book begins and ends in Africa, highlighting the important role that places like the Kingdom of Aksum had in terms of its relations with the other major powers of both antiquity and Late Antiquity.
Rees is one of those historians with a knack for storytelling, and he keeps you gripped as he explores these far-flung places. It’s not every author who could so effectively turn archaeology into compelling narrative history, but Rees certainly has the knack. He also brings these ancient cities to life, allowing us to glimpse, if just for a moment, what it must have been like to wander these ancient streets. Moreover, thanks to the records left behind in places like Karanis, Egypt, we also get to hear the voices of ancient people who left copious records behind for us to examine. Thanks to Rees these people can live again.
In addition to shifting our perspective from the center to the periphery, Rees also focuses on the common folk rather than the wealthy and the powerful. Whether it’s the soldiers and their families making do at Hadrian’s Wall or the aforementioned citizens of Karanis, he gives us a cherished glimpse of what life was like on the ground. In doing so, he also demonstrates the extent to which some of the more outlandish claims made by the ancient historians–such as the assertion that the Scythians drank out of cups fashioned from human skulls–had more truth to them than we might assume. Antiquity remains as full of surprises as it ever has been, which helps to explain why it remains such an enduring source of fascination, and sometimes revulsion, for those of us living in the present.
Sometimes it’s easy to forget that the ancient world, like our own, was populated by folks just trying to get by, all while inhabiting their contradictions. Time and again throughout the book, however, Rees brings home to us the beauty and the complexity of the human condition. This, I think, is one of the most remarkable things about contemporary archaeology. It really forces you to reckon with the daily life and lived reality of the people who preceded us. The people of the ancient world might not have been exactly like us–how could they be, when their world was so vastly different–but they’re also not all that different, either.
The Far Edges of the Known World is a timely reminder of the extent to which our understanding of the ancient world remains distorted by our relentless centering of the cultures that became key to the later West’s fashioning of itself. By broadening out the scope and by bringing various other nations and cultures into the frame and by making them the center of analysis, Rees gives us a much-needed new perspective on antiquity. I can’t recommend this book highly enough!
September 15, 2025
"There is a fundamental problem when considering the edges of the world: the edges are determined by where we think the centre is."
With this observation, Owen Rees sets the stage for his revisionist history of the ancient past. The line does more than introduce a theme—it dismantles the blocks upon which many conventional histories of antiquity are built. By questioning who decides what counts as the "centre," Rees forces us to reconsider how histories of Greece and Rome have been written, and, perhaps more importantly, who has been left out.
Rees structures the book as a series of case studies that stretch from Lake Turkana to Aksum, from Hadrian's Wall to Co Loa. Each site is presented as a dynamic locus of interaction, where cultural borders are blurred and societies adapt to political, environmental, and economic pressures. Rees's arguments are grounded in archaeological evidence—in lived realities rather than the prejudiced accounts of elite classical authors. In doing so, he critiques the "civilised-barbarian" dichotomy and demonstrates the complex, multicultural lives of people who existed beyond the gaze of Ovid and his peers.
One of the book's strengths is its human focus—veterans in Karanis writing petitions against injustice, Nubian women in Egyptian garrisons reshaping food culture, or the multicultural soldiers along Hadrian's Wall. These vignettes are personalizing and remind us that ancient history is not just about the study of empires but of the lives of ordinary persons. Rees excels in making these stories accessible without oversimplifying them, weaving together archaeological data, inscriptions, and literary fragments into narratives that are rigorous and immediate.
Rees writes as someone who trusts his readers' intelligence. He introduces technical archaeological concepts—strontium isotope analysis, dental calculus examination—without condescension, while his narrative voice remains conversational and direct. Most effectively, he lets archaeological evidence speak against literary bias: where Ovid describes Tomis as a barbaric wasteland, Rees presents the material culture of a thriving Greek settlement, allowing the contrast to make his point about the unreliability of elite sources.
The revisionist argument is persuasive. Rees makes clear that the obsession with Greece and Rome as cultural "centres" has distorted the past. By shifting the focus to the peripheries, he reveals a landscape of innovation and resilience—not the empty frontier portrayed in many histories. Aksum's Christianity, Taxila's fusion of Greek and Buddhist art, or the continued flourishing of Volubilis after Rome's retreat each show how societies at the so-called "edges" shaped the ancient world on their own terms.
Rees is candid about the limits of his approach—no book can cover everything. His definition of "pre-history" as beginning before Herodotus is necessarily tied to a classical benchmark, even as he critiques classical bias. The disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine forced his reliance on secondary research for some regions. However, he turns this into a strength by highlighting the collaborative nature of historical scholarship. Also, the sheer breadth of material sometimes means that not every site receives equal depth. Yet these limitations do not undermine Rees's work. If anything, they point toward future research. The histories of Co Loa, Bilsk, or Aksum are far from fully told, and Rees's work opens the door for others to continue exploring them.
Ultimately, what emerges is a complex narrative, not a tidy replacement history that swaps one center for another. Rees demonstrates that there is no neat categorization of the ancient world: cultural lines were porous, trade networks spanned continents, and identities were constantly in motion. Rees presents a way of thinking about the past that embraces uncertainty and multiplicity. This approach has implications for how we understand historical knowledge itself. By foregrounding voices and sites often overlooked, Rees argues not just for a more inclusive history, but for a fundamental shift in how we conceive of historical authority—from the pronouncements of elite chroniclers to the patient accumulation of material evidence from ordinary lives.
By questioning who gets to define the 'centre' and the 'edge,' Rees ultimately advocates for a global history that does not reinforce divisions but reveals how interconnectedness has always defined the human story.
With this observation, Owen Rees sets the stage for his revisionist history of the ancient past. The line does more than introduce a theme—it dismantles the blocks upon which many conventional histories of antiquity are built. By questioning who decides what counts as the "centre," Rees forces us to reconsider how histories of Greece and Rome have been written, and, perhaps more importantly, who has been left out.
Rees structures the book as a series of case studies that stretch from Lake Turkana to Aksum, from Hadrian's Wall to Co Loa. Each site is presented as a dynamic locus of interaction, where cultural borders are blurred and societies adapt to political, environmental, and economic pressures. Rees's arguments are grounded in archaeological evidence—in lived realities rather than the prejudiced accounts of elite classical authors. In doing so, he critiques the "civilised-barbarian" dichotomy and demonstrates the complex, multicultural lives of people who existed beyond the gaze of Ovid and his peers.
One of the book's strengths is its human focus—veterans in Karanis writing petitions against injustice, Nubian women in Egyptian garrisons reshaping food culture, or the multicultural soldiers along Hadrian's Wall. These vignettes are personalizing and remind us that ancient history is not just about the study of empires but of the lives of ordinary persons. Rees excels in making these stories accessible without oversimplifying them, weaving together archaeological data, inscriptions, and literary fragments into narratives that are rigorous and immediate.
Rees writes as someone who trusts his readers' intelligence. He introduces technical archaeological concepts—strontium isotope analysis, dental calculus examination—without condescension, while his narrative voice remains conversational and direct. Most effectively, he lets archaeological evidence speak against literary bias: where Ovid describes Tomis as a barbaric wasteland, Rees presents the material culture of a thriving Greek settlement, allowing the contrast to make his point about the unreliability of elite sources.
The revisionist argument is persuasive. Rees makes clear that the obsession with Greece and Rome as cultural "centres" has distorted the past. By shifting the focus to the peripheries, he reveals a landscape of innovation and resilience—not the empty frontier portrayed in many histories. Aksum's Christianity, Taxila's fusion of Greek and Buddhist art, or the continued flourishing of Volubilis after Rome's retreat each show how societies at the so-called "edges" shaped the ancient world on their own terms.
Rees is candid about the limits of his approach—no book can cover everything. His definition of "pre-history" as beginning before Herodotus is necessarily tied to a classical benchmark, even as he critiques classical bias. The disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine forced his reliance on secondary research for some regions. However, he turns this into a strength by highlighting the collaborative nature of historical scholarship. Also, the sheer breadth of material sometimes means that not every site receives equal depth. Yet these limitations do not undermine Rees's work. If anything, they point toward future research. The histories of Co Loa, Bilsk, or Aksum are far from fully told, and Rees's work opens the door for others to continue exploring them.
Ultimately, what emerges is a complex narrative, not a tidy replacement history that swaps one center for another. Rees demonstrates that there is no neat categorization of the ancient world: cultural lines were porous, trade networks spanned continents, and identities were constantly in motion. Rees presents a way of thinking about the past that embraces uncertainty and multiplicity. This approach has implications for how we understand historical knowledge itself. By foregrounding voices and sites often overlooked, Rees argues not just for a more inclusive history, but for a fundamental shift in how we conceive of historical authority—from the pronouncements of elite chroniclers to the patient accumulation of material evidence from ordinary lives.
By questioning who gets to define the 'centre' and the 'edge,' Rees ultimately advocates for a global history that does not reinforce divisions but reveals how interconnectedness has always defined the human story.
October 9, 2025
[4.5 stars rounded up]
I have never really in my adult life had the need to “disprove” the idea that all cultures of the ancient world (or any point onwards) were completely homogenous, nor did I have a need to be shown that areas outside of the Egypt/Greece/Roman trifecta were important as well (though, this is definitely an excellent book if you do hold these notions). Usually in nonfiction books like these I find that the author leans too heavily into needing to completely disprove this common idea to the detriment of readers that don’t share that misconception. The Far Edges of the Known World never bothered me in this regard. Though Rees does take the time to explicitly point out how the information that he’s presenting goes against this notion, it never becomes the only thing that he’s saying. He stays focused on the information that he is exploring and how it is an example of non-homogenous societies or large trade networks in the ancient world. His analysis is excellent and his storytelling skills are just as good.
I just love how the author writes. He hits a great balance between delivering information and just nice sounding prose. Surprisingly evocative and quite emotional at points without turning into any sort of novelization. His focus on “ordinary people" is the real heart of this book. Yes, sometimes he needs to take some of what Herodotus or another prominent figure wrote, but he uses these to enhance the ordinary stories, not to pull focus away from them. He takes the time to reconstruct a scene or situation - such as reading a found letter by a Roman woman living on Hadrian’ Wall to a friend back home and exploring its meaning or identifying the presence of Kush cookware specifically (not servingware or decorative vessels) in Egyptian forts up the Nile as evidence of Kush women living and cooking their local foods in these forts to the Egyptian men either as wives or servants - but does not novelize these moments. These moments add so much to the book and I really appreciated how Rees uses these moments both for their emotional effect and as a way to contextualize the information he’s presented so far. He uses actual assumptions sparingly and makes it very clear when he is going off on assumptions right from the start (unlike some other history books that I have read that only reveal the level of assumptions made after telling the whole story…).
There were a few times when he leaned towards an anecdote or example and it doesn’t fully click with me why we’re talking about it or how it connects to the chapter (I love John and Revelations, but I still don’t know why he ended an early chapter examining it), but I may just have missed the leading up points of these parts. This happened just a few times and it never greatly affected my experience with the book as a whole.
This was an excellent and comfortable read that dove into the various areas of the ancient world that get overlooked and, beyond that, how they influenced the main trifecta of civilizations that we hear so much about. It also let me know just how much I need to read up on Ancient Aksum, Vietnam, and - embarrassingly - the Scythians. Also, is the fact that Marseilles was a Greek colony and was founded in 600BC common knowledge because that was a shock to me (not that I’ve been there or have any preconceptions about Marseilles, but still). A phenomenal book.
“We often visualize the ancient world as one filled with boundaries and borders, but those borders were not empty places. They were filled with life, families and cultures, but it does not always look the way we may expect … away from the prying eyes of their fellow countrymen, people living at the edge of civilization were able to adapt and change their ways in keeping with the environment around them.”
I have never really in my adult life had the need to “disprove” the idea that all cultures of the ancient world (or any point onwards) were completely homogenous, nor did I have a need to be shown that areas outside of the Egypt/Greece/Roman trifecta were important as well (though, this is definitely an excellent book if you do hold these notions). Usually in nonfiction books like these I find that the author leans too heavily into needing to completely disprove this common idea to the detriment of readers that don’t share that misconception. The Far Edges of the Known World never bothered me in this regard. Though Rees does take the time to explicitly point out how the information that he’s presenting goes against this notion, it never becomes the only thing that he’s saying. He stays focused on the information that he is exploring and how it is an example of non-homogenous societies or large trade networks in the ancient world. His analysis is excellent and his storytelling skills are just as good.
I just love how the author writes. He hits a great balance between delivering information and just nice sounding prose. Surprisingly evocative and quite emotional at points without turning into any sort of novelization. His focus on “ordinary people" is the real heart of this book. Yes, sometimes he needs to take some of what Herodotus or another prominent figure wrote, but he uses these to enhance the ordinary stories, not to pull focus away from them. He takes the time to reconstruct a scene or situation - such as reading a found letter by a Roman woman living on Hadrian’ Wall to a friend back home and exploring its meaning or identifying the presence of Kush cookware specifically (not servingware or decorative vessels) in Egyptian forts up the Nile as evidence of Kush women living and cooking their local foods in these forts to the Egyptian men either as wives or servants - but does not novelize these moments. These moments add so much to the book and I really appreciated how Rees uses these moments both for their emotional effect and as a way to contextualize the information he’s presented so far. He uses actual assumptions sparingly and makes it very clear when he is going off on assumptions right from the start (unlike some other history books that I have read that only reveal the level of assumptions made after telling the whole story…).
There were a few times when he leaned towards an anecdote or example and it doesn’t fully click with me why we’re talking about it or how it connects to the chapter (I love John and Revelations, but I still don’t know why he ended an early chapter examining it), but I may just have missed the leading up points of these parts. This happened just a few times and it never greatly affected my experience with the book as a whole.
This was an excellent and comfortable read that dove into the various areas of the ancient world that get overlooked and, beyond that, how they influenced the main trifecta of civilizations that we hear so much about. It also let me know just how much I need to read up on Ancient Aksum, Vietnam, and - embarrassingly - the Scythians. Also, is the fact that Marseilles was a Greek colony and was founded in 600BC common knowledge because that was a shock to me (not that I’ve been there or have any preconceptions about Marseilles, but still). A phenomenal book.
July 16, 2026
A weak thesis and a fundamental flaw in perspective mars this work. But that doesn't mean it has no value. Taken as independent surveys of separate ancient cities and states, there is much to work with. But where I have a problem is with the notion of these places being on the edge. They are not. In fact, they are centrally located within the border (except for two, Aksum and Bilsk, which correspondingly provide the least persuasive and worst argued chapters). They are borderlands between civilizations. As such, they are liminal places.
Seen from that perspective, much of the history of these places ceases to be "amazing," as Rees puts it, and much more understandable. (By the way, what is this lazy generational tendency to default to the word "amazing" for foreign cultures and food?) For liminal states denote transition and change, the movement from one state to another, a ritual process among individuals and institutions and a mark of social upheaval within civilizations. Liminality is inherently unstable. All the while, it may bring interesting clashes and admixtures but it cannot exist over the long haul. In fact, it is worth quoting Bjorn Thomassen here, “No culture would be foolish enough to devise a ritual sequences that stops at the liminal. Without a return to normality and background structures that one can take for granted (at least until they are shaken again), individuals go crazy and societies become pathological (Liminality and the Modern)." Yet that is the lesson that Rees seems to want to make. Without coming out specifically, he constantly alludes to how his subjects exemplify multiculturalism, for him a preferred state of being. Yet the proof is in the history. All of the cities and places he discusses had relatively short endurance, because liminality (or its multicultural byproduct, if you will) carries within it the seeds of its own destruction. It also provides for exciting history, of course, because its stories are dramatic, filled with conflict and constant change. That is why, for example, the best chapter in Rees's book, which probably deserves a book length study on its own, is the chapter on Taxila, in Pakistan, where Alexander left his easternmost penetration. Taxila was also a liminal place for the influence, conquest, and expansion of other South Asian and Central Asian empires.
The other sites Rees mentions largely fit this liminal description as well. Except for Aksum, which seems to me neither liminal nor "on the edge" of ancient civilizations but a separate civilization in and of itself. The other outlier, Bilsk, from what I can tell from this book barely qualifies as more than a trading post. I'm not sure it merits inclusion in the book at all. So, yes, Far Edges is a book worth engaging with. But I'm not sure that its own thesis seems workable. Had Rees looked at things from a liminal point of view instead of this weak, wobbly notion of "the edge," then he might have made many more rewarding connections.
Seen from that perspective, much of the history of these places ceases to be "amazing," as Rees puts it, and much more understandable. (By the way, what is this lazy generational tendency to default to the word "amazing" for foreign cultures and food?) For liminal states denote transition and change, the movement from one state to another, a ritual process among individuals and institutions and a mark of social upheaval within civilizations. Liminality is inherently unstable. All the while, it may bring interesting clashes and admixtures but it cannot exist over the long haul. In fact, it is worth quoting Bjorn Thomassen here, “No culture would be foolish enough to devise a ritual sequences that stops at the liminal. Without a return to normality and background structures that one can take for granted (at least until they are shaken again), individuals go crazy and societies become pathological (Liminality and the Modern)." Yet that is the lesson that Rees seems to want to make. Without coming out specifically, he constantly alludes to how his subjects exemplify multiculturalism, for him a preferred state of being. Yet the proof is in the history. All of the cities and places he discusses had relatively short endurance, because liminality (or its multicultural byproduct, if you will) carries within it the seeds of its own destruction. It also provides for exciting history, of course, because its stories are dramatic, filled with conflict and constant change. That is why, for example, the best chapter in Rees's book, which probably deserves a book length study on its own, is the chapter on Taxila, in Pakistan, where Alexander left his easternmost penetration. Taxila was also a liminal place for the influence, conquest, and expansion of other South Asian and Central Asian empires.
The other sites Rees mentions largely fit this liminal description as well. Except for Aksum, which seems to me neither liminal nor "on the edge" of ancient civilizations but a separate civilization in and of itself. The other outlier, Bilsk, from what I can tell from this book barely qualifies as more than a trading post. I'm not sure it merits inclusion in the book at all. So, yes, Far Edges is a book worth engaging with. But I'm not sure that its own thesis seems workable. Had Rees looked at things from a liminal point of view instead of this weak, wobbly notion of "the edge," then he might have made many more rewarding connections.
November 7, 2025
This is quite an interesting history book. Rather than focusing on the major threads of ancient civilization we all have read about so many times—the Greeks, the Romans, etc.—this one treats us to stories of what we know of several smaller regions or civilizations around their periphery. The book’s description promises a “revisionist” history, which always raises some mental red flags for me, but fortunately all that’s meant in this case is that the book treats us to lesser-known historic societies.
The book is presented largely as local vignettes, treating each region or group of people briefly but thoroughly before moving on to the next. It’s structured in an organized way, and all the tales are quite interesting—admittedly, some more than others, though I suspect each reader will form his or her own independent opinion as to which is which—but there’s relatively little through-line or overarching story connecting them.
In a way, that may be the author’s point—perhaps reading history as leading inexorably from Greece and Rome to ourselves is too “just so” and leaves too much unspoken. However, if one wants to take the book’s description at its word that this work intends to revise rather than merely to expand our understanding of history, then I don’t think the disconnected tales of largely disconnected societies accomplishes the task without more connective tissue between those chapters to further build the thesis. For my part, though, I’m actually glad it didn’t take that approach because I find the expansionist rather than revisionist approach more interesting and palatable.
It's clearly well researched. And indeed, readers looking to do any further reading will find it thoroughly documented. Further, though the tone is semi-academic, the language is accessible and the author writes with clear passion for his subject. Visually inclined readers will also appreciate several useful maps and full-color insert pages with photographs of some of the locations, ruins, or artifacts under discussion.
The book is presented largely as local vignettes, treating each region or group of people briefly but thoroughly before moving on to the next. It’s structured in an organized way, and all the tales are quite interesting—admittedly, some more than others, though I suspect each reader will form his or her own independent opinion as to which is which—but there’s relatively little through-line or overarching story connecting them.
In a way, that may be the author’s point—perhaps reading history as leading inexorably from Greece and Rome to ourselves is too “just so” and leaves too much unspoken. However, if one wants to take the book’s description at its word that this work intends to revise rather than merely to expand our understanding of history, then I don’t think the disconnected tales of largely disconnected societies accomplishes the task without more connective tissue between those chapters to further build the thesis. For my part, though, I’m actually glad it didn’t take that approach because I find the expansionist rather than revisionist approach more interesting and palatable.
It's clearly well researched. And indeed, readers looking to do any further reading will find it thoroughly documented. Further, though the tone is semi-academic, the language is accessible and the author writes with clear passion for his subject. Visually inclined readers will also appreciate several useful maps and full-color insert pages with photographs of some of the locations, ruins, or artifacts under discussion.
December 16, 2025
There are insightful stories in this book from the fringes of most venerated ancient civilizations from classical texts. Aksum, Co Loa, Ukraine and Egypt stand out in particular. Stories of multiculturalism and engagement between dominant civilizations and the lesser known tribes at the fringes, showcasing the best of adaptability, survival and that life endured for the most part almost the same beyond the cataclysmic collapses of the Western Roman Empire and the Han dynasty.
Each locale lacks depth and feels like they could be a novel with central characters in their own right. Vietnam was the most fascinating to me and I would love to read a historical novel on the Truang sisters, worthy source material. Alternatively, an interconnected 1000 page detailed historical novel book would be wonderful and I would purchase in an instant.
Rees has an affable writing style showing the importance of constantly adapting to new surroundings, respecting other peoples' cultures and constantly learning for a harmonious life. Multifarious insightful examples are put forth showing multiculturalism enhancing the greatest civilizations from Rome, Egypt to the Han. Venerable civilizations adopting the customs of lesser known barbarians to survive and thrive on the fringes. Nubian cooking pots, learning to ride in Ukraine, irrigation while innocuous were worthy insights into multicultural engagement to ameliorate society. The world has inveterately been multicultural and Rees shines a light on how adapting and blending cultures can bring out the best of humanity and enhance already great civilizations such as the Han and Romans. A resonant timeless message from an antediluvian epoch.
Each locale lacks depth and feels like they could be a novel with central characters in their own right. Vietnam was the most fascinating to me and I would love to read a historical novel on the Truang sisters, worthy source material. Alternatively, an interconnected 1000 page detailed historical novel book would be wonderful and I would purchase in an instant.
Rees has an affable writing style showing the importance of constantly adapting to new surroundings, respecting other peoples' cultures and constantly learning for a harmonious life. Multifarious insightful examples are put forth showing multiculturalism enhancing the greatest civilizations from Rome, Egypt to the Han. Venerable civilizations adopting the customs of lesser known barbarians to survive and thrive on the fringes. Nubian cooking pots, learning to ride in Ukraine, irrigation while innocuous were worthy insights into multicultural engagement to ameliorate society. The world has inveterately been multicultural and Rees shines a light on how adapting and blending cultures can bring out the best of humanity and enhance already great civilizations such as the Han and Romans. A resonant timeless message from an antediluvian epoch.
October 5, 2026
So, yeah, I had to give up. I steeled myself to get to the Hadrians Wall chapter, decided to give the Volubilis chapter a go but then just couldn't get any further. I felt I wasn't learning much, despite concentrating, determinedly and even laboriously carefully reading the text. In a book with so much to learn that is sad and either speaks of the extravagant but dizzyingly stretched breadth of what the author is trying to convey, or their ability as a communicator. Some people, Brian Cox, Mary beard are so brilliant, so knowledgeable and so enthusiastic about their subject but just can't communicate it, and I think this falls into that category.
Beside that there is the usual supposition depicted as fact which comes with Archaeology. I've seen talks which are 55 minutes "we think that" "this could be" "this looks ljke" "this might be" that suddenly metamorphosis into a final 5 minutes of "this is all definitive proof that" (theoretical physicists do this too)
The author restrains himself with some modern comparisons too. He speaks of the Egyptians attitude to the Nubian, "The colour of Nubian skin (always portrayed as darker) was not a point of derision or akin to modern racist ideologies but it was used as a clear indication of 'otherness'....the nubian was often compared to an animal, much like their Libyan and aviation counterparts.He was also a coward who could not be trusted". So not akin to modern racist ideologies but, glaringly similar to erm....modern racist ideologies. Perhaps he should acknowledge the racism inherent in this. It wouldn't be a suprise to know racism existed in ancient cultures, even in the cultures that expanded, subjugated and discriminated against others in Africa.
Beside that there is the usual supposition depicted as fact which comes with Archaeology. I've seen talks which are 55 minutes "we think that" "this could be" "this looks ljke" "this might be" that suddenly metamorphosis into a final 5 minutes of "this is all definitive proof that" (theoretical physicists do this too)
The author restrains himself with some modern comparisons too. He speaks of the Egyptians attitude to the Nubian, "The colour of Nubian skin (always portrayed as darker) was not a point of derision or akin to modern racist ideologies but it was used as a clear indication of 'otherness'....the nubian was often compared to an animal, much like their Libyan and aviation counterparts.He was also a coward who could not be trusted". So not akin to modern racist ideologies but, glaringly similar to erm....modern racist ideologies. Perhaps he should acknowledge the racism inherent in this. It wouldn't be a suprise to know racism existed in ancient cultures, even in the cultures that expanded, subjugated and discriminated against others in Africa.
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