I don't read as much non-fiction as I do fiction, but occasionally a book comes along that piques my interest - The Far Edges of the Known World was one of those, mainly because it takes a different perspective of a well-worn period of time. It could be argued that there's not a great deal left to say about Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, given the number of books published about them over the centuries since, but this was a different point of view, not looking at the centre of those empires but at the very outskirts, to see how their influence spread.

Some of it is fairly familiar in other ways, so the section on Hadrian's Wall didn't really give me any new insights, but I'd had less of an idea about the Axumite empire of Ethiopia, let alone Roman artifacts turning up in Vietnam! I recommend reading this alongside The Golden Road by William Dalrymple, all about the influence of Indian beliefs and mathematics on the world. I look forward to seeing what Owen Rees researches next.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, via Netgalley. This is my honest review of the book in question.

It was a fascinanting read and a way to discover more about places and civilazation that were far from the center of the past Roman empire.
I loved it and made me learn a lot
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Civilisation in the margins
—
Rees’s book questions the idea that civilisation is a function of urbanism, of giant metropolitan gatherings where trade, religion and politics happen. In this deep and wide-ranging book, Rees shows that the margins, the edges, the barriers between cultures—barriers which are entirely artificial—are where cultures bleed into each other and make things, structures, cultures of their own that are new and different and, in some cases, dangerous.

Using examples from places that I was aware of but had previously put no thought into, Rees demonstrates that the history of any one culture is often dominated by a seemingly single narrative, for example, that Ancient Greece and Athens are the same thing, when in reality there are multiple and overlapping narratives. Rees demonstrates that there are stories from the ancient past that are yet to come to light.

I had little knowledge about the Greek and Roman world beyond certain geographies and I had always wanted to learn more about Ovid’s world.
In this rich, well-researched and easy-to-follow book, we learn more about what makes history so rich, so misread, and underappreciated.

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.