Description
By (author) Matyszak Philip
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A fascinating tour of cities that have been lost to history, from the Neolithic period up to the late Roman Empire, that offers a fresh new perspective on the roots of urban life.
The ruins of ancient Athens, Luxor and Rome are familiar cornerstones of world history, visited by travellers from across the globe. But what about the cities that have dropped off the map – that have been submerged under water, or swallowed up by the sands of time? Where are they, and what can they tell us about our past? In this compendium of forgotten cities, Philip Matyszak explores the trials, tribulations and triumphs they faced, revealing how people have embarked on the shared endeavour of living together since we first settled down 12,000 years ago.
Illustrated throughout with important artefacts, ruins and maps, Lost Cities of the Ancient World brings to life the sites and settlements across Europe, the Middle East and beyond that time forgot, from the sunken city of Ropotamo in the Black Sea to the deep cave dwellings of Derinkuyu in Turkey. Some have survived only in ancient literature, such as the lost city of Zoar by the Dead Sea, known from the Bible but not yet found. Others have been located, allowing archaeologists to trace their changing fortunes through centuries of occupation.
Matyszak reveals a dynamic network of peoples and cultures who fought and traded between themselves, exchanging inventions, ideas and philosophies, with the result that peoples as far apart as Çatalhöyük in Turkey and Skara Brae in the Orkney islands in Scotland shared much of a common heritage. By examining the motivations that first drew people to gather and settle together, as well as the challenges that led to their cities’ abandonment, this visually striking and often surprising book offers us a fresh perspective on our urban origins.
Table of contents:
Introduction: Ghosts of the Past
The Oldest Cities
1. Çatalhöyük
2. Skara Brae
3. Akkad
4. Pavlopetri
5. Zoar
6. Hattusa
7. Mardaman
8. Thebes
9. Phaistos
From Troy to Rome
10. Troy
11. Thonis
12. Mycenae
13. Seleucia-on-the-Tigris
14. Sybaris
15. Plataea
16. Taxila
17. Tigranocerta
18. Persepolis
19. Numantia
Across the Roman Empire
20. Glanum
21. Falerii Novi
22. Cyrene
23. Tipasa
24. Baiae
25. Volubilis
26. Stabiae
27. Maiden Castle
28. Timgad
29. Antinopolis
The Empire’s Edge and Beyond
30. Palmyra
31. Waldgirmes
32. Sarmizegetusa Regia
33. Gerasa
34. Venta Silurum
35. Dura-Europos
36. Beta Samati
37. Derinkuyu
Epilogue
Review quote:
”Matyszak skilfully weaves engaging stories and connects scholarly research with various tales and legends … an enjoyable read and will be picked up again and again to visit the stories of these ancient cities and the people who lived in them” – Antiquity
Review quote:
”Readable, well-illustrated” – Nature
Biographical note:
Philip Matyszak has a doctorate in Roman history from St John’s College, Oxford. He is the author of numerous books on the ancient world, including Forgotten Peoples of the Ancient World (2020), The Greek and Roman Myths (2010) and Ancient Magic (2019), all published by Thames & Hudson.
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A fascinating tour of cities that have been lost to history, from the Neolithic period up to the late Roman Empire, that offers a fresh new perspective on the roots of urban life
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