Cities of the Ancient World
About the Book Series
Cities of the Ancient World examines the history, archaeology and cultural significance of key cities from across the ancient world, spanning northern Europe, the Mediterranean, Africa, Asia and the Near East. Each volume explores the life of a significant place, charting its developments from its earliest history, through the transformations it experienced under different cultures and rulers, through to its later periods. These texts offer academics, students and the interested reader comprehensive and scholarly accounts of the life of each city.
Tainaron in Classical Antiquity: A Journey to the End of the World
1st Edition
By Chelsea A.M. Gardner
February 27, 2026
This book offers a new interpretation of the site of ancient Tainaron, the mythological entrance to the Greek underworld, by presenting a complete overview of its roles, functions, and significance throughout history. Located on the southernmost tip of the Mani peninsula in Greece, Tainaron is ...
Ebla: Archaeology and History
1st Edition
By Paolo Matthiae
August 01, 2022
In Ebla , Paolo Matthiae presents the results of 47 years of excavations at this fascinating site, providing a detailed account of Ebla’s history and archaeology. Ebla grew from a small Early Bronze Age settlement into an important trading and political centre, which endured until its final ...
Antioch: A History
1st Edition
By Andrea U. De Giorgi, A. Asa Eger
May 31, 2021
Winner of ASOR's 2022 G. Ernest Wright Award for the most substantial volume dealing with archaeological material, excavation reports and material culture from the ancient Near East and Eastern Mediterranean. This is a complete history of Antioch, one of the most significant major ...
Carthage: A Biography
1st Edition
By Dexter Hoyos
December 31, 2020
Carthage tells the life story of the city, both as one of the Mediterranean’s great seafaring powers before 146 BC, and after its refounding in the first century BC. It provides a comprehensive history of the city and its unique culture, and offers students an insight into Rome’s greatest enemy. ...
Elis: Internal Politics and External Policy in Ancient Greece
1st Edition
By Graeme Bourke
August 14, 2020
Elis examines the city of Elis from its earliest history, through the Archaic period and the Classical period where it reached its zenith, to its decline in the Hellenistic, Roman and later periods. Through examining this prominent city-state, its role in contemporary politics and the place of ...
Palmyra: A History
1st Edition
By Michael Sommer
August 14, 2020
Palmyra: A History examines Palmyra, the city in the Syrian oasis of Tadmur, from its beginnings in the Bronze Age, through the classical period and its discovery and excavation, to the present day. It aims at reconstructing Palmyra’s past from literary accounts – classical and post-classical – as ...
Carlisle: A Frontier and Border City
1st Edition
By Mike McCarthy
December 12, 2019
Carlisle charts the city's emergence as an urban centre under the Romans and traces its vicissitudes over subsequent centuries until the high Middle Ages. Arguably, the most important theme that differentiates its development from many other towns is its position as a 'border' city. The ...
Gyeongju: The Capital of Golden Silla
1st Edition
By Sarah Milledge Nelson
December 12, 2019
Gyeongju, the capital of the Kingdom of Silla, grew from a loose confederation of villages, called Saro, to become the capital of most of the Korean peninsula. Its relationships with Japan, the Eurasian Steppes, and countries along the Silk Road leading to Europe helped to make the city one of the ...
Thebes: A History
1st Edition
By Nicholas Rockwell
December 12, 2019
Thebes offers a scholarly survey of the history and archaeology of the city, from 1600 BCE – 476 CE. Discussions of major developments in politics, war, society and culture form the basis of a chronological examination of one of Greece’s most powerful and dynamic cities. By taking a broad view, the...
A History of Siena: From its Origins to the Present Day
1st Edition
By Mario Ascheri, Bradley Franco
September 03, 2019
A History of Siena provides a concise and up-to-date biography of the city, from its ancient and medieval development up to the present day, and makes Siena’s history, culture, and traditions accessible to anyone studying or visiting the city. Well informed by archival research and recent ...
Damascus: A History
2nd Edition
By Ross Burns
February 04, 2019
Damascus, first published in 2005, was the first account in English of the history of the city, bringing out the crucial role it has played at many points in the region’s past. It traces the story of this colourful, significant and complex city through its physical development, from the its ...
Aleppo: A History
1st Edition
By Ross Burns
December 21, 2017
Shortlisted for the 2018 British-Kuwait Friendship Society Book Prize Aleppo is one of the longest-surviving cities of the ancient and Islamic Middle East. Until recently it enjoyed a thriving urban life—in particular an active traditional suq, with a continuous tradition going back...