The Far Edges of the Known World by Owen Rees

 

A really interesting book, lots of information in it. It's amazing how vast trade networks were in antiquity--and maybe technically earlier. The idea that Han dynasty China and the Roman Empire were trying to exchange messages in the second century CE is ... astonishing. The point overall is that just about anyplace can be the center of life, or a lifestyle, or trading, or learning, or whatever; and that can be orthogonal to larger centers of political power, especially when there are empires around. The book does a convincing job of arguing that the interstices between established polities need more examination by historians, anthropologists, and archaeologists. I don't have enough stuff in my head about the various cultures to feel confident what's in this book will stick, at this point, but it's very worth reading if the subject matter interests.