Georgia in Antiquity: A History of Colchis and Transcaucasian Iberia, 550 BC-AD 562 [Hardcover]

David Braund (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0198144733 | ISBN-13: 978-0198144731 | Publication Date: September 8, 1994

The first full history of ancient Georgia ever to be written outside Georgia itself, this book also serves as a valuable introduction to the substantial archaeological work that has been carried out there in recent decades. Designed to open up ancient Georgia for the world of scholarship at large, it is not only a history of a neglected region, but also a sustained attempt to inform topics and issues that are more familiar to the historians of antiquity. Examples include myths of the periphery; Caucasian mountains and their passes; Greek colonization; the Persian, Athenian, and Selecuid empires; Pompey's conquest of Mithridates' empire; the development of the Roman frontier in the eastern Black Sea region; Roman diplomacy in Iberia; the Christianization of Iberia; Sassanian ambitions in Transcaucasia; and Byzantine warfare there.

Editorial Reviews

Review

not only a first - virtually no one else has tried to construct a complete history of Georgia spanning 550 BC - AD 562 ... This heroic, ground-breaking book is a fine tribute to the cooperation that, almost single-handedly, Braund had brought about between the Georgian and British academic Establishment. Braund, then, has produced a brilliant first.' Peter Jones, Literary Review. Dec '94

`David Braund's presentation of new Georgian archaeological material is invaluable. ... the great virtue of the book is that Braund looks anew at classical sources for the Caucasus. ... Braund's analysis is the most extensive and sensible yet' Times Literary Supplement

`This book is a standard for all the works to follow on the eastern part of the Black Sea during 550 BC to 562CE, and acts as as introduction to Russian and Georgian scholarship.' Religious Studies Review

`Braund has much which is new to contribute...' Greece and Rome Reviews 42

`written by a British scholar, who has an excellent knowledge of the Russian and Georgian languages - an exceptionally rare combination amongst academics outside Georgia itself' The Classical Review

`remarkable that it should have been written by a British scholar, who has an excellent knowledge of the Russian and Georgian languages - an exceptionally rare combination amongst academics outside Georgia itself ... The book is a beginning for th study of ancient Georgia in modern English language historiography.' Gocha R. Tsetskhladze, Royal Holloway, University of London, The Classical Review, XLV, 2, '95

About the Author

David Braund is at Exeter University.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (September 8, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198144733
• ISBN-13: 978-0198144731
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,374,158 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #29 in Books > History > Asia > Georgia

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Essential read on classical Georgian archaeology, June 11, 2008

By 

Bas Van Der Veen (Gent,Belgium) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Georgia in Antiquity: A History of Colchis and Transcaucasian Iberia, 550 BC-AD 562 (Hardcover)

For non-Georgians it is very difficult to learn anything about the history of Georgia because of the language barrier and lack of recent publications. I recommend buying this book. Beside its merits in filling this gap for western readers, it is an very well written description of the classical period in Georgia. You will find it also an easy read, highly interesting.