The Hellenistic Far East - by Rachel Mairs (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

In the aftermath of Alexander the Great's conquests in the late fourth century B.C., Greek garrisons and settlements were established across Central Asia, through Bactria (modern-day Afghanistan) and into India. Over the next three hundred years, these settlements evolved into multiethnic, multilingual communities as much Greek as they were indigenous. To explore the lives and identities of the inhabitants of the Graeco-Bactrian and Indo-Greek kingdoms, Rachel Mairs marshals a variety of evidence, from archaeology, to coins, to documentary and historical texts. Looking particularly at the great city of Ai Khanoum, the only extensively excavated Hellenistic period urban site in Central Asia, Mairs explores how these ancient people lived, communicated, and understood themselves. Significant and original, The Hellenistic Far East will highlight Bactrian studies as an important part of our understanding of the ancient world.

From the Back Cover

"The primary contribution of The Hellenistic Far East lies in its meticulous research and judicious insight into topics (identity, sedentarism, mobility, hybridity) all of great significance for ancient history and the Hellenistic period. Mairs tackles some very difficult issues by closely investigating as case studies the evidence from Central Asia. The originality of the book shines brightest in the sections on Ai Khanoum and on inscriptions. Mairs brings the dead city to life and commendably situates the palace and other features into a broader historical context." --Frank L. Holt, Professor of History at the University of Houston and author of Lost World of the Golden King: In Search of Ancient Afghanistan

"The scholarship is of the highest quality and is theoretically sophisticated: Mairs presents a compelling vision of the place of the Hellenistic Far East and its importance for the history of the wider Hellenistic world and Central and South Asia. This book not only has the potential to be a 'new classic' but, just as important, will fundamentally reorient scholarship on these regions, ensuring its vitality and relevance for the wider fields of classical and Near Eastern Studies." --Matthew P. Canepa, Associate Professor of Art History at the University of Minnesota and author of The Two Eyes of the Earth: Art and Ritual of Kingship between Rome and Sasanian Iran

Review Quotes

"Scholars should be well satisfied with what is offered, and for any classicist the phenomenon of Indians or Central Asians writing good Greek verse with acrostic trimmings should be an incentive to read further around the subject."-- "Common Knowledge"

About the Author

Rachel Mairs is Lecturer in Classics at Reading University and the author of The Archaeology of the Hellenistic Far East: A Survey.