In the Land of a Thousand Gods

A History of Asia Minor in the Ancient World

Christian Marek, Steven Rendall

• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN:
  9780691182902
  9780691159799
• eBook ISBN:
  9780691233659
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Ancient History
• Index: History

A monumental history of Asia Minor from the Stone Age to the Roman Empire

In this critically acclaimed book, Christian Marek masterfully provides the first comprehensive history of Asia Minor from prehistory to the Roman imperial period. Blending rich narrative with in-depth analyses, In the Land of a Thousand Gods shows Asia Minor's shifting orientation between East and West and its role as both a melting pot of nations and a bridge for cultural transmission. Marek employs ancient sources to illuminate civic institutions, urban and rural society, agriculture, trade and money, the influential Greek writers of the Second Sophistic, the notoriously bloody exhibitions of the gladiatorial arena, and more. He draws on the latest research—in fields ranging from demography and economics to architecture and religion—to describe how Asia Minor became a center of culture and wealth in the Roman Empire. A breathtaking work of scholarship, In the Land of a Thousand Gods will become the standard reference book on the subject in English.

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Preface to the English Edition
• Preface to the Second German Edition
• Preface
• Acronyms and Abbreviations
• Chapter 1: Introduction: Anatolia between East and West
• Chapter 2: Modern Fieldwork in Asia Minor
• Chapter 3: From Prehistory to the Oldest Written Culture
• Chapter 4: The Late Bronze and Iron Age
• Chapter 5: The Western Persian Empire and the World of the Greeks in Asia Minor (547/546 BCE to 333 BCE)
• Chapter 6: Monarchies, Vassals, and Cities from Alexander’s Empire to the Pax Romana (331 BCE to 31 BCE)
• Chapter 7: Imperium Romanum: The Provincesfrom Augustus to Aurelian
• Chapter 8: Asia Minor and Imperial Administration under the Principate
• Chapter 9: Economic, Socio-Political, and Cultural Conditionsin the Provinces of the Imperial Period
• Chapter 10: Epilogue and Outlook
• Appendix
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index of Authors and Editors Cited in the Bibliography
• Index Locorum
• Index