Few people know as much about the history of the advanced civilisations east of the Mediterranean as Zurich-based ancient historian Christian Marek. In his latest book he presents a masterful, richly illustrated synthesis of his decades of research on Asia Minor, Syria and Arabia. He explores the prehistory of these regions from the early advanced civilisations of the Orient to the spread of Hellenism, describes Rome’s conflicts with potentates like Mithrades VI and peoples such as the Parthians and the Jews, and explains the institutions and techniques of Roman rule as well as the way foreign cultures were permeated by the ‘Roman way of life’. Finally, he tells the story of the rise and spread of Christianity in the eastern half of the Roman Empire until the emergence of Islam. The first historical account of its kind!

• ‚And we will continue to pray to the gods to give us back our freedom.’ - Polybius

• A major overview

• From the Babylonians to Pompey – the influence of Roman rule in Asia Minor

• Conquerors and resistance fighters

• Ex oriente lux: philosophy, literature, science