★★★★☆.5 | — I was provided a finished hardback copy from Thames and Hudson — thankyou!
You can also watch my interview with Maty all about this book on YouTube with World History Encyclopedia!
Lost Cities of the Ancient World by Dr Philip ‘Maty’ Matyszak compiles lost cities from around Europe, the Middle East and Asia into one volume, linking cities thousands of years and thousands of kilometres apart with the simple fact that in some way or another, they are or once were, lost. Following on from his earlier book Forgotten Peoples of the Ancient World, Maty introduces and reacquaints his readers with cities that were abandoned, sunk or destroyed many years ago, and he does so in an engaging and exciting way. This book, aimed at the general history enthusiast, still includes pieces of fascinating history that those acquainted with the sites might not know. Despite being familiar with many of the sites explored in the book, I not only learnt something new about many of them, but was also introduced to various sites I had never heard of. Of particular fascination to me are the submerged cities of antiquity, lost to us beneath the waves and rising seas, which made learning about Thonis in Egypt one of the highlights of this book.
Lost Cities is a book that is so wonderfully accessible, so vibrant and full of incredible imagery, but also informative and a joy to read. The book is split up into general time periods ranging from the Neolithic and oldest cities of Çatalhöyük and Skara Brae to cities within and on the edges of the Roman world. This book could be read from beginning to end, travelling in time and space, or you could just as easily dip in and out, reading of Troy one day, and Palmyra the next. With that in mind, it would be difficult for this book not to capture everyone’s interest in some way or another, with the wide range of sites and civilisations discussed.
Considering the geographical and temporal range of the book, each city is presented drawing on a range of available evidence. Each place is shown on a map, and followed by the introduction of archaeological, and where possible, textual evidence of the city. For example, when discussing the infamous city of Troy, Maty draws upon the Iliad to discuss the mythological importance of the city, and for the city of Persepolis, texts composed by Darius the Great highlight the city's political importance. Overall, the interconnectivity of the ancient world runs as an undercurrent to the book with an emphasis on the trade and movement of people, things, and ideas.
Much like Egyptian Mythology - A Travelers Guide from Aswan to Alexander by Garry Shaw, Maty not only introduces the history of a city, its humble beginnings, times of strength and its descent into obscurity, but he also includes the city today. Great for those who want to know if these cities are still physically lost, or may want to visit them one day to check for sure that they really have been found, Maty divulges the current state of the city, and what a tourist today could expect to see when on a visit. This book does a wonderful job of introducing the most important sites in the relevant regions that have been lost in some way or another, and brings them back into the public consciousness. I thought this was a wonderful book introducing numerous important cities from the ancient world and would recommend it to those who love the ancient world, and those who love a book with incredible imagery.