This is an excellent and important book, frequently and delightfully reminiscent of early modern chorographer-antiquarians such as the sixteenth century's William Camden and the eighteenth century's Alexander Gordon. Whilst Camden and Gordon were focused on recording their travels and observations of the remains of the past in Britain, M.'s subject is the upper Euphrates frontier or ‘Cappadocian limes’ of the former Roman Empire in modern-day Turkey. As a contribution to Roman frontier studies, the book is rather traditional, with a primary emphasis on the fortifications and infrastructure of the Roman military discussed through the lens of M.'s own experience as a Royal Navy officer. In this vein, East of Asia Minor is amongst the most significant contributions to Roman frontier studies in recent decades, providing a comprehensively detailed account of a frontier region that has seen relatively little attention when compared with the Roman Walls in Britain and the German Limes. Whilst M.'s military background and emphasis on fortifications firmly situates the book within the conservative Limesforschung tradition (see S. James, Archaeological Journal 159 [2002], 1–58, for a classic and still-relevant critique of this tradition), the itinerary format and the wide-ranging commentary provide welcome links to that older classical and early modern tradition of chorography that played such an important role in the early development of archaeology (D.J. Rohl, TRAC 2011 [2012]; M. Shanks, The Archaeological Imagination [2012]).
The book is published in two volumes, and readers will frequently require both volumes together, as bibliography, indexes and all maps are only available in the second, smaller volume. Although it may be tempting to dive into this book at page 1, readers should not skip M.'s preface, which provides an invaluable sense of the challenging five decades over which this study progressed; the joys and frustrations of a project of this kind, including political intrigue and suspicions of espionage, could easily form the basis of a further volume that would attract a much wider readership. Chapter 1 grounds the study in its geography, stretching across eastern Turkey from Commagene up the Euphrates valley and over the region's mountains to the Black Sea coast at Trapezus. These areas are described in summary, with reference to their diachronic historical significance and climatic characterisation drawn from recent data and travellers’ accounts over the past 200 years. Chapter 2 traces the region's ‘Roman’ period history from Sulla's late republican Mithridatic War (c. 88–85 bce) through the post-Justinian collapse of the late sixth and early seventh centuries ce. For much of this time the frontier was of the utmost significance to the Roman Empire, facing the Parthians and later the Sasanians to the east.
Chapter 3 is immense (342 pages), describing surface remains that were visible during M.'s various travels over more than five decades and following a south to north itinerary. This is very detailed, with a wealth of photographic and drawn figures that enhance the insightful observations and commentary that connect the present of M.'s visit to each location with multiple historically significant episodes in its past. Of particular value is that M.'s descriptions may be the most detailed surviving evidence of several sites and landscapes that are no longer accessible due to the extensive and lamentable damage caused by the construction of the Keban, Karakaya, Atatürk and Birecik dams between 1973 and 2003. The chapter is divided into 20 regional sections, with accompanying high-quality maps (unfortunately, the maps are relegated to volume 2), historical overviews and careful descriptions of the archaeological remains from M.'s own observations and those of previous travellers; eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century travellers’ accounts are heavily drawn upon, discussed and quoted, especially in the copious footnotes, building on a tradition that dates back to at least as early as Jean-Baptiste Tavernier's (1679) publication of his travels through Turkey and Persia. The influence of this tradition is palpable, and M.'s descriptive skill is clearly evident, giving readers a sense of active participation in the journey, complete with the sound of crunching boots and stumbles across rough terrain. The landscapes M. describes are inhabited by the inanimate remains of a Roman military past but also by living people of the present and recent past, peppered with local knowledge, tea and hospitality, prayers and warnings to avoid certain areas where travellers might be shot (e.g. p. 139).
Volume 2 includes Chapters 4–6, five appendices, a full bibliography and five separate indexes. Chapter 4 details the available knowledge for the Roman imperial garrison along this frontier, including legionary and auxiliary units known from documentary evidence, inscriptions and military diplomas. Unfortunately, this is almost entirely represented by the early imperial period, but this focus accurately reflects the available evidence and the changing epigraphic habits of the later empire. Chapter 5 offers a catalogue (without photographs or illustrations) of 52 coins ranging from Augustus to Theodosius I, including one possible modern forgery of Lucius Verus. The discussion of these coins is limited, and the sample is recognised as random, shown to M. by local villagers and inexplicably excluding Byzantine coins, ‘the largest group found along the frontier’ (p. 499). Chapter 6 is a catalogue of 125 inscriptions, almost all previously published and selected for their ‘historical value’ with several stated omissions and an unspecified number of ‘texts of minor interest’ (p. 513). Twenty-seven useful maps are included, many corresponding to the sections described in Chapter 3, and including two relevant sections of the Peutinger Table. Chapters 5–6 may have been better located within the appendices, whilst appendices 1 (on ancient geographical sources), 2 (on the dux Armeniae portion of the Notitia Dignitatum), 4 (on the region's late Ottoman period provisions, transport and population) and 5 (a small extension of Chapter 3's descriptive itinerary to areas beyond the Euphrates) may have offered considerable further value by integration within the main text. M. and his editors, no doubt, had their reasons for these structural decisions, but readers should be aware of the value hidden within these appendices.
Across both volumes the text is helpfully supplemented by more than 300 figures, mostly black-and-white photographs. Many of these are the product of skilful photographic composition and have been cropped for maximum affect. Frequently, however, the photos, especially those of landscapes, lack sufficient contrast and tonal range in their printed format; a more careful pre-press review could have resolved this, enhancing the already considerable value of these photographs. A much higher production quality is evident in Volume 1's 45 colour plates and Volume 2's colour maps.
A particularly frustrating feature is the numbering of footnotes, which is handled differently in separate chapters. Rather than run sequentially across all chapters, these are typically numbered independently on a chapter-by-chapter basis, with appendices each having their own footnotes starting at 1. Given the intensive use of footnotes throughout a publication of this size, such renumbering is understandable. For the long Chapter 3, however, footnotes are renumbered on a section-by-section basis, 20 separate sets within this chapter alone, and this should have been avoided. For some readers, including an increasing number of Ancient History and Archaeology students, the lack of translations for the frequent Greek and Latin passages reduces accessibility, and this is most unfortunate.
The price point is relatively standard for similar publications from world-leading university and academic presses, but this limits the buying market and particularly excludes most students. The overall quality, depth, detail and original contribution to knowledge presented in this book make it an essential volume for major research universities, Roman frontier scholars and specialist libraries devoted to ancient history, archaeology, classical studies and western Asia. With this book M. has produced what is likely to be the standard starting point and primary reference for generations of future frontier scholars working in this region.
