Transforming historical landscapes in the ancient empires

Description

Modern landscapes can be described as living testimony of progressive transformation by human societies from the distant past to modern times. No matter how deep we examine the history of mankind, we discover endless examples of changes from natural and cultural environments which ultimately help us to understand the people who inhabited these landscapes. In Antiquity, empires as distinct as the Chinese and Roman shared common features: complex political institutions, centralised administrations, powerful armies and diverse and controversial social bodies. Indeed, historical landscapes, shaped by their imperial rulers and subjects, showed more similarities than differences. The present volume of workshop proceedings examines these themes from a historical and archaeological perspective, gathering papers with a focus on Greek and Roman Antiquity, but incorporating empires as diverse as ancient China and modern America.