Author: Katherine Pangonis
Published by: Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Pages: 275
Format: Hardback
My Rating: ★★★★
Published by: Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Pages: 275
Format: Hardback
My Rating: ★★★★
Its name means 'centre of the world', and since the dawn of history the Mediterranean Sea has formed the shared horizon of innumerable cultures. Here, history has blurred with legend. The glittering surface of the sea conceals the remnants of lost civilisations, wrecked treasure ships and the bones of long-drowned sailors, traders, and modern refugees.
Of the many cities that dot this ancient coastline, Tyre, Carthage, Syracuse, Ravenna, and Antioch are among the oldest and most intriguing. All are beautifully situated, and for layers of history and cultural riches they are rivalled only by their sister cities of Rome, Istanbul and Jerusalem. Yet their fates have been remarkably different. Once major power centres, all five have declined into relative obscurity. Nevertheless, their entwined history takes in Alexander the Great, Nebuchadnezzar, Archimedes and the Roman, Byzantine, Arab and Norman conquests, and their greatness still lingers for those who seek it out.
To bring these mysterious lost capitals to life, historian Katherine Pangonis sets out on a voyage from the dawn of civilisation on the Lebanese coast to a modern-day Turkey wracked by the devastation of the 2023 earthquake. Combining on the ground research with spellbinding storytelling skills, here is a revelatory new story of the Mediterranean, and a powerful reflection on the sometimes fleeting glory of empires.
Of the many cities that dot this ancient coastline, Tyre, Carthage, Syracuse, Ravenna, and Antioch are among the oldest and most intriguing. All are beautifully situated, and for layers of history and cultural riches they are rivalled only by their sister cities of Rome, Istanbul and Jerusalem. Yet their fates have been remarkably different. Once major power centres, all five have declined into relative obscurity. Nevertheless, their entwined history takes in Alexander the Great, Nebuchadnezzar, Archimedes and the Roman, Byzantine, Arab and Norman conquests, and their greatness still lingers for those who seek it out.
To bring these mysterious lost capitals to life, historian Katherine Pangonis sets out on a voyage from the dawn of civilisation on the Lebanese coast to a modern-day Turkey wracked by the devastation of the 2023 earthquake. Combining on the ground research with spellbinding storytelling skills, here is a revelatory new story of the Mediterranean, and a powerful reflection on the sometimes fleeting glory of empires.
My thoughts:
Katherine Pangonis is a historian specialising in the medieval world of the Mediterranean and Middle East, and the author of Queens of Jerusalem, which charted the lives of a trailblazing dynasty of royal women in that period.
In her latest work, Pangonis examines the rich histories of the cities that dot the Mediterranean coastline. And I loved Twilight Cities. This is a beautiful book and reads much like a travel guide, exploring the ancient cities around the Mediterranean. These places had once been thriving capitals for hundreds if not thousands of years but have now fallen into relative obscurity. The opening paragraph speaks of a “mythic region, steeped in history that has blurred with legend.”
As someone who knows relatively little about the Mediterranean world outside of the medieval kingdoms and the crusades, the book gave me some much-needed historical context and placed some of the world’s forgotten capitals firmly back on the map.
Each of the once-great cities she examines in her book has been worn down over the centuries by natural disaster, human endeavour, or both. Antioch was a capital of the Roman Empire prior to its fall. Ravenna was a bustling centre of trade with a history “more august than that of Venice”, and Syracuse was the most important city in Sicily in classical times.
In Tyre, Pangonis takes us beneath the sea to swim with turtles amid decaying Roman remains. In Ravenna, waters rise upon her as she wades through the flooded crypt of the Basilica of San Francesco, where the funeral of Dante was famously held. Ravenna, like Venice, is steadily sinking.
My favourite of the cities to read about was probably Tyre. Tyre today still retains its name and position on the coast of Lebanon, and the story of the city is one I was most fascinated by. Pangonis’ narrative takes in the siege of Tyre by Nebuchadnezzar II, King of Babylon, and later by Alexander the Great.
The writing brings the author’s historical research skills together with a clear love of travel and engaging with the people who live in these cities today. There is a freshness to her approach which brings the history alive and makes for a fascinating and very accessible read. The author’s passion for travel writing and reportage is obvious and her passion for her subject illuminates the writing. For me, it is the passages of historical narrative that truly shine, and I know this is a book I’ll be thinking about for a long while yet.
Twilight Cities can be viewed as both an in-depth history book and an intriguing travelogue. This is a vividly written book to savour and enjoy. An impressive and unique volume exploring the lost capitals of the Mediterranean, wonderfully narrated by author and historian, Katherine Pangonis.
Overall reaction:
Katherine Pangonis is a historian specialising in the medieval world of the Mediterranean and Middle East, and the author of Queens of Jerusalem, which charted the lives of a trailblazing dynasty of royal women in that period.
In her latest work, Pangonis examines the rich histories of the cities that dot the Mediterranean coastline. And I loved Twilight Cities. This is a beautiful book and reads much like a travel guide, exploring the ancient cities around the Mediterranean. These places had once been thriving capitals for hundreds if not thousands of years but have now fallen into relative obscurity. The opening paragraph speaks of a “mythic region, steeped in history that has blurred with legend.”
As someone who knows relatively little about the Mediterranean world outside of the medieval kingdoms and the crusades, the book gave me some much-needed historical context and placed some of the world’s forgotten capitals firmly back on the map.
Each of the once-great cities she examines in her book has been worn down over the centuries by natural disaster, human endeavour, or both. Antioch was a capital of the Roman Empire prior to its fall. Ravenna was a bustling centre of trade with a history “more august than that of Venice”, and Syracuse was the most important city in Sicily in classical times.
In Tyre, Pangonis takes us beneath the sea to swim with turtles amid decaying Roman remains. In Ravenna, waters rise upon her as she wades through the flooded crypt of the Basilica of San Francesco, where the funeral of Dante was famously held. Ravenna, like Venice, is steadily sinking.
My favourite of the cities to read about was probably Tyre. Tyre today still retains its name and position on the coast of Lebanon, and the story of the city is one I was most fascinated by. Pangonis’ narrative takes in the siege of Tyre by Nebuchadnezzar II, King of Babylon, and later by Alexander the Great.
The writing brings the author’s historical research skills together with a clear love of travel and engaging with the people who live in these cities today. There is a freshness to her approach which brings the history alive and makes for a fascinating and very accessible read. The author’s passion for travel writing and reportage is obvious and her passion for her subject illuminates the writing. For me, it is the passages of historical narrative that truly shine, and I know this is a book I’ll be thinking about for a long while yet.
Twilight Cities can be viewed as both an in-depth history book and an intriguing travelogue. This is a vividly written book to savour and enjoy. An impressive and unique volume exploring the lost capitals of the Mediterranean, wonderfully narrated by author and historian, Katherine Pangonis.
Overall reaction: