Kingdoms of Ruin - 9781845117993

`This sumptuous book by author and photographer Jeremy Stafford-Deitsch is in essence a love poem to the evocative landscapes and ruins of Asia Minor. It is brimming with gorgeous photographs, both of well-known sites and of a connoisseur's secrets hiding well off the beaten track. The expert will be mightily impressed by these unique shots and the newcomer inspired through exposure to the rich cultural heritage of millennia, here presented in a series of awe-inspiring, mountainous panoramas. The accompanying text is an empathic travelogue full of enjoyable allusions to the classical tradition that segues into a well-written historical narrative stretching from prehistory to the end of the Byzantine Empire. There is so much to savour here, for Anatolian aficionados and newcomers alike.' Barbara E. Borg, Professor of Classical Archaeology, University of Exeter

`Jeremy Stafford-Deitsch's odyssey chronicles the history and culture of the successive peoples who have followed one another in turn across the immemorial landscape of what is now Turkey, recording in his superb photographs the monuments and works of art that they have left behind. He evokes the lost worlds of these vanished and almost forgotten Anatolian civilisations, veritable Kingdoms of Ruin, which now come to light again in his remarkable book.' John Freely, author of The Western Shores of Turkey and Istanbul: The Imperial City

Turkey boasts a legacy of extraordinary richness and magnificence. From the dawn of civilisation Anatolia spawned great empires of her own - Hittite, Phrygian and Lydian - and then felt the mark of invading Persia, Macedon and Rome. The story of the country is one of migration and conquest, of artistic and spiritual splendour and of cities and gods trampled underfoot. The brutal greatness of this complex past is reflected in the ruins populating the region's immense landscape. Some sites, such as Homer-haunted Troy, white-marbled Ephesus and the lofty acropolis of Pergamon, are already familiar to the modern visitor. More intrepid travellers encounter fallen cities that may be less famous - such as Assos, Aphrodisias or Termessos - but are no less spectacular. They leave mysterious temples and porticos wondering what may yet await discovery along the timeless Aegean coastline, buried in the shadows of resin-scented pine forests and clinging to the foothills of distant, snow-capped mountains

In Kingdoms of Ruin, acclaimed photographer Jeremy Stafford-Deitsch has assembled over 150 sublime full-colour images to illustrate the glory of Anatolia's matchless ancient sites. Some are world famous, some are known only to scholars, while a few are visited only by shepherds and treasure hunters. Taking the reader on several interwoven journeys into Turkey's past, the author argues in a substantial introductory essay that a sensitive encounter with ruins is profoundly confrontational: it unearths neglected intimations of the transcendent. Considering the legacy of ancient Turkey from the perspectives of both East and West, Stafford-Deitsch explores Homer and the tragic poets; Aristotle and Alexander the Great; ancient Rome; the Byzantine Empire; conflicts between Christendom and Islam; the capture of Constantinople by the Ottomans; and the discoveries of more recent European explorers such as Heinrich Schliemann

Combining informed historical analysis with exquisite photography, Kingdoms of Ruin comprises a unique celebration of some the most inspiring archaeological remains on earth. This lavishly illustrated book will be an essential purchase and an object of lasting delight for historians of antiquity and armchair enthusiasts alike