The Ancient East

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

—

Title

The Ancient East

Language

en

Book source

Global Grey

Description max 80 words

D. G. Hogarth offers a sweeping survey of Western Asia from 1000 B.C. to the rise of Rome, tracing the rise and fall of empires in Babylonia, Assyria, Egypt, and Persia. This historical narrative explores the complex interplay between Eastern civilizations and the encroaching West, highlighting the region's unique cultural resilience and the eventual global impact of its religious and philosophical traditions.

Summary up to 500 words

In "The Ancient East," D. G. Hogarth presents a comprehensive historical survey of Western Asia from 1000 B.C. through the Roman era, deliberately defining the region as understood by antiquity rather than modern geography. Hogarth restricts his scope to the historic era supported by Greek and Hebrew literary traditions, avoiding prehistoric speculation. His narrative is structured around chronological surveys taken at two-century intervals (1000, 800, 600, and 400 B.C.) to illustrate the evolution of the region's social and political landscape. The text details the region's complex mosaic of small states, examining the dominance of the Babylonian Empire, the power struggles in Asia Minor involving Phrygia, Lydia, and the Hittites, and the shifting influence of Assyria. Hogarth covers the incursions of the Cimmerians, the rise of the Medes and Persians, and the eventual fragmentation of Assyrian power. A central theme is the interaction between the East and the West. Hogarth argues that while the West eventually conquered the East politically, the East remained culturally obstinate and unreceptive to Western assimilation. He emphasizes that the West did not fully assimilate the East, noting that the East often took its captors captive. The narrative culminates in the Hellenistic age, where cities like Antioch and Alexandria became crucibles for blending Semitic religiosity with Greek philosophy. Hogarth posits that this blending prepared the ground for Christianity, a religion born of Asia that would ultimately shape Western civilization. He concludes by noting that despite centuries of Western political dominance, the heart of the Orient remained independent, preserving a distinct identity that would eventually win back its cultural and political independence. Hogarth asserts that the religious conquest of the East by the West was a more momentous fact in world history than any political conquest of the East by the West.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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Categories

• Classics
• History