Books by Owen Rees
Owen Rees is an ancient historian. He held a Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship at the University of Nottingham before becoming a Lecturer in Applied Humanities for Birmingham Newman University. He is the founder and lead editor of the website BadAncient.com, which brings together a growing network of specialists to fact-check common claims made about the ancient world (answering excellent questions like: “Did Romans flood the Colosseum to stage naval battles?“)
“The one core fundamental element of my book I wanted to get out was, ‘Look at all this stuff! Isn’t it interesting?’…What I was trying to find were 13 examples from different core sections of ancient history that highlighted, firstly, that all humans are dealing with the same stuff. That’s a common theme that comes through all of this—whether it’s cultural exchange, coexistence, cohabitation, the friction that comes with that, conflict, religious reform, political reform, or even climate change. All humans are dealing with these issues, and it’s fascinating to see how different cultures deal with them in different ways and how human ingenuity produces different results.” Read more...
Interviews with Owen Rees
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1
The World of the Scythians
by Renate Rolle -
2
Wretched Kush: Ethnic Identities and Boundaries in Egypt's Nubian Empire
by Stuart Tyson Smith -
3
The Origins of Ancient Vietnam
by Nam C. Kim -
4
India: The Ancient Past
by Burjor Avari -
5
Foundations of an African Civilisation: Aksum and the Northern Horn, 1000 BC-AD 1300
by David Phillipson
The Best Books on the Wider Ancient World, recommended by Owen Rees
The Best Books on the Wider Ancient World, recommended by Owen Rees
Many of us love to read about ancient Greece or Rome and know a bit about ancient Egypt, but what lay beyond the Classical world we’re familiar with? Historian Owen Rees, author of The Far Edges of the Known World, recommends books on some of the other civilizations that flourished in ancient times, from Aksum in modern Ethiopia to Co Loa in modern Vietnam.
Interviews where books by Owen Rees were recommended
Notable Nonfiction Books of Early 2025, recommended by Sophie Roell
As March draws to a close, Sophie Roell, editor of Five Books, looks at some of the nonfiction books that have come out in the first three months of 2025, from the biography of one of the world’s great female leaders to better ways to measure a country’s economy.
-
1
The World of the Scythians
by Renate Rolle -
2
Wretched Kush: Ethnic Identities and Boundaries in Egypt's Nubian Empire
by Stuart Tyson Smith -
3
The Origins of Ancient Vietnam
by Nam C. Kim -
4
India: The Ancient Past
by Burjor Avari -
5
Foundations of an African Civilisation: Aksum and the Northern Horn, 1000 BC-AD 1300
by David Phillipson
The Best Books on the Wider Ancient World, recommended by Owen Rees
The Best Books on the Wider Ancient World, recommended by Owen Rees
Many of us love to read about ancient Greece or Rome and know a bit about ancient Egypt, but what lay beyond the Classical world we’re familiar with? Historian Owen Rees, author of The Far Edges of the Known World, recommends books on some of the other civilizations that flourished in ancient times, from Aksum in modern Ethiopia to Co Loa in modern Vietnam.
