A detailed account of famed travel writer Freya Stark's journey through the Mediterranean.When Roman legions marched into Asia Minor in 200BC, their plan was to secure a buffer zone between the Mediterranean, which they virtually owned, and the area beyond, which they sought to isolate rather than control. Along the long frontier of the Euphrates in Turkey lay the easternmost limits of the Roman Empire - a region they called Augusta Euphrantentis.Their expanding involvement lasted eight centuries, draining their energies and culminating in the destruction of the bridge that, since the time of Alexander the Great, had linked China to the commerce of the Mediterranean. Tracing the path of this ancient river and highlighting her travels with the vibrant history of 800 years of Roman warfare and the history of this mighty river, Freya Stark ultimately reveals the futility of war, of arbitrary boundaries, and territorial conquest.Rome on the Euphrates, at once travelogue and history, is one of Stark's most magnificent and highly acclaimed works.

A detailed account of famed travel writer Freya Stark's journey through the Mediterranean.

AcknowledgmentsPrefaceI The Battle of MagnesiaII The Tax CollectorsIII MithradatesIV Across the EuphratesV The Seleucid Kings and the Empire of TradeVI The Parthians and the Trade RouteVII The Rome of AugustusVIII Nero's Armenian WarsIX The Trade Routes and Trajan's WarsX The Antonine ClimaxXI The Lower Euphrates and the End of ParthiaXII The Revolt of the PoorXIII The End of PalmyraXIV The Government of the CrossXV The Last OffensiveXVI The Age of JustinianList of Kings, Emperors and DynastiesNotesBibliographyIndex