Edge of Empires: A History of Georgia

Edge of Empires: A History of Georgia

ï»¿Georgia is the most Western-looking state in todayâ€™s Near or Middle East and, despite having one of the longest, most turbulent histories in the Christian or Near Eastern world, no proper history of the country has been written for decades. Donald Rayfield redresses this balance in Edge of Empires: A History of Georgia, focusing not merely on the post-Soviet era, but on the whole of its history, accessing a mass of new material from the countryâ€™s recently opened archives.
The book begins with the first intimations of the existence of Georgians in ancient Anatolia and ends with todayâ€™s volatile President Saakashvili. It deals not only with the countryâ€™s internal politics, but with its complex struggles with the empires which have tried to control, fragment or even exterminate the country. All world history â€“ Xenophonâ€™s Greeks, the Arabs, the invading Turks, the Crusades, Chingiz Khan and Timur Lang, the Persian empire, the Russian empire, Soviet totalitarianism â€“ is reflected in Georgiaâ€™s history.
Donald Rayfield describes Georgiaâ€™s swings between disintegration and unity, making full use of primary sources, many not available before in English. He examines the history of a country which, though small, stands at a crossroads between Russia and the Muslim world, between Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and is a dramatic example of state-building and, also, of tragic political mistakes.
Country USA
Manufacturer Reaktion Books
Binding Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate 2013-02-26
Format Kindle eBook

Country	USA
Manufacturer	Reaktion Books
Binding	Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate	2013-02-26
Format	Kindle eBook

Edge of Empires: A History of Georgia

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