Josephine Quinn: Revolutionary insights into antiquity and world trade

Josephine Quinn: Revolutionary insights into antiquity and world trade

Josephine Quinn, an ancient historian from Cambridge, has made many history lovers sit up and take notice with her new book. Her work "The West. An Invention of the Global World" illuminates the history of the Mediterranean and neighboring continents over a period of 4,000 years on around 400 pages. [Welt] reports that they discovered 30 important stations from the year 2500 BC. BC until the expulsion of the Emirate of Granada in 1492. This interesting perspective is both educational and entertaining, in the typical relaxed British style that Quinn does so well.

The book, which was published by Klett-Cotta and translated into German by Norbert Juraschitz and Andreas Thomsen, is not only dedicated to advanced cultures such as the Romans, Greeks and Egyptians, but also calls for appropriate appreciation of lesser-noticed cultures. “The Chinese saw the Romans as peasants who deposed their rulers when the weather was bad,” explains Quinn, giving a vivid insight into the diffuse perception of the Roman Empire in the Han Dynasty.

Ancient trade routes and their influence

A central theme in Quinn's book is the invention of the sailboat around 2500 BC. BC, which revolutionized long-distance trade and significantly influenced the interaction between Europe and other regions. The ancient trade routes are also discussed, such as the amber route or the salt routes of the Sahara. This shows how development and trade were closely intertwined. The relevance of such trade routes is still noticeable, even if global freight transport is booming these days.

At the same time, a team of leading historians at the University of Leipzig is developing a handbook that is intended to provide an overall overview of global trading areas and trade routes from antiquity to the present. [Gesfgg] emphasizes that this handbook will contain 28 chapters that deal intensively with flows of goods, trade routes as well as climatic and geographical influences.

A look at past cultures

Quinn criticizes the long focus on advanced cultures and points out that individual identity in ancient times was strongly shaped by social status and gender. Her work also addresses lesser-known ancient empires such as the Kingdom of Pontus and the Parthian Empire, which are often neglected in historiography. Quinn is committed to ensuring that other cultures and civilizations also get a piece of the history cake and attract the attention of history fans.

Overall, “The West” will appeal not only to those history fans interested in the great stories and personalities, but also to those who want to take a deeper look into the diverse and often forgotten facets of history. Quinn has shown a good hand in her narrative style, which skilfully combines lessons and anecdotes and thus takes the reader into antiquity.

Josephine Quinn's new book is a recommended read for anyone who is interested in the history of trade in antiquity and its development up to the present day. Not only does it bring history to life, but it also provides exciting food for thought on global interaction and the trade routes that have shaped our civilization.