Ancient African Civilizations: Kush and Axum Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This book is a collection of some 27 historical documents that deal with the ancient and medieval African nations of Kush and Axum. The first two documents are drawn from Strabo's Geography, while later ones are from similar Greek, Roman and Christian travelers, and also various letters, treaties and inscriptions. Also, there is even a contract for the sale of a Nubian slave girl!
As one might expect from the nature of this book, it is a mixed bag. Some of the documents are quite fascinating and informative, while others did not interest me in the least. So, if you are looking for a book on the history of Kush and Axum, you will need to look elsewhere. But, if you are interested in historical documents on these nations, then this would be an excellent book for you to read.

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Product Description:
Stanley Burstein has researched, compiled, and translated with commentary the most significant Greek and Roman sources concerning black Africa. The result is this work about the people of the southern part of the Nile Valley, the gold mines of Nubia, the Hellenistic city of Meroe, capital of the Ethiopian Empire of Kush with its own highly developed culture (300 BC to 300 AD). Burstein opens the volume with a brief survey of the two kingdoms of Kush and Axum. With introductions and notes he then presents the ancient literary and epigraphical testimony for this region.