Peoples and Empires (Universal History) - Softcover

Anthony Pagden begins his history with the ancient Greeks, who saw themselves as 'extreme voyagers'. They were explorers, they lived in many different places and they were witnesses to one of the most decisive turning points in human history: the moment when the nomadic life gave way to one which was agricultural, city-dwelling and settled. He then moves on to consider the Romans, who transformed migration into a form of domination and sought to impose 'civility' - that is, the lifestyle and laws of the city - upon all whom they conquered. The book culminates in an account of the great European overseas migrations, and the consequences of the initial encounters between 'civilised' Europeans and 'barbarian' aborigines, the dramatic effects of which are still felt acutely today. Drawing upon literary, anthropological and historical sources from throughout Europe, PEOPLES AND EMPIRES tells the stories of the great movement of peoples in European history.

Anthony Pagden was educated in Santiago de Chile, London, Barcelona and Oxford. He has been a publisher in Paris and a translator in Rome. In the past eighteen years, he has been the Reader in Intellectual History at Cambridge, a Fellow of Kings College, Professor at the European University Institute and a Visiting Professor at Harvard. He is currently Professor of History at Johns Hopkins University. He is recognised as one of the world's leading authorities on the movement of peoples and is a regular contributor to the TLS, NEW REPUBLIC, and NEW YORK TIMES.