Terrae Incognitae | 2019
Decolonizing the Map: Cartography from Colony to Nation
Abstract
Songs”). Both of these texts, Beecroft argues, represent “products of empire”, offering “imperial elites a potential space for potentially free discussion of issues which might be difficult to discuss otherwise” (p.166). The second study, by Samuel N.C. Lieu, looks at Manichaeism in the Roman and Chinese worlds. Particularly interesting is Lieu’s discussion of the issue of textual transmission—noting, for example, the role of the Parthian and Sogdian languages as intermediaries for Manichean works as they made their way to China (p.194). The final part of the book presents a series of archeological studies. Notably, while the middle of the book focused on the Graeco-Roman and Chinese cultures, this last section returns to Inner Asia. One might have wished for some more consistency—i.e. equal treatment of the Graeco-Roman world, Inner Asia, and China throughout the volume. The pieces on archeology examine a range of issues: one looks at the presence of the Alans (a steppe people) in the southern Caucasus region, using the evidence of a burial site in Samtravo in modern-day Georgia. Another uses inscriptions and comparisons in art and architecture to examine the role of the Greeks, Scythians, Parthians, and Kushans in Central Asia and in India, and looks at the “the impact of Hellenism” in these same regions (p.251). The final study, by Michelle Negus Cleary, examines settlement sites in ancient Eurasia to present the argument that such early human habitations are “not easily classifiable into categories like ‘settled’ and ‘nomadic’, ‘urban’ or ‘rural’ or ‘pastoral’ ... ” (p.306). The book as a whole stands imperfectly as an interdisciplinary volume presenting a unified theme, but quite well as a collection of papers drawing from a range of disciplines and topics. Furthermore, many of the studies here present original arguments, and strong use of primary texts and archeological evidence, all supporting the potential for further inquiry—always a great benefit in an academic work.