Tides of History Interview with Dr. Owen Rees (Book, The Far Edges of the Known World releases 9/30/25)
Oct 2, 2025
Dr. Owen Rees, a lecturer in applied humanities and author of The Far Edges of the Known World, discusses the expansive nature of ancient history beyond classical centers like Greece and Rome. He challenges misconceptions shaped by urban bias, highlighting the diverse agency of peripheral peoples. The conversation reveals how ordinary objects, like cooking pottery, tell stories of cross-cultural interaction, while exploring how dominant cultures historically portrayed outsiders. Rees emphasizes the significance of embracing these complexities to understand a richer, more inclusive view of antiquity.
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A Broader Ancient World
- The ancient world extended far beyond Greece and Rome, spanning continents and millennia.
- Owen Rees reframes antiquity by centering regions and peoples beyond familiar imperial cores.
Survival Bias Shapes History
- Survival bias shapes our focus on Athens and Rome because those sources survive.
- Rees urges historians to ask "what is everyone else up to?" to recover missing perspectives.
Reinsert Agency Of The Periphery
- Reinstating agency for peripheral peoples changes historical explanations and reduces monocausal narratives.
- Ancient history should be global, not just Mediterranean-centric.
