The New Byzantines: The Rise of Greece and Return of the Near East
A case for reading Greece as part of the Middle East rather than the edge of Europe.
Sean Mathews travels through Greece and its neighbours arguing that the country belongs to the Near East as much as to Europe, and that the old Byzantine geography still explains more about the region than the map drawn after the First World War. The book sits between history and travel writing, moving between ruins, ports and present-day politics.
Recommended by 1 Person
Tyler Cowen
Sean Mathews, The New Byzantines: The Rise of Greece and Return of the Near East. An excellent and original book, somewhere between a history and travel book. Views Greece as part of "the Middle East." I found every page interesting.
Source · March 2026
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