A revisionist history of the ancient world that shifts our focus from Athens and Rome to the long-ignored societies on the borders.When Ovid was exiled from Rome to a border town on the Black Sea, he despaired at his bleak and barbarous new surroundings. Like many Greeks and Romans, Ovid thought the outer reaches of his world was where civilization ceased to exist. Our own fascination with the Greek and Roman world has for centuries followed this perspective, shrou...

Naval warfare is the unsung hero of ancient Greek military history, often overshadowed by the more glorified land battles. Owen Rees looks to redress the balance, giving naval battles their due attention. This book presents a selection of thirteen naval battles that span a defining century in ancient Greek history, from the Ionian Revolt and Persian Invasion to the rise of external naval powers in the Mediterranean Sea, such as the Carthaginians.Each battle is set in context. The backgroun...

When Ovid was exiled from Rome to a border town on the Black Sea, he despaired at his bleak and barbarous new surroundings. Like many Greeks and Romans, Ovid thought the outer reaches of his world was where civilization ceased to exist. Our own fascination with the Greek and Roman world has for centuries followed this perspective, shrouding cultures at the far reaches of their influence in myth. But what was it like to live on the edges of these empires, on the boundaries of the known worl...

This book presents a selection of eighteen land battles and sieges that span the Classical Greek period, from the Persian invasions to the eclipse of the traditional hoplite heavy infantry at the hands of the Macedonians. This of course is the golden age of the hoplite phalanx but Owen Rees is keen to cover all aspects of battle, including mercenary armies and the rise of light infantry, emphasising the variety and tactical developments across the period. Each battle is set in context with...

Victoria's Requiem is among the best-loved and most-performed musical works of the Renaissance, and is often held to be 'a Requiem for an age', representing the summation of golden-age Spanish polyphony. Yet it has been the focus of surprisingly little research. Owen Rees's multifaceted study brings together the historical and ritual contexts for the work's genesis, the first detailed musical analysis of the Requiem itself, and the long story of its circulation and reception. Victoria comp...

Derek explains in some detail what led up to his bitter divorce in England and the doubts he had about moving to Thailand to be with the woman he had met on a Thai dating site.He describes what eventually made up his mind. But even then, there were times when he was unsure if he was making the right choice in getting involved with a Thai lady and living in a very different culture.There are many twists and turns in this true story of his first years in Thailand when he was ...

A Thailand Diary: volume 1 is the first in a series of easy-to-read diary entries of life in the Land of Smiles.Some entries are short, some entries are humourous, All are true descriptions of events which actually happened. Only names have been changed.48,000 words covering each day between I January and 30 June.You may sometimes be surprised at what you read. This is the Real Thailand. Through the book's pages you will meet Thais from all parts of...

He was too charismatic and ruthless a businessman for them to ever have a chance of controlling him. They were both gaining financially from working with him. In that sense, they were part of this extended mafia family. A mafia family is not solely comprised of blood relatives.I first met J.O.Williams, the Welsh Godfather, when playing with his grandson, Johnny Illslay, in the extensive grounds of the family home.Neither Johnny nor I had any idea that his grand-dad was the ...

This volume sheds new light on the experience of ancient Greek warfare by identifying and examining three fundamental transitions undergone by the classical Athenian hoplite as a result of his military service: his departure to war, his homecoming from war having survived, and his homecoming from war having died.As a conscript, a man regularly called upon by his city-state to serve in the battle lines and perform his citizen duty, the most common military experience of the hoplite ...

A Thailand Diary takes you into the lives of ordinary Thais through its 365 entriesThailand Take Two is a comprehensive analysis of Thai lifestyle and culture over 10 chapters

Escape to ThailandThe true story of an English man who emigrated to ThailandThe Death of a Thai GodfatherAlthough a novel, you may see some reality as this story of a Thai mafia family unfolds

A true and verified story of a ruthless Welsh Godfather, J.O.Williams, and his criminal activities. And how the mafia family he founded finally became legitimate under his grandson, my schoolboy friend, Johnny Illsley.