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Before/After explores various aspects related to transformation and change in the Roman and Late Antique world through the archaeological and historical evidence. The seven chapters of the volume range from the evolution of settlement patterns to spatial re-configuration after abandonment processes. Geographically the volume aims to cover – through case studies – the enlarged Roman world from Spain, to Cyprus, from the Rhine area borderland to the Red Sea. The book is the result of a workshop organized as part of the Theoretical Roman Archaeology Conference, held in Rome during March 2016.

On the Edge of Empires explores the mixed culture of North Mesopotamia in the Roman period. This volatile region at the eastern edge of the Roman world became during the imperial period the theater of confrontation for multiple political entities: Rome, Parthia, Sasanian Persia. Roman presence is only recognizable through military installations – forts, barracks, military camps – yet these fascinating lands tell a story of frontier people and soldiers, of trade despite war, and daily life between the Empires. This volume combines archaeological and historical, literary and environmental evidence in order to explore this important borderland between east and west. On the Edge of Empires is a valuable addition to researchers engaged in the historical and archaeological reconstruction of the frontier areas of the Roman Empire, and a fascinating study for students and scholars of the Romans and their neighbours, borderlands in antiquity, and the history and archaeology of empires.