The Black Sea: A History

As you would expect Mr. King takes your from Greeks, to Romans, to Byzantines, to Ottomans, etc. Overall I thought it was as thorough of an introduction over a 2000+ year time frame as you can expect from a book under 300 pages. The focus is always the sea and the littoral, so by necessity vast chunks of time can be covered very rapidly. Mr. King makes it an enjoyable read, although he liberally uses 'GRE' words; I was often using the dictionary on my Kindle (I swear my vocabulary has expanded because of that thing).What I didn't expect from the book is a topic I found most engrossing. I assumed that the last 1/3 of the book would be about communism after WWI and its impact on the region. Of course the author covers this but not in any great detail. Instead the book shifts to discussing ethnicity, religion, nationalism and how these dynamics interplay in the states surrounding the Black Sea region. The entire movement of ethnic groups, some of whom had called regions in the Balkans, Ukraine, Crimea, and Turkey home for centuries, is a largely unknown tragedy of the late 19th and early 20th century.Many have heard of the Armenian genocide. But what about Tatars, Circassians, or Pontic Greeks? While their forced migrations were not perhaps as brutal, the thought of entire groups deported to create ethnic purity within a state is deplorable. The reality is that we still deal with the fallout of these events 100 years later.I really enjoyed this book.

Charles King creates a very readable overview of the Black Sea civilizations which were many and conflicting. Particularly interesting is the description of the physical characteristics of the Black Sea, the deep dead (anaerobic) zone, the dual currents of the Bosphorus, and the anchovy migrations. The reader gains an appreciation of the Black Sea as a hub in which eastern and western civilizations melded. Maps of the Black Sea area in ancient and modern times are very helpful for those who are not familiar with the geography of the region.

I understand there are over 200 languages spoken throughout the Caucasus/ Black Sea region and the throughput of ethnic groups travelling North south, south North and every other which way has been intense. The geography is a maze, and yet somehow the author of this authoritative text brings it all together to make sense. "Black Sea" is readable, well sourced [if you get curious and want to follow up some the insights] and detailed without being overbearing. Interesting little side angle like the role of the Cossack Navy in defeating the ottomans. Who'd have ever imagined a Cossack navy!A really usefully read for around this area....the Balkans, Turkey, the Caucasus and the Black Sea Steppe.

Although well enough written it failed to address the importance of the Black Sea to Eurasian mytho-history as well as it might have. By skittering from period to period it left this reader wanting more about the essential place of the sea. An analytical approach would have been more effective. And by relegating only a small space to the creation of the Black Sea at the end of the last Ice Age and its place in the Flood myths that grew up around this the book failed to really place it ideologically.Not a bad book but overall disappointing for this reader.However, I would recommend this book as a fair introduction to the Black Sea and its history...but I was hoping for a more perceptive read.

How I loved this book both before and after traveling the Black Sea! Even if you have no desire, or are unable to visit now because of politics, the history encompassed here stretching back to the Ancient Greeks to the Modern Turks will make this riveting armchair travel reading. In my top 5 list of travel books. I think it will make yours too.

OK, and has a lot of information on the various periods, and the peoples, countries adjacent, or near. Just didn't really grab you, but maybe thats the best any can do, for such a broad subject over all time.

Very interesting book with tons of references to the historical sources. If you like history and interested to know more about that region - this is good source. Enjoy.

Great book. If your interested in a history refresher with a lot of surprises this is it. Mr. King writes engagingly. Nice easy read.

This book accomplishes its objective of providing a overview of the history of the region, from the period before the Greeks up until the present day. Coverage includes: trade and religious influences, Greek and Roman colonisation, population migration across the northern shores, the rise of imperial Russia and the Ottomans, conflict and issues surrounding the former Soviet republics, oil politics and even environmental problems.Given the enormous scope, individual subjects are not dealt with in great depth but the extensive referencing, provided at the end of each chapter rather than all in the back, could direct follow-up reading if desired. The writing style is what can be expected from a good academic author yet is not at all dull, perhaps owing to the brevity required to cover so vast an area in approximately 300 pages of, albeit small, text. Snippets of information concerning the author's own travel around the sea also add life to a book that taught me a lot and entertained me considerably.

As the author points out himself, the different parts of the Black Sea region are often studied and described under watertight compartments like "Eastern Europe" or "Middle East" which do not allow us see the interaction between the different shores of the Black Sea. He does a masterful job in bringing the different eras and cultures together into a single narrative. The reader will find new and interesting angles even if one is familiar with the histories of the different parts of the region, be it Russia or Turkey. The style of the writing also helps to make it a thoroughly enjoyable reading.

Recent events in the Crimea and Ukraine need another chapter but a fascinating account of the history of the lands bordering the Black Sea.

An outstanding book, both histirical and political.