A beautiful book. The images of all the various pieces were vivid, interesting, and very well captioned and explained. The information provided, both in Thrace in general and the specific pieces in particular, was simply fascinating

If you’re into ancient history and untold stories, *Ancient Thrace and the Classical World* is a treasure trove! This book dives into the fascinating world of the Thracians—warriors, horsemen, and master metalworkers who shaped the cultures of Greece, Persia, and Rome. While they didn’t leave many written records, dazzling archaeological finds fill in the gaps, showcasing their rich and mysterious legacy. Packed with over 200 stunning artifacts and expert insights, this exploration of Thracian culture is perfect for history buffs or anyone curious about the hidden influencers of the ancient world.

After reading “Ancient Thrace and the Classical World: Treasures from Bulgaria, Romania, and Greece,” I would give almost anything to zoom back in time and conduct ethnographic fieldwork among the Thracians.

Although I’m trained as a four-field anthropologist, my research has always been biocultural with an emphasis in nineteenth-century rural African American communities. However, if I had to do it all over again, I would probably focus instead on Thracian archaeology. This book was fascinating.

Museums have always fascinated me. In fact, when I was pursuing my BA, I earned a minor in Historical Preservation focusing on archival records (there’s just something about the smell of old paper that I love), though I **almost** focused on curation. Unfortunately, it’s always seemed that life isn’t long enough for me to pursue all of my interests! Lucky for me, then, that this book included numerous chapters written by experts in Thracian archaeology and ancient history.

Before I read this book, I knew next to nothing about the Thracian tribes who inhabited Bulgaria, Romania, and parts of northern Greece and Turkey. The editors wisely included maps and a timeline alongside Roman and Greek civilizations so that I could place the events.

In addition to the expertly written chapters, this book was filled to the max with photographs of Thracian artifacts. Some of these images were really crisp and clear. Unfortunately, most of the images were heavily blurred and extremely grainy. This is a big problem for me because when I review an as-yet-unpublished book, I need to review the **entire** book. I can’t imagine that the editors would allow a hard copy version of this book to be published with blurred images, so I can only presume that: 1) NetGalley has a file size limit and the images were reduced to enable its dissemination; or, 2) the publishers have no intention of creating an e-publication for sale. Regardless, not being able to focus in on clear images of artifacts was extremely disappointing.

Overall, this book was well-written and I can’t thank the authors enough for sharing their expertise. I also personally know that it’s not easy for an editor(s) to find academic writers, edit chapters, find images, create charts, and etc. In short, I recognize that this book required an incredible amount of time and effort, so the editors deserve the accolades they’ll receive (or should receive) for this monograph. Please note that the four-star rating has absolutely nothing to do with the writing, because it is superb and will delight all educated readers. Rather, the lowered rating reflects the distorted images found in the eARC.

I received an ARC of “Ancient Thrace and the Classical World: Treasures from Bulgaria, Romania, and Greece,” edited by Jeffrey Spier, Timothy Potts, Sara E. Cole, and Margarit Damyanov from NetGalley, Getty Publications, and the J. Paul Getty Museum in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.