Ancient Anatolia between the Hittites and the Persians—a Different Perspective from the Balkans.

The article reviews Mayya Vasileva’s 2024 book *Stara Anatoliya: Ot zaleza kam izgreva* ("Ancient Anatolia: From Sunset to Sunrise"), which examines the historical and cultural developments in Central and Western Anatolia between the decline of Hittite power and the rise of the Persian Empire. Vasileva focuses on the complex ethnic and political landscape during the Late Bronze Age collapse, the so-called Dark Ages, and the emergence of Phrygia, emphasizing political community over ethnic identity and highlighting interactions with the Balkans and the Aegean. The book discusses linguistic evidence related to Luwian hieroglyphs and the origins of the alphabet, the distinctive nature of Phrygian political and religious structures, and the role of bronze craftsmanship and elite burial practices. It concludes with an analysis of Persian imperial influence in Anatolia and its cultural exchanges with neighboring regions. The reviewer notes the book’s valuable integration of recent archaeological findings and its contribution to understanding Anatolia’s transitional period, while also pointing out the absence of an English edition and some scholarly omissions. [Extracted from the article]