George Bean is a legend in this country where everybody seems to know him, has met him or their parents, relatives, neighbors have. He was a broad shouldered man of almost six foot tall and that alone was enough to impress whoever saw him. But apparently he had a most pleasant character and unlike today’s hurried archaeologists, he would simply make his way to the local coffee-house for a chat with the villagers about their daily business, the harvest and their way of living. Slowly winning their confidence, he then would bring up his interest in archaeology with surprising results.
He definitely loved this country and his deep interest for its past transpires through every line. It is surprising to discover how much history, facts, and figures he manages to cramp in the story of each town he describes while at the same time, he keeps things simple enough to make it passionate reading. Clear drawings, often just a few lines, illustrate his vivid tales and the book is further enhanced with a handful of black-and-white pictures. No bombastic language that only an initiate can decipher, but plain words and sentences we can all understand.
In this book, George Bean mainly covers Caria in southwestern Turkey, where King Mausolos and his dynasty were leading figures and the main cities were Mylasa (today’s Mylas) and Halicarnassus (today’s Bodrum). Yet George Bean mentions about every single city and town. As a bonus, he has even extended his story as far as Aphrodisias, Hierapolis, and Tralles which are in fact situated beyond the northern border of Caria.
Besides his “Turkey beyond the Maeander”, George Bean wrote another three books, “Aegean Turkey”, “Lycian Turkey”, and “Turkey’s Southern Shore”. You may have a hard time finding any of them though; the best chance is a secondhand acquisition. Each and every one of these books is a precious tool and an unequaled jewel very much worth the effort looking for.
He definitely loved this country and his deep interest for its past transpires through every line. It is surprising to discover how much history, facts, and figures he manages to cramp in the story of each town he describes while at the same time, he keeps things simple enough to make it passionate reading. Clear drawings, often just a few lines, illustrate his vivid tales and the book is further enhanced with a handful of black-and-white pictures. No bombastic language that only an initiate can decipher, but plain words and sentences we can all understand.
In this book, George Bean mainly covers Caria in southwestern Turkey, where King Mausolos and his dynasty were leading figures and the main cities were Mylasa (today’s Mylas) and Halicarnassus (today’s Bodrum). Yet George Bean mentions about every single city and town. As a bonus, he has even extended his story as far as Aphrodisias, Hierapolis, and Tralles which are in fact situated beyond the northern border of Caria.
Besides his “Turkey beyond the Maeander”, George Bean wrote another three books, “Aegean Turkey”, “Lycian Turkey”, and “Turkey’s Southern Shore”. You may have a hard time finding any of them though; the best chance is a secondhand acquisition. Each and every one of these books is a precious tool and an unequaled jewel very much worth the effort looking for.
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