Classicist Josephine Quinn, a Fellow of St. John's College, Cambridge, recently appeared on the BBC Radio 4 program In Our Time to rewrite the conventional narrative of Saharan history. Host Misha Glenny introduced her as an expert who could help "locate the Garamantes in time and space."
During the discussion, Quinn pushed back against traditional, empire-centric views of antiquity. "Okay. So number one, it's not all about Rome. There are other places to talk about. It's not just Rome and China either," she argued, pointing out that "trade and travel and exchange are a driving force in ancient history." She explained that deserts are often experienced very differently by insiders who know how to exploit them, compared to outsiders who view them as terrifying barriers.
The conversation also tackled the historical biases embedded in classical Greek and Roman texts. Misha Glenny prompted Quinn to address how the Garamantes were viewed by their contemporaries, asking: "Jo, let me take that on with you about the Garamantes themselves. Are they seen as barbarians, or how are they depicted?"
As scholars like Quinn continue to challenge classical biases, the study of ancient history is poised to become increasingly decentralized. By bringing marginalized civilizations like the Garamantes into the mainstream, modern historiography is forcing a deeper re-evaluation of how global networks operated long before the rise of modern globalization.