Trans-regional Encounters explores the cultural, political, religious, and economic connections that shaped the regions between the Caucasus, the Taurus, and the Zagros Mountains from the 3rd century BCE to the 3rd century CE. Bringing together contributions by historians, archaeologists, epigraphists, and philologists, the volume examines kingdoms and principalities such as Armenia, Commagene, Adiabene, Edessa, Hatra, and Sophene from a deliberately trans-regional perspective.
Rather than viewing these societies primarily through the lens of the Roman, Parthian, or Hellenistic empires, the contributors investigate the regional networks, local agency, and shared cultural horizons that connected communities across political boundaries. By combining new archaeological discoveries with fresh historical interpretations, the volume highlights the importance of mobility, exchange, and local traditions in shaping cultural developments in ancient Western Eurasia. It offers a significant contribution to current debates on connectivity, translocality, and cultural interaction in antiquity.