Ancient history Books
Hackett Publishing Co, Inc Clouds
Book SynopsisThis line-for-line translation of Aritophanes' famous comedy features an introduction that explores Old Comedy and the place of "Clouds" and Aristophanic comedy within it. The text is accompanied by extensive footnotes.Trade ReviewSince the appearance of Sommerstein's very successful literal translation less than twenty years ago, there have been at least five further new published attempts at rendering the play into English. It is certainly a bold enterprise to introduce yet one more translation onto the scene, but Peter Meineck has risen well to the challenge. The translation is straightforward and idiomatic, as well as well-paced and funny. . . Ian Storey’s Introduction is perfect for undergraduates. --Max Nelson, Bryn Mawr Classical ReviewAn excellent translation, ideal for undergraduates. Readable and entertaining to a modern audience, Meineck doesn't make the fatal mistake of translating the humor with modern cultural equivalents--a mistake that has dated within years other translations of Aristophanes. Excellent notes and an outstanding introduction to Greek Comedy, Aristophanes, and Clouds by Ian Storey coupled with the superb translation will make this the edition to use in teaching for many years to come. --James A. Francis, University of KentuckyIan Storey's helpful 41-page introduction clearly introduces Greekless students to Old Comedy, to Aristophanes, to what is known of how it was produced, to the literary structure of Old Comedy, to problems of interpreting Aristophanes, and to the Clouds itself. The translation aims to serve 'both as a tool for the effective execution of onstage comedy and as an accurate reflection of the Greek.' With its excellent, well-chosen notes, helpful bibliography, and its affordable paperback format, the Meineck translation is clear, readable, appropriately accurate. It earns high marks also for cost-effectiveness. --E. M. Macierowski, Benedictine College
£11.39
Hackett Publishing Co, Inc Clouds
Book SynopsisThis line-for-line translation of Aristophanes'' best-known comedy features an Introduction on Old Comedy, and the place of Clouds and Aristophanic comedy within it. Footnotes and more detailed endnotes further distinguish this edition of a play famous for its caricature of Socrates and of the new learning.Trade ReviewSince the appearance of Sommerstein's very successful literal translation less than twenty years ago, there have been at least five further new published attempts at rendering the play into English. It is certainly a bold enterprise to introduce yet one more translation onto the scene, but Peter Meineck has risen well to the challenge. The translation is straightforward and idiomatic, as well as well-paced and funny. . . Ian Storey’s Introduction is perfect for undergraduates. --Max Nelson, Bryn Mawr Classical ReviewAn excellent translation, ideal for undergraduates. Readable and entertaining to a modern audience, Meineck doesn't make the fatal mistake of translating the humor with modern cultural equivalents--a mistake that has dated within years other translations of Aristophanes. Excellent notes and an outstanding introduction to Greek Comedy, Aristophanes, and Clouds by Ian Storey coupled with the superb translation will make this the edition to use in teaching for many years to come. --James A. Francis, University of KentuckyIan Storey's helpful 41-page introduction clearly introduces Greekless students to Old Comedy, to Aristophanes, to what is known of how it was produced, to the literary structure of Old Comedy, to problems of interpreting Aristophanes, and to the Clouds itself. The translation aims to serve 'both as a tool for the effective execution of onstage comedy and as an accurate reflection of the Greek.' With its excellent, well-chosen notes, helpful bibliography, and its affordable paperback format, the Meineck translation is clear, readable, appropriately accurate. It earns high marks also for cost-effectiveness. --E. M. Macierowski, Benedictine College
£25.19
Hackett Publishing Co, Inc The Essential Iliad
Book SynopsisWhile preserving the basic narrative of the Iliad, this bare-bones abridgement highlights the epic's high poetic moments and essential mythological content, and will prove especially useful in surveys of world literature, and in Western civilization surveys.
£28.79
Hackett Publishing Co, Inc Poems and Fragments
Book SynopsisPresents a Sappho by a master poet and translator that treats the fragments as aesthetic wholes, complete in their fragmentariness, and which is also, as the translator puts it: 'ever mindful of performative qualities, quality of voice, changes of voice...Trade ReviewThe four sections of this book [Introduction, Translator's Note, translations, Notes on Ancient Sources] work remarkably well together, presenting the fragments of Sappho according to 'the idea of the isolated message' (xvii). The dominant and characteristic interest shared by both Lombardo as translator and Gordon as introducer is their concerted effort to validate 'fragments as esthetic wholes' (xxvi). Lombardo's translations are pleasantly distinct from those of any other I am aware of both for their sonorous but straightforward rendering in modern spoken American English . . . [an edition] better both for its clear translations, and for the breadth and depth of the critical Introduction. Lombardo's strategy as translator is to convey not only the Greek by means of English, but also the experience of reading 'Sappho as a pure, received text' (xxvi) by means of direct, plain presentation of the poem . . . A unique and welcome contribution to the diversity of English translations available. --Travis Feldman, The Bryn Mawr Classical ReviewI have long been an admirer of Stanley Lombardo's translations of Homer, and I was curious to see how he would adapt his fast-paced, lively style to Sappho. He has succeeded admirably. His translation of 73 poems of Sappho is clear, energetic, and close to the Greek. Pamela Gordon's Introduction gives a lucid and useful guide for the non-specialist to the last fifty years of scholarly debate on Sappho. This edition will be particularly useful for instructors of courses in translation seeking an introduction to Sappho for the Greekless student. It is also a pleasure to read. --Laurel Bowman, The Classical BulletinGordon's Introduction is a clear summation of the poetic and scholarly aura surrounding the figure of Sappho and these literary fragments. . . . This essay, complete with selective bibliography at the end, could be assigned to undergraduates as a first introduction to both the poetry and the phenomenon of Sappho. . . . Lombardo's translations are lively and accessible; Sappho lives anew for the English reader. . . . Ideal for teaching at the undergraduate level. --Cashman Kerr Prince, New England Classical Journal
£26.99
Hackett Publishing Co, Inc On the War for Greek Freedom
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewRomm has made a judicious selection of the most important passages from the Histories and he has joined them with concise summaries of the intervening events so as to make the book a unified, coherent whole. The translation (provided mainly by Shirley, although many key passages have been translated by Romm) is lively and readable, and Romm's notes provide just the sort of information that a first-time reader of Herodotus would need. Romm's 'Introduction' is perhaps the most valuable aspect of the book. By highlighting the main themes and explaining Herodotus' use of imaginative material, Romm helps the reader make sense of a text that is sometimes unwieldy. Romm also situates Herodotus' work within its historical context, providing sensible answers to important questions such as the publication date of the Histories and Herodotus' views on events in the Peloponnesian War. The volume also includes a chronology of the Archaic Age, maps, and a glossary of important characters and places. In short, Romm and Shirley have produced a valuable desideratum: an excellent, one-volume introduction to Herodotus' Histories. It would be eminently suitable for undergraduate readers, particularly in a Greek History or Ancient Greek Civilization class. --Susan O. Shapiro, The Classical OutlookThis compilation gathers the most significant stories in the Histories. Samuel Shirley's elegant translation is enhanced by James Romm's excellent introduction and epilogue and clear, informative notes. This is altogether a fine piece of work, which gives a good sense of the wonderful variety in Herodotus' text. --Andrew Szegedy-Maszak, Wesleyan UniversityThis crisp, user-friendly volume provides the historical essence of Herodotus' great Histories, emphasizing the growth of the Persian Empire and its momentous conflict with Greeks in the early fifth century B.C.E. The book includes substantial excerpts from the Histories, enhanced by connecting summaries; the selections include many of Herodotus' most fascinating anecdotes as well as the most important historical decisions and events. On the War for Greek Freedom is a remarkably successful introduction to the Histories. Samuel Shirley's fresh, contemporary translations recall the charm and diversity of Herodotus' language, while James Romm's lively introduction, notes, and (best of all) summary passages allow even a casual reader to comprehend and enjoy this kaleidoscopic text. --Deborah Boedeker, Brown University
£28.79
Hackett Publishing Co, Inc Homeric Hymns
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewSarah Ruden's translation is clear, lean, intelligent, and delightfully readable. The notes provide guidance without encumbering the text. This will be marvelous for classroom use, for reading aloud, or simply for reading for pleasure. --Pamela Gordon, Department of Classics, University of KansasThe translation moves along at a smart and elegant pace. . . . Ruden is clearly a writer with considerable skill in poetic expression. . . . [Sheila Murnaghan's] introduction does a good job of introducing the Homeric Hymns to a general audience and assisting the inexperienced reader in reading the longer hymns, in particular. [This] new translation will clearly fill a niche for a convenient and inexpensive translation of the Homeric Hymns into English verse. . . . --Roger S. Fisher, Bryn Mawr Classical ReviewClear, inclusive, luminously helpful, the Ruden/Murnaghan Homeric Hymns is a text I'll use next time I teach my ever-expanding Mythology in Literature class. Introduction, translation, and notes are all of superior quality. --Rachel Hadas, Department of English, Rutgers University
£33.29
Hackett Publishing Co, Inc Alcestis Medea Hippolytus
Book SynopsisThis new volume of three of Euripides'' most celebrated plays offers graceful, economical, metrical translations that convey the wide range of effects of the playwright''s verse, from the idiomatic speech of its dialogue to the high formality of its choral odes.Trade ReviewDiane Arnson Svarlien's body of work means a quantum leap forward in the vibrancy and immediacy of classical verse drama. I first learned of her work when I was searching, madly, for a translation of Medea for a production I had been hired to direct. I sought out every published version. I tried to track down any unpublished ones rumored to exist. All the others were wanting; her translation was revelatory. Merely read her translation of the play, then read another. You will sense the difference. This is particularly true if you are a practitioner of theatre. --Patrick Wang, Director of Diane Arnson Svarlien's Medea in its world premiere at the Stella Adler Studio, and of the feature film In the Family, nominated for a Best First Feature Independent Spirit Award.The excellent Introduction by Robin Mitchell-Boyask displays an admirable command of up-to-date scholarship and judiciously leaves controversial matters open to one's own interpretation. Arnson Svarlien's verse translation has both elegance and power--it reads well, not just to the eye, but (happily for the director and actors) also to the ear. --Ian Storey, Department of Classics, Trent UniversityMitchell-Boyask's Introduction gives the reader a lively and accessible overview of Euripides' life, the circumstances of the original performances, and critical debate on the three plays. Footnotes to the translations provide students with useful background without over-burdening the text. The translations themselves are lively, vigorous, colorful, and direct, while remaining very close to the Greek; I laughed out loud more than once when I realized that, yes, this was exactly what Euripides had said. Arnson Svarlien has also taken care with the meter. Iambic trimeter, the 'spoken' meter of Greek, has been represented with iambic pentameter in English; but even in the lyric passages, whose meters do not translate into English, responsion within odes has been preserved. Yet all of this attention to such details of meter and accuracy sacrifices nothing in clarity or pace. Arnson Svarlien's translations are an ideal introduction to Euripides for students with no Greek and little knowledge of the ancient world. They remind me of why I love Euripides. --Laurel Bowman, Department of Classics, University of VictoriaTable of ContentsIntroduction; Translator's Preface; Maps; Alcestis; Medea; Hippolytus.
£32.39
Hackett Publishing Co, Inc Medea
Book SynopsisIncludes introduction and notes by Robin Mitchell-Boyask.Trade ReviewDiane Arnson Svarlien's body of work means a quantum leap forward in the vibrancy and immediacy of classical verse drama. I first learned of her work when I was searching, madly, for a translation of Medea for a production I had been hired to direct. I sought out every published version. I tried to track down any unpublished ones rumored to exist. All the others were wanting; her translation was revelatory. Merely read her translation of the play, then read another. You will sense the difference. This is particularly true if you are a practitioner of theatre.--Patrick Wang, Director of Diane Arnson Svarlien's Medea in its world premiere at the Stella Adler Studio, and of the feature film In the Family,nominated for a "Best First Feature" Independent Spirit Award. Retrieved from monkeyatatypewriter.com.Fluid, lively, and accurate! --Amy Vail, Department of Classics, Baylor UniversityTable of ContentsIntroducton; Translator's Preface; Maps; Medea; Endnotes & Comments on the Text; Select Bibliography.
£26.09
Hackett Publishing Co, Inc Legal Speeches of Democratic Athens
Book Synopsis[Wolpert and Kapparis''s] anthology . . . stands apart in a number of key ways. Virtually all of the translations, which are of very high quality, are new for this volume. . . . Each of the introductions to the individual speeches is accompanied by a convenient outline, entitled Key Information'', of the important details about the dispute; this feature will be particularly welcome to undergraduates and other beginners, for whom Athenian forensic speeches often present at first glance a welter of soap opera-like complexity. In the summary that precedes Against Neaera, for example, the subheadings include ''Speaker'', Supporting Speaker'', ''Defendant'', Other Individuals'' (particularly helpful), Action'', ''Penalty'' and Date''. Having this information collected in one handy location is very useful indeed. One minor yet remarkably useful feature is that [Wolpert and Kapparis] have placed all cross-references to speeches included in the collection in bold typeface. TTrade ReviewAn excellent, wide-ranging collection of Athenian speeches illuminating central topics of political, social, and legal history, including male and female sexuality, the ancient economy, Greek law, and major episodes of civic strife. Both accurate and faithful to the orators’ prose style, Wolpert and Kapparis’ new translations come accompanied by informative introductions and notes, a glossary of legal terms, and a helpful bibliography. Highly recommended for courses in the history of classical Athens, ancient rhetoric, and Greek law. --Robert W. Wallace, Northwestern UniversityThis collection offers a broad range of law court speeches from ancient Athens, including both those speeches addressing what we might call 'criminal' matters--homicide, assault, and so on--and those dealing with political matters. The translations are excellent, and the annotation learned. --David Mirhady, Simon Fraser University"A very thoughtful selection of speeches. . . . The translations are clear and accurate. The introductory notes are wonderfully helpful—written to be accessible to students but with insights that will be appreciated by specialists." --Josiah Ober, Stanford University
£17.09
Hackett Publishing Co, Inc Legal Speeches of Democratic Athens
Book SynopsisDesigned for use in various undergraduate courses focused on ancient Greece, this collection offers translations of the twelve legal speeches - including Lysias 1; Aeschines 1; and Demosthenes 21, 54, and 59 - useful for the study of classical Athenian social and cultural history.Trade ReviewAn excellent, wide-ranging collection of Athenian speeches illuminating central topics of political, social, and legal history, including male and female sexuality, the ancient economy, Greek law, and major episodes of civic strife. Both accurate and faithful to the orators’ prose style, Wolpert and Kapparis’ new translations come accompanied by informative introductions and notes, a glossary of legal terms, and a helpful bibliography. Highly recommended for courses in the history of classical Athens, ancient rhetoric, and Greek law. --Robert W. Wallace, Northwestern UniversityThis collection offers a broad range of law court speeches from ancient Athens, including both those speeches addressing what we might call 'criminal' matters--homicide, assault, and so on--and those dealing with political matters. The translations are excellent, and the annotation learned. --David Mirhady, Simon Fraser University"A very thoughtful selection of speeches. . . . The translations are clear and accurate. The introductory notes are wonderfully helpful—written to be accessible to students but with insights that will be appreciated by specialists." --Josiah Ober, Stanford University
£41.64
American School of Classical Studies at Athens The Mycenaean Feast
Book SynopsisThis collection of essays investigates the rich evidence for the character of the Mycenaean feast. While much of the evidence discussed comes from the Palace of Nestor near Pylos, the authors also present new material from Tsoungiza near Nemea, and from other Bronze Age sites on mainland Greece and Crete.Table of ContentsIntroduction (James C. Wright); A Survey of Evidence for Feasting in Mycenaean Society (James C. Wright); Animal Sacrifice, Archives, and Feasting at the Palace of Nestor (Sharon R. Stocker & Jack L. Davis); Mycenaean Feasting on Tsoungiza at Ancient Nemea (Mary K. Dabney, Paul Halstead, & Patrick Thomas); Native Traditions of Drinking at Phaistos during the Mycenaean Period (Elisabetta Borgna); "A Goodly Feast... A Cup of Mellow Wine" : Feasting in Bronze Age Cyprus (Louise Steel); Sacrificial Feasting in the Linear B Tablets (Thomas G. Palaima); Feasting in Homeric Epic (Susan Sherratt).
£21.38
American Traveler Prehistoric Arizona
Book Synopsis
£7.46
Thorpe-Bowker Red Granite The Grains of Truth Beneath the Sand of Egypt
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£16.82
Cambridge University Press Geographers of the Ancient Greek World 2 Volume Hardback Set
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£171.00
Cambridge University Press Diodoros of Sicily Bibliotheke Historike
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£95.00
Cambridge University Press Reading Homer
Book SynopsisHomer's Iliad is the acknowledged masterpiece of Greek literature. Reading Homer makes it accessible to students who have only recently begun learning the language. It builds on their existing knowledge and enables them to appreciate the poem in its context.Table of ContentsList of illustrations; Preface; List of abbreviations; Notes for the reader; Introduction: A. Homer and the Iliad; B. The story of the Iliad; C. Reading Homer; D. Homer's language; E. Metre; Select bibliography; Iliad Book 16; Iliad Book 18; Vocabulary; Grammar index.
£71.25
Cambridge University Press The Emperor and the World Exotic Elements and the Imaging of Middle Byzantine Imperial Power Ninth to Thirteenth Centuries CE
Book SynopsisByzantine imperial imagery is commonly perceived as a static system. In contrast to this common portrayal, this book draws attention to its openness and responsiveness to other artistic traditions. Through a close examination of significant objects and monuments created over a 350-year period, from the ninth to the thirteenth century, Alicia Walker shows how the visual articulation of Byzantine imperial power not only maintained a visual vocabulary inherited from Greco-Roman antiquity and the Judeo-Christian tradition, but also innovated on these artistic precedents by incorporating styles and forms from contemporary foreign cultures, specifically the Sasanian, Chinese and Islamic worlds. In addition to art and architecture, this book explores historical accounts and literary works as well as records of ceremonial practices, thereby demonstrating how texts, ritual and images operated as integrated agents of imperial power. Walker offers new ways to think about cross-cultural interactioTrade Review"In the most stimulating book on Byzantine art to be published in a long time, Walker(Bryn Mawr College) scrutinizes five objects, or clusters of objects, under the headings "Emulation," "Appropriation," "Parity," 'Expropriation," and "Incomparability." -- A. Cutler, ChoiceTable of ContentsIntroduction: imaging emperor and empire in the middle Byzantine era; 1. Emulation: Islamic imports in the iconoclastic era: power, prestige, and the imperial image; 2. Appropriation: stylistic juxtaposition and the articulation of power: the Troyes Casket; 3. Parity: a Byzantine-Islamic community of kings: diplomatic gifts in The Book of Gifts and Rarities; 4. Expropriation: rhetorical images of the emperor and the articulation of difference: the Darmstadt Casket; 5. Incomparability: the Mouchroutas Hall and the aesthetics of imperial power; Conclusion.
£91.19
Cambridge University Press The Archimedes Palimpsest
Book SynopsisThe Archimedes Palimpsest is the name given to a Byzantine prayer book that was written over a number of earlier manuscripts, including one that contained two unique works by Archimedes, unquestionably the greatest mathematician of antiquity. Sold at auction in 1998, it has since been the subject of a privately funded project to conserve, image, and transcribe its texts. Images and transcriptions of three of these manuscripts are provided here. The first contains seven treatises by Archimedes, including two unique texts, Method and Stomachion, as well as the only extant Greek version of Floating Bodies. Previously unknown speeches by Hyperides and a second- or third-century commentary on Aristotle''s Categories follow. The product of ten years of conservation, imaging, and scholarship, this book will be of interest to manuscript scholars, classicists, and historians of science.Trade Review'The imminent massive publication of a complete facsimile and transcription will be a huge gift to the study of ancient mathematics.' Alexander Jones, Wall Street Journal'There is enormous expectation in the scholarly community about the arrival of the first copies of a new book from Cambridge University Press, which contains full color images of the palimpsest, a technical account of how the images were made and complete transcriptions of the texts. It's too early to say whether this will revolutionize our understanding of Greek mathematics, but it will contain new texts thought to have been lost forever by the Greek orator Hyperides and the most complete versions of several works by Archimedes, including two books which exist only in this manuscript. This is the iceberg in full view, a massive tome that took more than a decade to produce, recovering - perhaps as fully as can ever be hoped - texts that miraculously escaped the oblivion of decay and destruction.' The Washington PostTable of ContentsPreface; 1. Archimedes: treatises; 2. Hyperides: speeches; 3. Commentary on Aristotle's Categories; Appendix.
£110.20
Cambridge University Press The Mosaics of Roman Crete
Book SynopsisThis book examines the rich corpus of mosaics created in Crete during the Roman and Late Antique eras. It provides essential information on the style, iconography and chronology of the material, as well as discussion of the craftspeople who created them and the technologies they used. The contextualized mosaic evidence also reveals a new understanding of Roman and Late Antique Crete. It helps shed light on the processes by which Crete became part of the Roman Empire, its subsequent Christianization and the pivotal role the island played in the Mediterranean network of societies during these periods. This book provides an original approach to the study of mosaics and an innovative method of presenting a diachronic view of provincial Cretan society.Trade Review'… the first of its kind to focus on the rich corpus of mosaics from Crete dated to the Roman and late antiquity periods. …well-written and beautifully illustrated … provides an excellent overview of the mosaics in an area of the Roman empire with much potential for further work.' Anna Kouremenos, The Classical ReviewTable of Contents1. Introduction; 2. The archaeology of Crete; 3. Iconography of Cretan mosaics; 4. Date and distribution; 5. Urban and architectural contexts; 6. Mosaics of Crete: craftspeople, technology, and workshops; 7. The provincial view, globalization, and Christianization.
£999.99
Cambridge University Press Lucan and the Sublime
Book SynopsisThis is the first comprehensive study of the sublime in Lucan. Drawing upon renewed literary-critical interest in the tradition of philosophical aesthetics, Henry Day argues that the category of the sublime offers a means of moving beyond readings of Lucan''s Bellum Civile in terms of the poem''s political commitment or, alternatively, nihilism. Demonstrating in dialogue with theorists from Burke and Kant to Freud, Lyotard and Ankersmit the continuing vitality of Longinus'' foundational treatise On the Sublime, Day charts Lucan''s complex and instructive exploration of the relationship between sublimity and ethical discourses of freedom and oppression. Through the Bellum Civile''s cataclysmic vision of civil war and metapoetic accounts of its own genesis, through its heated linguistic texture and proclaimed effects upon future readers and, most powerfully of all, through its representation of its twin protagonists Caesar and Pompey, Lucan''s great epic emerges as a central text in the history of the sublime.Table of ContentsIntroduction; 1. The experience of the sublime; 2. Representation, the sublime and the Bellum Civile; 3. The Caesarian sublime; 4. The Pompeian sublime; Epilogue.
£85.50
Cambridge University Press Rabbis Language and Translation in Late Antiquity
Book SynopsisExposed to multiple languages as a result of annexation, migration, pilgrimage and its position on key trade routes, the Roman Palestine of Late Antiquity was a border area where Aramaic, Greek, Hebrew and Arabic dialects were all in common use. This study analyses the way scriptural translation was perceived and practised by the rabbinic movement in this multilingual world. Drawing on a wide range of classical rabbinic sources, including unused manuscript materials, Willem F. Smelik traces developments in rabbinic thought and argues that foreign languages were deemed highly valuable for the lexical and semantic light they shed on the meanings of lexemes in the holy tongue. Key themes, such as the reception of translations of the Hebrew Scriptures, multilingualism in society, and rabbinic rules for translation, are discussed at length. This book will be invaluable for students of ancient Judaism, rabbinic studies, Old Testament studies, early Christianity and translation studies.Trade Review'A very extensive bibliography and two indices top off the book, which is bound to become the standard work on the rabbinic view on languages and translations.' Lieve Teugels, Journal for the Study of JudaismTable of ContentsIntroduction; Part I. Multilingualism and the Holy Tongue: 1. The family of languages; 2. The holy tongue; 3. The multilingual context of language selection; Part II. The Locus of Translation: 4. The terminology of translation; 5. Chanting the Scriptures; 6. Between holy writ and oral Torah; 7. Ashurit and alphabet; Part III. Rabbis and Translation: 8. Targum in Talmud; 9. The faces of Aquila; Conclusion.
£999.99
Cambridge University Press An Ancient Commentary on the Book of Revelation
Book SynopsisA new critical edition, with translation and commentary, of the Scholia in Apocalypsin, which include extensive sections of the lost fourth-century commentary of Didymus the Blind. They reveal the tension between the imperial Christian orthodoxy of the sixth century and certain monastic communities who drew freely on still-thriving Hellenic ideas.Table of ContentsExordium; Introduction; The Scholia; Expanded notes to the Scholia; Glossary of names; Glossary of terms; Index of authors; Biblical quotations in the Scholia.
£119.70
Cambridge University Press Community and Identity in Ancient Egypt
Book SynopsisThis book examines a group of twelve ancient Egyptian tombs (c.2300 BCE) in the elite Old Kingdom cemetery of Elephantine at Qubbet el-Hawa in modern Aswan. It develops an interdisciplinary approach to the material - drawing on methods from art history, archaeology, anthropology, and sociology, including agency theory, the role of style, the reflexive relationship between people and landscape, and the nature of locality and community identity. A careful examination of the architecture, setting, and unique text and image programs of these tombs in context provides a foundation for considering how ancient Egyptian provincial communities bonded to each other, developed shared identities within the broader Egyptian world, and expressed these identities through their personal forms of visual and material culture.Table of ContentsIntroduction; 1. People and place: historical and social context; 2. Tombs in context: description of cemetery and overview of tombs; 3. Figure, panel, program: form and meaning; 4. Individuals, community, identity: summation and interpretation of program content; Conclusion.
£999.99
Cambridge University Press Writing and the Ancient State
Book SynopsisWriting and the Ancient State explores the early development of writing and its relationship to the growth of political structures. The first part of the book focuses on the contribution of writing to the state''s legitimating project. The second part deals with the state''s use of writing in administration, analyzing both textual and archaeological evidence to reconstruct how the state used bookkeeping to allocate land, police its people, and extract taxes from them. The third part focuses on education, the state''s system for replenishing its staff of scribe-officials. The first half of each part surveys evidence from Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Maya lowlands, Central Mexico, and the Andes; against this background the second half examines the evidence from China. The chief aim of this book is to shed new light on early China (from the second millennium BC through the end of the Han period, ca. 220 AD) while bringing to bear the lens of cross-cultural analysis on each of the civilizationsTable of ContentsPart I. Writing and the Legitimation of the State: History as King List: 1. The Near East and the Americas; 2. China; Part II. Writing and the Wealth of the State: People and Land, Census and Land Register: 3. The Near East and the Americas; 4. China; Part III. Writing and the Perpetuation of the State: Scribal Education, Lexical Lists, and Literature: 5. The Near East and the Americas; 6. China; Part IV. Conclusion.
£999.99
Cambridge University Press Architecture Astronomy and Sacred Landscape in Ancient Egypt
Book SynopsisThis book examines the interplay between astronomy and dynastic power in the course of ancient Egyptian history, focusing on the fundamental role of astronomy in the creation of the pyramids and the monumental temple and burial complexes. Bringing to bear the analytical tools of archaeoastronomy, a set of techniques and methods that enable modern scholars to better understand the thought, religion and science of early civilizations, Giulio Magli provides in-depth analyses of the pyramid complexes at Giza, Abusir, Saqqara and Dahshur, as well as of the Early Dynastic necropolis at Abydos and the magnificent new Kingdom Theban temples. Using a variety of data retrieved from study of the sky and measurements of the buildings, he reconstructs the visual, symbolic and spiritual world of the ancient Egyptians and thereby establishes an intimate relationship among celestial cycles, topography and architecture. He also shows how they were deployed in the ideology of the pharaoh''s power in theTrade Review'A thought provoking study.' Ancient EgyptTable of ContentsPart I: 1. A land for eternity; 2. A king who looks at the stars; 3. The lords of the horizon; 4. A mirage from Heliopolis; 5. Sons of the Sun God; 6. The lost pyramid; Part II: 7. Renaissance at the winter solstice; 8. A valley for the kings; 9. The horizon of the Aten; 10. The last of the greats.
£91.19
Cambridge University Press Teleology in the Ancient World
Book SynopsisThe ancient origins of teleological concepts are sometimes either conveniently forgotten or given a distorted appearance. On the one hand, ancient teleology has been obscured by the theological cloak of creationism. On the other, Darwinists have sometimes failed to give due consideration to the variety and subtlety of teleology''s intellectual antecedents. The purpose of this book is to restore the balance by looking at the manifold ways in which teleology in antiquity was viewed. The volume, consisting of twelve essays by leading authorities in their fields, examines the ways in which teleological arguments were used in antiquity and how these discussions inform and influence current debates on evolution, creationism and intelligent design. As well as examining philosophical contributions to the subject, a specific aim is to examine ancient medical thinking on this topic and its relationship to ancient philosophical ideas.Trade Review'This is a good collection of articles on teleology in ancient Greek philosophy and medical writing, derived from a conference held at the University of Exeter in 2009.' Jacob Rosen, Notre Dame Philosophical ReviewsTable of ContentsIntroduction Julius Rocca; Part I. The Socratic Foundations of Teleology: 1. Socrates, Darwin, and teleology David Sedley; Part II. Plato and the Platonic Tradition: 2. Atemporal teleology in Plato Samuel Scolnicov; 3. Teleology and names in the Platonic and Anaxagorean traditions Harold Tarrant; 4. Why doesn't the Moon crash into the Earth? Platonic and Stoic teleologies in Plutarch's Concerning the face which appears in the orb of the Moon Jan Opsomer; 5. Signs and tokens: do the gods of Neoplatonism really care? John Dillon; Part III. Aristotle and the Aristotelian Tradition: 6. Biology and teleology in Aristotle's account of the city Mariska Leunissen; 7. Aristotelian mechanistic explanation Monte Ransome Johnson; 8. The purpose of the natural world: Aristotle's followers and interpreters R. W. Sharples; 9. William Harvey: enigmatic Aristotelian of the seventeenth century James G. Lennox; Part IV. Teleology in Medicine: 10. Teleology in Hippocratic texts: clues to the future? Elizabeth Craik; 11. The place of disease in a teleological worldview: Plato, Aristotle, Galen Philip van der Eijk; 12. Teleology and necessity in Greek embryology R. J. Hankinson.
£88.34
Cambridge University Press Historical Agency and the Great Man in Classical Greece
Book SynopsisThe ''great man'' of later Greek historical thought is the long product of traceable changes in ancient ideas about the meaning and impact of an individual life. At least as early as the birth of the Athenian democracy, questions about the ownership of the motion of history were being publicly posed and publicly challenged. The responses to these questions, however, gradually shifted over time, in reaction to historical and political developments during the fifth and fourth centuries BC. These ideological changes are illuminated by portrayals of the roles played by individuals and groups in significant historical events, as depicted in historiography, funerary monuments, and inscriptions. The emergence in these media of the individual as an indispensable agent of history provides an additional explanation for the reception of Alexander ''the Great'': the Greek world had long since been prepared to understand him as it did.Table of Contents1. The search for the 'great man'; 2. Man, myth, and memory under the early Athenian democracy; 3. Culture clash? Reading individuals and groups in the Histories of Herodotus; 4. Claims to immortality: memories of the Peloponnesian War; 5. Learning one's limits, knowing one's place; 6. Out beyond Athens; 7. A 'new world order'?; 8. Alexander 'the Great'; 9. Conclusion.
£94.50
Cambridge University Press People and Spaces in Roman Military Bases
Book SynopsisThis study uses artefact distribution analyses to investigate the activities that took place inside early Roman imperial military bases. Focusing especially on non-combat activities, it explores the lives of families and other support personnel who are widely assumed to have inhabited civilian settlements outside the fortification walls. Spatial analyses, in GIS-type environments, are used to develop fresh perspectives on the range of people who lived within the walls of these military establishments, the various industrial, commercial, domestic and leisure activities in which they and combat personnel were involved, and the socio-spatial organisation of these activities and these establishments. The book includes examples of both legionary fortresses and auxiliary forts from the German provinces to demonstrate that more material-cultural approaches to the artefact assemblages from these sites give greater insights into how these military communities operated and demonstrate the problems of ascribing functions to buildings without investigating the full material record.Trade Review'… this is a very important study which provides considerable evidence for the ways in which all members of military communities inhabited spaces of forts and fortresses.' Andrew Gardner, AntiquityTable of Contents1. Introduction; 2. Approaching Roman military communities; 3. Studying Roman artefacts and social practice; 4. Site selection and data processing; 5. Categorising Roman artefacts; 6. Vetera I; 7. Rottweil; 8. Oberstimm; 9. Hesselbach; 10. Ellingen; 11. Inter-site spatial distribution of activities and use of space; 12. Status and gender identity – the roles and impact of women and children; 13. Concluding comments; Appendices: A. Accessing and use of data and the data and the distribution maps; B. Vetera I: preparation and assessment of the data; C. Rottweil Forts I and II: preparation and assessment of the data; D. Oberstimm: preparation and assessment of the data; E. Hesselbach: preparation and assessment of the data; F. Ellingen: preparation and assessment of the data.
£999.99
Cambridge University Press Religion and Society in Middle Bronze Age Greece
Book SynopsisThe Middle Helladic period has received little attention, partially because of scholars'' view of it as merely the prelude to the Mycenaean period and partially because of the dearth of archaeological evidence from the period. In this book, Helène Whittaker demonstrates that Middle Helladic Greece is far more interesting than its material culture might at first suggest. Whittaker comprehensively reviews and discusses the archaeological evidence for religion on the Greek mainland, focusing on the relationship between religious expression and ideology. The book argues that religious beliefs and rituals played a significant role in the social changes that were occurring at the time. The arguments and conclusions of this book will be relevant beyond the Greek Bronze Age and will contribute to the general archaeological debate on prehistoric religion.Trade Review'Whittaker's volume on Middle Bronze Age religion is a very welcome contribution to the field on two counts: it will serve as a valuable corrective to outdated views of [Middle Helladic] culture, and it will provide a foundation for our growing understanding of Helladic religion and its development.' Susan Lupack, European Journal of ArchaeologyTable of Contents1. Introduction; 2. The formation of the Middle Helladic period; 3. Religion and society in the Middle Helladic period; 4. The transition from the Middle to the Late Bronze Age; 5. Religion and society in the Late Helladic period; Conclusions.
£94.04
Cambridge University Press Nonsense and Meaning in Ancient Greek Comedy
Book SynopsisThis book employs the ancient Greek concept of 'nonsense' to explore an observation that has vexed comic scholarship: although comedy can be meaningful (i.e. contain political opinions, moral sentiments and aesthetic tastes), some part is just 'foolery' or 'fun'. It is important for all scholars and students of Greek comedy.Table of ContentsIntroduction; 1. Greek notions of nonsense; 2. Nonsense as 'no-reference': riddles, allegories, metaphors; 3. Nonsense as 'no-serious-sense': the case of Cinesias; 4. Nonsense as 'no-sense': jokes, puns, and language play; 5. Playing it straight: comedy's 'nonsense!' accusations; Conclusions.
£81.00
Cambridge University Press Livys Political Philosophy
Book SynopsisChallenging the common perception of Livy as an apolitical moralist, this book explores the political implications of the first pentad of his history of Rome. Ann Vasaly argues that Livy intended to convey crucial lessons about how the Roman republic flourished in the past and how it could be revived.Table of ContentsIntroduction: Livy and domestic politics; 1. The historiographical 'archaeology'; 2. Livy's preface: on reading the first pentad; 3. Monarchy and the education of the Roman people; 4. Tyranny and the tyrannical temperament; 5. On leadership and oratory; 6. The Roman people and the necessity of discord; Conclusion: Livy's 'republic'.
£78.28
Cambridge University Press Nicolaus of Damascus The Life of Augustus and The Autobiography
Book SynopsisNicolaus of Damascus, the chief minister of Herod the Great, was an exact contemporary of the first Roman emperor Augustus; he spent considerable time in Roman society and knew Augustus. The extensive remains of his Bios Kaisaros contain the earliest and most detailed account of the conspiracy against Julius Caesar and his assassination. The Bios also presents the most extensive account of the boyhood and early development of Augustus. This edition presents the Greek text and translation of the Bios and Nicolaus'' autobiography, along with a historical and historiographical commentary. The Introduction situates the text in relation to the considerable evidence for the life and career of Nicolaus preserved in the works of Josephus, addresses the problem of its date of composition, analyses the language and narrative technique of Nicolaus and discusses the Bios in relation to the evidence for Greek biographical encomium.Table of ContentsIntroduction; Text and translation of The Life of Augustus; Commentary; Text and translation of The Autobiography; Commentary.
£123.50
Cambridge University Press Empires and Exchanges in Eurasian Late Antiquity
Book SynopsisEmpires and Exchanges in Eurasian Late Antiquity offers an integrated picture of Rome, China, Iran, and the Steppes during a formative period of world history. In the half millennium between 250 and 750 CE, settled empires underwent deep structural changes, while various nomadic peoples of the steppes (Huns, Avars, Turks, and others) experienced significant interactions and movements that changed their societies, cultures, and economies.This was a transformational era,a time when Roman, Persian, and Chinese monarchs were mutually aware of court practices, and when Christians and Buddhists criss-crossed the Eurasian lands together with merchants and armies. It was a time of greater circulation of ideas as well as material goods. This volume provides a conceptual frame for locating these developments in the same space and time. Without arguing for uniformity, it illuminates the interconnections and networks that tied countless local cultural expressions to far-reaching inter-regional oneTrade Review'It is difficult in a brief review to do justice to such a rich variety of contributions, but enough has been said to give a flavor of the riches before us. This is an inspiring book. It establishes Eurasian Late Antiquity as a cohesive area of study at the same time as it demonstrates the sheer excitement of the subject. The editors have done us a great service in bringing together such a thought provoking volume.' Barry Cunliffe, Asian Perspectives'… Di Cosmo and Maas' volume makes a convincing case for historians and archaeologists to take a Eurasian perspective when studying their particular regions or sites.' Arezou Azad, Medieval ArchaeologyTable of ContentsPart I. Historical Thresholds: 1. How the steppes became Byzantine: Rome and the Eurasian Nomads in historical perspective Michael Maas; 2. The relations between China and the steppe from the Xiongnu to the Türk Empire Nicola Di Cosmo; 3. Sasanian Iran and the projection of power in Late Antique Eurasia: competing cosmologies and topographies of power Matthew P. Canepa; 4. Trade and exchanges along the silk and steppe routes in Late Antique Eurasia Richard Lim; 5. Sogdian merchants and Sogdian culture on the silk road Rong Xinjiang; 6. 'Charismatic' goods: commerce, diplomacy, and cultural contacts along the silk road in Late Antiquity Peter Brown; 7. The synthesis of the Tang Dynasty: the culmination of China's contacts and communication with Eurasia Valerie Hansen; 8. Central Asia in the Late Roman mental map, second to sixth centuries Giusto Traina; Part II. Movements, Contacts, and Exchanges: 9. Genetic history and migrations in Western Eurasia Patrick Geary; 10. Northern invaders: migration and conquest as scholarly topos in Eurasian history Michael Kulikowski; 11. Chinese and inner Asian perspectives on the history of the Northern dynasties (386–589 CE) in Chinese historiography Luo Xin; 12. Xiongnu and Huns: archaeological perspectives on a centuries-old debate about identity and migration Ursula Brosseder; 13. Ethnicity and empire in the Western Eurasian Steppes Walter Pohl; 14. The languages of Christianity on the silk roads and the transmission of Mediterranean culture into central Asia Scott Fitzgerald Johnson; 15. The spread of Buddhist culture to China between the third and seventh century Max Deeg; 16. The circulation of astrological lore and its political use between the Roman East, Sasanian Iran, Central Asia, and the Türks Frantz Grenet; 17. Luminous markers: pearls and royal authority in Late Antique Iran and Eurasia Joel Walker; Part III. Empires, Diplomacy, and Frontiers: 18. Byzantium's Eurasian policy in the age of the Türk Empire Mark Whittow; 19. Sasanian Iran and its northeastern frontier: offense, defense, and diplomatic Daniel T. Potts; 20. Infrastructures of legitimacy in inner Asia: the Early Türk Empires Michael R. Drompp; 21. The stateless Nomads of Central Eurasia Peter B. Golden; 22. Aspects of elite representation among the sixth- to seventh-century Türks Sören Stark; 23. Patterns of Roman diplomacy with Iran and the steppe peoples Ekaterina Nechaeva; 24. Collapse of a Eurasian hybrid: the case of the northern Wei Andrew Eisenberg; 25. Ideological interweaving in Eastern Eurasia: simultaneous kingship and dynastic competition Jonathan Karam Skaff; 26. Followers and leaders in northeastern Eurasia, ca. seventh to tenth centuries Naomi Standen; Epilogue Averil Cameron.
£999.99
Cambridge University Press Personification and the Feminine in Roman Philosophy
Book SynopsisWhile the central ideal of Roman philosophy exemplified by Lucretius, Cicero and Seneca appears to be the masculine values of self-sufficiency and domination, this book argues, through close attention to metaphor and figures, that the Romans also recognized, as constitutive parts of human experience, what for them were feminine concepts such as embodiment, vulnerability and dependency. Expressed especially in the personification of grammatically feminine nouns such as Nature and Philosophy ''herself'', the Roman''s recognition of this private ''feminine'' part of himself presents a contrast with his acknowledged, public self and challenges the common philosophical narrative of the emergence of subjectivity and individuality with modernity. To meet this challenge, Alex Dressler offers both theoretical exposition and case studies, developing robust typologies of personification and personhood that will be useable for a variety of subjects beyond classics, including rhetoric, comparative Table of ContentsIntroduction; 1. Love, literature, and philosophy; 2. The subjects of personification and personhood; 3. Mothers, sons, and metaphysics: others' agency and self-identity in the Roman stoic notion of a person; 4. Girl behind the woman: Cicero and Tullia, Lucretius and the life of the body-mind; 5. Embodied persons and bodies personified: the phenomenology of perspectives in Seneca, Ep. 121; 6. Nature's property in On Duties 1: the feminine communism of Cicero's radical aesthetics; Conclusion: repairing the text; Editions and commentaries consulted; Bibliography.
£98.80
Cambridge University Press Aristotle on Political Community
Book SynopsisAristotle''s claims that ''man is a political animal'' and that political community ''exists for the sake of living well'' have frequently been celebrated by thinkers of divergent political persuasions. The details of his political philosophy, however, have often been regarded as outmoded, contradictory, or pernicious. This book takes on the major problems that arise in attempting to understand how the central pieces of Aristotle''s political thought fit together: can a conception of politics that seems fundamentally inclusive and egalitarian be reconciled with a vision of justice that seems uncompromisingly hierarchical and authoritarian? Riesbeck argues that Aristotle''s ideas about the distinctive nature and value of political community, political authority, and political participation are coherent and consistent with his aristocratic standards of justice. The result is a theory that, while not free of problems, remains a potentially fruitful resource for contemporary thinking about the persistent problems of political life.Table of ContentsIntroduction: community and exclusion; 1. Paradoxes of monarchy; 2. Community, friendship, and justice; 3. From the household to the city; 4. Rule and justice in the household and the city; 5. Citizenship, constitutions, and political justice; 6. Kingship as political rule and political community; Conclusion: ruling and being ruled.
£999.99
Cambridge University Press A Literary Commentary on Panegyrici Latini VI7
Book SynopsisThe oration presented in this volume is critical to our knowledge of Constantine''s early career and covers Maximian''s rebellion, Constantine''s claim of descent from Claudius II and his vision of Apollo. Written in AD 310, two years before Constantine''s capture of Rome and his acceptance of Christianity, the speech gives a unique insight into the evolution of an imperial persona. This commentary examines the literary context of the panegyric and the role of the classical literary and rhetorical tradition in the recreation of Constantine''s image. From the outset, the orator praises Constantine as separate from the imperial college: a deus praesens, god manifest, to the people of Gaul. He uses Lucan and Caesar to link Maximian''s bid for power with the civil war between Caesar and Pompey while Vergilian allusion associates Constantine with Augustus.Trade Review'For those interested in introducing students to the considerable joys of Late Roman Latin, or in understanding for themselves the considerable richness and texture of the 'vapid and turgid' panegyrics of the fourth century, this work can only be recommended.' Adrastos Omissi, Plekos'… a splendid contribution … The work is a milestone in the literary study of late Latin prose.' Geoffrey Harrison, Bryn Mawr Classical ReviewTable of ContentsIntroduction; Text and Translation; Part I: The Panegyrici Latini; Part II: PL VI(7).
£105.45
Cambridge University Press Reviving Roman Religion
Book SynopsisSacred trees are easy to dismiss as a simplistic, weird phenomenon, but this book argues that in fact they prompted sophisticated theological thinking in the Roman world. Challenging major aspects of current scholarly constructions of Roman religion, Ailsa Hunt rethinks what sacrality means in Roman culture, proposing an organic model which defies the current legalistic approach. She approaches Roman religion as a ''thinking'' religion (in contrast to the ingrained idea of Roman religion as orthopraxy) and warns against writing the environment out of our understanding of Roman religion, as has happened to date. In addition, the individual trees showcased in this book have much to tell us which enriches and thickens our portraits of Roman religion, be it about the subtleties of engaging in imperial cult, the meaning of numen, the interpretation of portents, or the way statues of the Divine communicate.Table of Contents1. Rooting in: why give time to sacred trees?; 2. A brief history of tree-thinking: the enduring power of animism; 3. How arboreal matter matters: rethinking sacrality through trees; 4. Arboriculture and arboreal deaths: rethinking sacrality again; 5. Confronting arboreal agency: reading the Divine in arboreal behaviour; 6. Imagining the gods: how trees flesh out the identity of the Divine; 7. Branching out: what sacred trees mean for Roman religion.
£98.80
Cambridge University Press Proclus Commentary on Platos Republic
Book SynopsisThe commentary on Plato''s Republic by Proclus (d. 485 CE), which takes the form of a series of essays, is the only sustained treatment of the dialogue to survive from antiquity. This three-volume edition presents the first complete English translation of Proclus'' text, together with a general introduction that argues for the unity of Proclus'' Commentary and orients the reader to the use which the Neoplatonists made of Plato''s Republic in their educational program. Each volume is completed by a Greek word index and an English-Greek glossary that will help non-specialists to track the occurrence of key terms throughout the translated text. The second volume of the edition presents Proclus'' essays on the tripartite soul and the virtues, female philosopher rulers, and the metaphysics and epistemology of the central books of the Republic. The longest of the essays in Volume II interprets the nature and significance of the ''marriage number'' whose miscalculation leads to the degeneration of the ideal city-state.Table of ContentsGeneral Introduction; 1. Introduction to essay 7; 2. Essay 7; 3. Introduction to essays 8 and 9; 4. Essay 8; 5. Essay 9; 6. Introduction to essay 10; 7. Essay 10; 8. Introduction to essay 11; 9. Essay 11; 10. Introduction to essay 12; 11. Essay 12; 12. Introduction to essay 13; 13. Essay 13; 14. Introduction to essays 14 and 15; 15. Essay 14; 16. Essay 15; References; English-Greek Glossary; Greek Word Index; General Index.
£75.99
Cambridge University Press Sexuality in the Babylonian Talmud
Book SynopsisWithin this close textual analysis of the Babylonian Talmud, Yishai Kiel explores rabbinic discussions of sex in light of cultural assumptions and dispositions that pervaded the cultures of late antiquity and particularly the Iranian world. By negotiating the Iranian context of the rabbinic discussion alongside the Christian backdrop, this groundbreaking volume presents a balanced and nuanced portrayal of the rabbinic discourse on sexuality and situates rabbinic discussions of sex more broadly at the crossroads of late antique cultures. The study is divided into two thematic sections: the first centers on the broader aspects of rabbinic discourse on sexuality while the second hones in on rabbinic discussions of sexual prohibitions and the classification of permissible and prohibited partnerships, with particular attention to rabbinic discussions of incest. Essential reading for scholars and graduate students of Judaic studies, early Christianity, and Iranian studies, as well as those interested in religious studies and comparative religion.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements; Part I: Introduction; 1. Talmudic, Christian and Zoroastrian notions of sexual desire; 2. Sex and the sages; 3. Sexual etiquette and identity demarcation; 4. The mythologization of sexuality; Part II: Introduction; 5. The Pahlavi doctrine of Xwēdōdah; 6. Noahide law and the inclusiveness of sexual ethics; 7. Incestuous riddles; 8. Incest between law. Narrative and myth; 9. Confessing incest to a Rabbi; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index.
£999.99
Cambridge University Press Land and Taxes in Ptolemaic Egypt
Book SynopsisThis book provides the first edition with an extensive introduction and full commentary of a unique land survey written on papyrus in Greek which derives from that area of southern (Upper) Egypt known as the Apollonopolite (or Edfu) nome and is now preserved in Copenhagen. Dating from the late second century BC, this survey provides a new picture of both landholding and taxation in the area which differs significantly from that currently accepted. The introduction sets this new evidence in its contemporary context, drawing particular attention to what it reveals about the nature of the relations of the Ptolemaic royal administration with local grandees, Egyptian temples and the army. No student of Hellenistic Egypt can afford to ignore this text, which importantly extends our knowledge of Upper Egypt under the Ptolemaic kings and involves some modification to the prevailing picture of landholding in Hellenistic Egypt.Table of ContentsPart I. Introduction to the Edfu Land Survey: 1. The Edfu land survey in context; 2. Acquisition and physical description; 3. Date and nature of the survey; 4. Survey operations and the officials involved; 5. Fiscal land categories; 6. Taxes; 7. Condition and use of the land; 8. Historical discussion; 9. Overview of the Edfu land survey; Part II. Text and Translation: Part III. Commentary.
£89.29
Cambridge University Press A History of Alexander the Great in World Culture
Book SynopsisAlexander the Great has for over 2000 years been one of the best recognized names from antiquity. This innovative volume explores the many facets of his legend and reception in literature, art and culture from antiquity to the present, ranging across numerous cultures of Europe and the Middle East.Table of Contents1. Introduction: Greek and Roman formations, and new prospects Richard Stoneman; 2. Alexander and Alexandria in life and legend Dorothy Thompson; 3. The image of Alexander in ancient art Olga Palagia; 4. Alexander, Philosophy and Rome: A Trajanic moment Sulochana Asirvatham; 5. Christianizing Alexander traditions in late antiquity Christian Djurslev; 6. Alexander in ancient Jewish literature Ory Amitay; 7. The medieval Alexander: Art and politics Maud Perez-Simon; 8. Alexander the great and the crusades Mark Cruse; 9. The slavic Alexander Susana Torres Prieto; 10. Alexander the great in byzantine tradition, 330-1453 AD Anthony Kaldellis; 11. The Spanish Alexander: A figure of praise and blame Rich Rabone; 12. The Persian Alexander (1): The Royal Alexander Haila Manteghi; 13. The Persian Alexander (2): Amir Khusraw and the philosophical view of Alexander Richard Stoneman; 14. Alexander in medieval arab minds Faustina Doufikar-Aerts; 15. Alexander in the age of Shakespeare: the plays of Sir William Alexander Richard Stoneman; 16. Alexander the great in Opera Jon Solomon; 17. Alexander in the long eighteenth century (ca. 1660-1830) Pierre Briant; 18. Images of Alexander in Germany: Hero, Explorer of new spaces, Cosmopolitanist and Champion of the west Josef Wiesehöfer; 19. Alexander the Gay and the Gloryhole that was Greece Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones and Shaun Tougher.
£119.70
Cambridge University Press Knowledge Text and Practice in Ancient Technical Writing
Book SynopsisThe relationship between theory and practice, in other words between norms indicated in a text and their extra-textual application, is one of the most fascinating issues in the history and theory of science. Yet this aspect has often been taken for granted and never explored in depth. The essays contained in this volume provide a complex and nuanced discussion of this relationship as it emerges in ancient Greek and Roman culture in a number of fields, such as agriculture, architecture, the art of love, astronomy, ethics, mechanics, medicine, pharmacology. The main focus is on the textuality of processes of the transmission of knowledge and its application in various fields. Given that a text always contains complex and destabilising aspects that cannot be reduced to the specific subject matter it discusses, to what extent can and do ancient texts support extra-textual applicability?Table of Contents1. From words to acts? Philip van der Eijk and Marco Formisano; 2. The poetics of knowledge Marco Formisano; 3. Machines on paper: from words to acts in ancient mechanics Markus Asper; 4. Si quis voluerit: Vitruvius on architecture as 'the art of the possible' Elisa Romano; 5. Caesar's Rhine bridge and its feasibility in Giovanni Giocondo's Expositio pontis Ronny Kaiser; 6. From words to acts: on the applicability of Hippocratic therapy Pilar Pérez Cañizares; 7. Naso magister erat – sed cui bono? On not taking the poet's teaching seriously Alison Sharrock; 8. From technē to kakotechnia: use and abuse of ancient cosmetic texts Laurence Totelin; 9. From discourses to handbook: the Encheiridion of Epictetus as a practical guide to life Gerard Boter; 10. The problem of practical applicability in Ptolemy's Geography Klaus Geus; 11. Living according to the seasons – the power of parapēgmata Gerd Grasshoff; 12. Auctoritas in the garden: Columella's poetic strategy in De re rustica 10 Christiane Reitz; 13. The generous text: animal intuition, human knowledge, and written transmission in Pliny's books on medicine Brooke Holmes; 14. From descriptions to acts: the paradoxical animals of the ancients from a cognitive perspective Pietro Li Causi.
£88.34
Cambridge University Press Writing and Society in Ancient Cyprus
Book SynopsisFrom its first adoption of writing at the beginning of the Late Bronze Age, ancient Cyprus was home to distinctive scripts and writing habits, often setting it apart from other areas of the Mediterranean and Near East. This well-illustrated volume is the first to explore the development and importance of Cypriot writing over a period of more than 1,500 years in the second and first millennia BC. Five themed chapters deal with issues ranging from the acquisition of literacy and the adaptation of new writing systems to the visibility of writing and its role in the marking of identities. The agency of Cypriots in shaping the island''s literate landscape is given prominence, and an extended consideration of the social context of writing leads to new insights on Cypriot scripts and their users. Cyprus provides a stimulating case to demonstrate the importance of contextualised approaches to the development of writing systems.Table of Contents1. The advent of literacy on Cyprus; 2. Scripts and languages in geometric cyprus; 3. 'Understanding' undeciphered scripts and unidentified languages; 4. Visible languages and Cypriot identities; 5. Cypriot writing at home and abroad.
£85.50
Cambridge University Press Roman Geographies of the Nile
Book SynopsisThe River Nile fascinated the Romans and appeared in maps, written descriptions, texts, poems and paintings of the developing empire. Tantalised by the unique status of the river, explorers were sent to find the sources of the Nile, while natural philosophers meditated on its deeper metaphysical significance. Andy Merrills'' book, Roman Geographies of the Nile, examines the very different images of the river that emerged from these descriptions - from anthropomorphic figures, brought repeatedly into Rome in military triumphs, through the frequently whimsical landscape vignettes from the houses of Pompeii, to the limitless river that spilled through the pages of Lucan''s Civil War, and symbolised a conflict - and an empire - without end. Considering cultural and political contexts alongside the other Niles that flowed through the Roman world in this period, this book provides a wholly original interpretation of the deeper significance of geographical knowledge during the later Roman RepTrade Review'… Merrills has performed an enormous scholarly service in reconstructing the diversity of the Roman geographical imagination in this stimulating and scholarly volume.' Robert Mayhew, IsisTable of ContentsIntroduction: what we talk about when we talk about Roman geography; 1. A world full of maps? Public 'chorographies' in late Republican and early Imperial Rome; 2. The dismembered Nile: the geography of triumphs and monuments; 3. Gazing on the Nile: the domestication of the river; 4. Creatio ex Nilo: metaphysics and the unknowable river; 5. This river is a jumbled line, perhaps? (4): journeys and lines; 6. Triumph and disaster: rendering the river in verse; Afterword: the many Niles of the Elder Pliny.
£999.99
Cambridge University Press Cultural Identity in Minoan Crete
Book SynopsisNeopalatial Crete - the ''Golden Age'' of the Minoan Civilization - possessed palaces, exquisite artefacts, and iconography with pre-eminent females. While lacking in fortifications, ritual symbolism cloaked the island, an elaborate bureaucracy logged transactions, and massive storage areas enabled the redistribution of goods. We cannot read the Linear A script, but the libation formulae suggest an island-wide koine. Within this cultural identity, there is considerable variation in how the Minoan elites organized themselves and others on an intra-site and regional basis. This book explores and celebrates this rich, diverse and dynamic culture through analyses of important sites, as well as Minoan administration, writing, economy and ritual. Key themes include the role of Knossos in wider Minoan culture and politics, the variable modes of centralization and power relations detectable across the island, and the role of ritual and cult in defining and articulating elite control.Table of Contents1. Introduction; 2. The background to Neopalatial Crete; 3. Elite architecture and artefacts; 4. Palaces and their context; 5. Other settlements and regional groupings; 6. The ritual landscape and extra-urban sanctuaries; 7. Literacy, administration and communication; 8. The economy; 9. Who were the Minoans? Self-representation and others in 'Minoan' identity; 10. Conclusion.
£99.75
Cambridge University Press Architecture and Politics in Republican Rome
Book SynopsisArchitecture and Politics in Republican Rome is the first book to explore the intersection between Roman Republican building practices and politics (c.50944 BCE). At the start of the period, architectural commissions were carefully controlled by the political system; by the end, buildings were so widely exploited and so rhetorically powerful that Cassius Dio cited abuse of visual culture among the reasons that propelled Julius Caesar''s colleagues to murder him in order to safeguard the Republic. In an engaging and wide-ranging text, Penelope J. E. Davies traces the journey between these two points, as politicians developed strategies to manoeuver within the system''s constraints. She also explores the urban development and image of Rome, setting out formal aspects of different types of architecture and technological advances such as the mastery of concrete. Elucidating a rich corpus of buildings that have been poorly understand, Davies demonstrates that Republican architecture was mucTrade Review'In this perceptive book Davies interrogates the evolving, mutually exploitative exchange between architecture and politics in Rome of the Republic. Drawing on deep research, she expertly reveals how such factors as term limits, religious traditions, materials, and cultural shifts constrained and enriched politicians and architectural projects alike. It is an informative and compelling story, told with verve and insight.' Diane Favro, University of California, Los Angeles'Davies' achievement is to stand above the topographical fray and to keep the focus at all points on the bigger picture of historical context. The consequence is a volume that is truly innovative. We have seen many volumes on Roman Republican history with only glancing reference to architecture, and some (but not many) on Republican Art and Architecture, with only generic reference to historical context. What Architecture and Politics in Republican Rome achieves is to pull together these story lines into an integrated narrative that is so persuasive we may ask ourselves why it has never been done before.' Andrew Wallace-Hadrill, University of Cambridge'Davies provides what amounts to a definitive architectural history of republican Rome (509–44 BCE). Distinguishing this volume from previous treatments is not only Davies's comprehensive approach and skilled integration of historical sources alongside presentation of the monuments, but also her inclusion of state-of-the-art illustrations, among them phase plans, digital reconstructions, and photographs, most reproduced in color. What emerges is a gradually evolving urban fabric for the city, one realized not by overarching designs, but rather by piecemeal agency and accretion, prior to the grand integrative schemes imposed during the imperial period. The temples, public spaces, fortifications, theaters, and other monuments that progressively defined the cityscape of Rome during the four centuries of the Republic not only overlay the fortunes of the metropolis itself but reflect the power struggles of class and men of action, culminating in the civil wars and accompanying Rome's transformation to the Empire.' ChoiceTable of ContentsIntroduction; 1. A republic takes shape; 2. An age of individualism, c.338–218 BCE; 3. A state of fear and new horizons, c.217–133 BCE; 4. Turmoil and tension, c.133–90 BCE; 5. Civil war and aftermath, c.89–70 BCE; 6. Pompey, Caesar, and rivals: c.69–55 BCE; 7. Caesar, Pompey, and rivals: c.54–44 BCE; Endnotes; Bibliography; Index.
£33.24
Cambridge University Press A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities 2 Part Set
Book SynopsisFirst published in 1842, this extensive reference work was edited and written in large part by the eminent lexicographer and classicist Sir William Smith (1813â93). Knighted in 1892, Smith was one of the major figures responsible for the revival of classical teaching and scholarship in Britain. He also made contributions to biblical study, editing a series of reference works on the subject. His three-volume Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology is also reissued in six parts in the Cambridge Library Collection. The present work is a massive achievement, running to well over a million words and copiously illustrated throughout with line drawings. It proved enduringly popular and was frequently reprinted throughout the nineteenth century. It is reissued now in two parts. The first part contains entries from abacus to lodix (a small shaggy blanket). The second part contains entries from logistai (Athenian officials) to zona (a girdle).
£999.99
Cambridge University Press Isokrates The Forensic Speeches Nos. 16â21 2 Hardback Volume Set
Book SynopsisThe Athenian Isokrates (436â338 BC) is well-known for his long career as an educator and pundit; but originally he wrote 'forensic' speeches, i.e. for delivery in court. Six of them survive (five from Athens, one from Aigina), on issues including assault, fraud and inheritance. Here for the first time, after a General Introduction, they are presented and analysed in depth as a self-contained group. The Greek text and a facing English translation - both new - are augmented by commentaries which juxtapose this material with other surviving writers in the genre (and with Isocrates' own later output). In the process, too, the speeches' historical background, personnel, legal context, rhetorical strategies and all other relevant topics are explored.
£150.10
