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Rome: Empire of the Eagles, 753 BC – AD 476
By Neil Faulkner. 2008
The Roman Empire is widely admired as a model of civilisation. In this compelling new study Neil Faulkner argues that…
in fact, it was nothing more than a ruthless system of robbery and violence. War was used to enrich the state, the imperial ruling classes and favoured client groups. In the process millions of people were killed or enslaved. Within the empire the landowning elite creamed off the wealth of the countryside to pay taxes to the state and fund the towns and villas where they lived. The masses of people slaves, serfs and poor peasants were victims of a grand exploitation that made the empire possible. This system, riddled with tension and latent conflict, contained the seeds of its own eventual collapse.Egyptian Art: Studies
By Maspero. 2006
First published in 2005. Gaston Maspero, the leading expert on Egyptian art, writes here with authority and style on a…
very significant aspect of ancient Egypt. By compiling and publishing this volume, he sought to familiarise the general public with some of the finest examples of ancient Egyptian art, and to enhance their appreciation of these treasures. Many of the pieces described herein were examined by the author in museums around the world. Others he caught as they emerged from the ground, moments after their discovery.Athens and Sparta: Constructing Greek Political and Social History from 478 BC
By Anton Powell. 2016
Athens and Sparta is an essential textbook for the study of Greek history. Providing a comprehensive account of the two…
key Greek powers in the years after 478 BC, it charts the rise of Athens from city-state to empire after the devastation of the Persian Wars, and the increasing tensions with their rivals, Sparta, culminating in the Peloponnesian Wars. As well as the political history of the period, it also offers an insight into the radically different political systems of these two superpowers, and explores aspects of social history such as Athenian democracy, life in Sparta, and the lives of Athenian women. More than this though, it encourages students to develop their critical skills, guiding them in how to think about history, demonstrating in a lucid way the techniques used in interpreting the ancient sources. In this new third edition, Anton Powell includes discussion of the latest scholarship on this crucial period in Greek history. Its bibliography has been renewed, and for the first time it includes numerous photographs of Greek sites and archaeological objects discussed in the text. Written in an accessible style and covering the key events of the period – the rise to power of Athens, the unusual Spartan state, and their rivalry and eventual clash in all out war – this is an invaluable tool for students of the history of Greece in the fifth century BC.The Lost History of Peter the Patrician: An Account of Rome’s Imperial Past from the Age of Justinian
By Thomas M. Banchich. 2015
The Lost History of Peter the Patrician is an annotated translation from the Greek of the fragments of Peter’s History, including…
additional fragments which are now more often considered the work of the Roman historian Cassius Dio's so-called Anonymous Continuer. Banchich’s annotation helps clarify the relationship of Peter's work to that of Cassius Dio. Focusing on the historical and historiographical rather than philological, he provides a strong framework for the understanding of this increasingly important source for the third and fourth centuries A.D. With an introduction on Peter himself - a distinguished administrator and diplomat at the court of Justinian – assessing his literary output, the relationship of the fragments of Peter's History to the fragments of the Anonymous Continuer, and the contentious issue of the place of this evidence within the framework of late antique historiography, The Lost History of Peter the Patrician will be an invaluable resource for those interested in the history of the Roman world in general and of the third and fourth centuries A.D. in particular.A History of Market Performance: From Ancient Babylonia to the Modern World (Routledge Explorations in Economic History)
By Jan Luiten van Zanden, Bas Van Leeuwen, R.J. van der Spek. 2013
This exciting new volume examines the development of market performance from Antiquity until the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. Efficient…
market structures are agreed by most economists to serve as evidence of economic prosperity, and to be prerequisites for further economic growth. However, this is the first study to examine market performance as a whole, over such a large time period. Presenting a hitherto unknown and inaccessible corpus of data from ancient Babylonia, this international set of contributors are for the first time able to offer an in-depth study of market performance over a period of 2,500 years. The contributions focus on the market of staple crops, as they were crucial goods in these societies. Over this entire period, all papers provide a similar conceptual and methodological framework resting on a common definition of market performance combined with qualitative and quantitative analyses resting on new and improved price data. In this way, the book is able to combine analysis of the Babylonian period with similar work on the Roman, Early-and Late Medieval and Early Modern period. Bringing together input from assyriologists, ancient historians, economic historians and economists, this volume will be crucial reading for all those with an interest in ancient history, economic history and economics.Women in Mycenaean Greece: The Linear B Tablets from Pylos and Knossos
By Barbara A. Olsen. 2014
Women in Mycenaean Greece is the first book-length study of women in the Linear B tablets from Mycenaean Greece and…
the only to collect and compile all the references to women in the documents of the two best attested sites of Late Bronze Age Greece - Pylos on the Greek mainland and Knossos on the island of Crete. The book offers a systematic analysis of women’s tasks, holdings, and social and economic status in the Linear B tablets dating from the 14th and 13th centuries BCE, identifying how Mycenaean women functioned in the economic institutions where they were best attested - production, property control, land tenure, and cult. Analysing all references to women in the Mycenaean documents, the book focuses on the ways in which the economic institutions of these Bronze Age palace states were gendered and effectively extends the framework for the study of women in Greek antiquity back more than 400 years. Throughout, the book seeks to establish whether gender practices were uniform in the Mycenaean states or differed from site to site and to gauge the relationship of the roles and status of Mycenaean women to their Archaic and Classical counterparts to test if the often-proposed theories of a more egalitarian Bronze Age accurately reflect the textual evidence. The Linear B tablets offer a unique, if under-utilized, point of entry into women’s history in ancient Greece, documenting nearly 2000 women performing over fifty task assignments. From their decipherment in 1952 one major gap in the scholarly record remained: a full accounting of the women who inhabited the palace states and their tasks, ranks, and economic contributions. Women in Mycenaean Greece fills that gap recovering how class, rank, and other social markers created status hierarchies among women, how women as a group functioned relative to men, and where different localities conformed or diverged in their gender practices.Euphrates Expedition
By John. S. Guest. 1992
First published in 1992. This book invites the reader to cast the mind a hundred and fifty years back to…
a short span of time between 1829 and 1842. This was an exciting period when Britain’s might, demonstrated to the world at Trafalgar and Waterloo, was fortified by leadership in steam technology and was given a new direction by the liberal philosophy that British statesmen, thinkers and poets proclaimed at home and abroad. The Euphrates expedition was an attempt by well-intentioned British governments to achieve a geopolitical end by a technological means. The objective was to halt Russian expansion in the Near East, where some observers saw a threat to Britain’s control of India.Herodotos the Historian: His Problems, Methods and Originality (Routledge Revivals)
By K. H. Waters. 1985
The work of Herodotos of Halikarnassos, ‘the father of history’, differs in many ways from that of modern historians, and…
it poses special problems to the student. Herodotos’ history of the Persian Wars, written in the second half of the fifth century BC, was both the first attempt at a comprehensive history and the first lengthy prose narrative in the Western cultural tradition. There was an almost total lack of written historical evidence in Greece at the time, and the audiences who paid to hear Herodotos’ lectures also expected historical dramatizations, and enjoyed descriptive material and anecdotes that today would be relegated to notes. In Herodotus the Historian, first published in 1985, K.H. Waters offers a comprehensive introduction to Herodotus’ background, aims, and methods. In a lively, informative style, this work offers a level-headed approach to an historian who has excited some extreme reactions and incited controversy among modern readers.Encyclopedia of the History of Classical Archaeology
By Nancy Thomson de Grummond. 1997
With 1,125 entries and 170 contributors, this is the first encyclopedia on the history of classical archaeology. It focuses on…
Greek and Roman material, but also covers the prehistoric and semi-historical cultures of the Bronze Age Aegean, the Etruscans, and manifestations of Greek and Roman culture in Europe and Asia Minor. The Encyclopedia of the History of Classical Archaeology includes entries on individuals whose activities influenced the knowledge of sites and monuments in their own time; articles on famous monuments and sites as seen, changed, and interpreted through time; and entries on major works of art excavated from the Renaissance to the present day as well as works known in the Middle Ages. As the definitive source on a comparatively new discipline - the history of archaeology - these finely illustrated volumes will be useful to students and scholars in archaeology, the classics, history, topography, and art and architectural history.During the fourth century BC the number of Greeks who did not live as citizens in the city-states of southern…
mainland Greece increased considerably: mercenaries, pirates, itinerant artisans and traders, their origins differed widely. It has been argued that this increase was caused by the destruction of many Greek cities in the wars of the fourth century, accompanied by the large programme of settlement begun by Alexander in the East and Timoleon in the West. Although this was an important factor, argues Dr McKechnie, more crucial was an ideological deterioration of loyalties to the city: the polis was no longer absolutely normative in the fourth century and Hellenistic periods. With so many outsiders with specialist skills, Alexander and his successors were able to recruit the armies and colonists needed to conquer and maintain empires many times larger than any single polis had ever controlled.Early Christian Historiography: Narratives of Retribution (Studies In Religion)
By G. W. Trompf. 2006
First Published in 2014. This book describes the developing application of retributive principles in historical narratives before Christ. It assesses…
degrees of concern in the first history-writers of the world's most widespread monotheistic tradition to discern divine justice in human affairs.Rome, Blood & Power: Reform, Murder and Popular Politics in the Late Republic 70–27 BC
By Gareth C. Sampson. 2019
&“Capture[s] the essence of the struggle within Rome for reform and power and dominance . . . a page turner of a…
book . . . that offers fresh insight.&” —Firetrench Following the First Civil War the Roman Republic was able to rebuild itself and restore stability. Yet the problems which had plagued the previous seventy years of the Republic, of political reform being met with violence and bloodshed, had not been resolved and once again resumed. Men such as Catiline and Clodius took up the mantle of reform which saw Rome paralyzed with domestic conflict and ultimately carnage and murder. In the search for stability, the Roman system produced a series of military dynasts; men such as Pompey, Crassus and Caesar. Ultimately this led to the Republic&’s collapse into a second and third civil war and the end of the old Republican system. In its place was the Principate, a new Republic founded on the promise of peace and security at home and an end to the decades of bloodshed. Gareth Sampson analyses the various reforming politicians, their policies and opponents and the conflicts that resulted. He charts the Republic&’s collapse into further civil wars and the new system that rose from the ashes. &“[Sampson] has obviously done a huge amount of research, and yet managed to turn what could be a dry subject into an interesting tale of men battling for control. Far more exciting than Game of Thrones, and with added gladiators!&” —Army Rumour Service (ARRSE)Adults and Children in the Roman Empire (Routledge Revivals)
By Thomas Wiedemann. 1989
There is little evidence to enable us to reconstruct what it felt like to be a child in the Roman…
world. We do, however, have ample evidence about the feelings and expectations that adults had for children over the centuries between the end of the Roman republic and late antiquity. Thomas Wiedemann draws on this evidence to describe a range of attitudes towards children in the classical period, identifying three areas where greater individuality was assigned to children: through political office-holding; through education; and, for Christians, through membership of the Church in baptism. These developments in both pagan and Christian practices reflect wider social changes in the Roman world during the first four centuries of the Christian era. Of obvious value to classicists, Adults and Children in the Roman Empire, first published in 1989, is also indispensable for anthropologists, and well as those interested in ecclesiastical and social history.A History of Egypt under the Ptolemaic Dynasty (Routledge Revivals)
By Edwyn Bevan. 1927
First published in 1927, this title presents a well-regarded study of this intriguing and often over-looked period of Egyptian history,…
both for the general reader and the student of Hellenism.Edwyn Bevan describes his work as ‘an attempt to tell afresh the story of a great adventure, Greek rule in the land of the Pharaohs…which ends with the astounding episode of Cleopatra’. The result is a remarkable synthesis of historical scholarship, prose style and breadth of vision, which will still prove to be of value to Egypt enthusiasts and students of Egyptology.Horace (Routledge Revivals)
By C.D.N. Costa. 1973
Two thousand years after his death Horace is still recognised as a unique poet, having exerted marked influence on later…
European literature. This collection, first published in 1973, explores the different aspects of Horace’s poetic achievement in his main works: the Odes, Epistles¸ Satires and Ars Poetica. The essays, written by internationally-known scholars, include a discussion of the three worlds of the Satires, and a study of Horace’s poetic craft in the Odes – his greatest technical accomplishment. The final chapter is devoted entirely to Horace’s reputation in England up to the seventeenth century as ‘The Best of Lyrick Poets’, and concentrates on the many English translations which he inspired. The expert criticism is illustrated throughout by English translations from the original Latin texts. Horace will appeal to students and scholars of Latin poetry alike, as well as to those interested in the reception of classical literature throughout European history.Cynics, Paul and the Pauline Churches
By F. Gerald Downing. 1998
F. Gerald Downing explores the teachings of Paul, arguing that the development of Paul's preaching and of the Pauline Church…
owed a great deal to the views of the vagabond Cynic philosophers, critics of the gods and of the ethos of civic society.F. Gerald Downing examines the New Testament writings of Paul, explaining how he would have been seen, heard, perceived and understood by his culturally and ethnically diverse converts and disciples. He engages in a lucid Pauline commentary and offers some startling and ground-breaking views of Paul and his Word.Cynics, Paul and the Pauline Churches is a unique and controversial book, particularly in its endorsement of the simple and ascetic life proffered in Paul's teachings in comparison with the greedy, consumerist and self-promoting nature of today's society.Ancient Medicine (Sciences of Antiquity)
By Vivian Nutton. 2013
The first edition of Ancient Medicine was the most complete examination of the medicine of the ancient world for a…
hundred years. The new edition includes the key discoveries made since the first edition, especially from important texts discovered in recent finds of papyri and manuscripts, making it the most comprehensive and up-to-date survey available. Vivian Nutton pays particular attention to the life and work of doctors in communities, links between medicine and magic, and examines the different approaches to medicine across the ancient world. The new edition includes more on Rufus and Galen as well as augmented information on Babylonia, Hellenistic medicine and Late Antiquity. With recently discovered texts made accessible for the first time, and providing new evidence, this broad exploration challenges currently held perspectives, and proves an invaluable resource for students of both classics and the history of medicine.Ritual Texts for the Afterlife: Orpheus and the Bacchic Gold Tablets
By Sarah Iles Johnston, Fritz Graf. 2013
Fascinating texts written on small gold tablets that were deposited in graves provide a unique source of information about what…
some Greeks and Romans believed regarding the fate that awaited them after death, and how they could influence it. These texts, dating from the late fifth century BCE to the second century CE, have been part of the scholarly debate on ancient afterlife beliefs since the end of the nineteenth century. Recent finds and analysis of the texts have reshaped our understanding of their purpose and of the perceived afterlife. The tablets belonged to those who had been initiated into the mysteries of Dionysus Bacchius and relied heavily upon myths narrated in poems ascribed to the mythical singer Orpheus. After providing the Greek text and a translation of all the available tablets, the authors analyze their role in the mysteries of Dionysus, and present an outline of the myths concerning the origins of humanity and of the sacred texts that the Greeks ascribed to Orpheus. Related ancient texts are also appended in English translations. Providing the first book-length edition and discussion of these enigmatic texts in English, and their first English translation, this book is essential to the study of ancient Greek religion.The Imperial Roman Army
By Yann Le Bohec. 1994
The Emperor Augustus believed that the Roman army occupied a crucial lace at the heart of the empire and it…
was he who made it a fully professional force. This book looks at the structure and development of the army between the Republic and the Late Empire, examining why the army has always been accorded such a prominent position in the history of the Roman Empire, and whether that view is justified.The book is divided into three sections. The author first examines the major divisions of army organization - the legions, the auxiliary units, the fleet - and how the men were recruited. Secondly he looks at what the army did - the training, tactics and strategy. Finally he considers the historical role of the army - how it fitted into Roman society, of which it was only part, and what influence it had economically and politically.In exploring these themes, the author gives equal weight to epigraphic, documentary and archaeology evidence. With tables summarizing detailed information, Yann Le Bohec provides a synthesis of current knowledge of the Roman army from the first to the third century AD, putting it in its context as part of the state structure of the Roman Empire.Cicero (Routledge Revivals)
By T. A. Dorey. 1965
First published in 1965, Cicero contains a number of assessments of Cicero’s life and works, made by a group of…
scholars that includes some of the acknowledged experts in their particular field. Cicero is a man on whom most judgments have been harsh. His political ideals, though sincerely held, were bypassed by the march of events; his public life was a series of frustrations; his personality was egotistical. However, as a speaker and a thinker, as a master of the use of language, and as a man of cultured interests and human disposition he deserves sympathetic study. The chapters in this volume deal with his political career, his character, his oratory, philosophy and poems, and his influence on subsequent literature and scholarship. This book will be of interest to students of literature, history and philosophy.