Even though there is agreement on the existence of an Imperial commentary on Homer, going under the name Mythographus Homericus, a large-scale study of this work has been lacking. The objective of this collective volume is to fill this blank. The authors represent diverse opinions, a consequence of the complex nature of the textual tradition but also of the difficulty of defining the nature of this mythographic work itself. This volume offers a study of Mythographus Homericus from different perspectives: the place of the work in the history of scholarship, the state of the text, which has been transmitted by scholia and papyri, its readership, its place in mythography and in Homeric scholarship, its intertextual relationship to other mythographic works or scholiastic corpora and its contribution to the study of myth from a typological perspective.

This book demonstrates and analyzes patterns in the response of the Imperial Roman state to local resistance, focusing on decisions made within military and administrative organizations during the Principate. Through a thorough investigation of the official Roman approach towards local revolt, author Gil Gambash answers significant questions that, until now, have produced conflicting explanations in the literature: Was Rome's rule of its empire mostly based on oppressive measures, or on the willing cooperation of local populations? To what extent did Roman decisions and actions indicate a dedication towards stability in the provinces? And to what degree were Roman interests pursued at the risk of provoking local resistance? Examining the motivations and judgment of decision-makers within the military and administrative organizations - from the emperor down to the provincial procurator - this book reconstructs the premises for decisions and ensuing actions that promoted negotiation and cooperation with local populations. A ground-breaking work that, for the first time, provides a centralized view of Roman responses to indigenous revolt, Rome and Provincial Resistance is essential reading for scholars of Roman imperial history.

The Germania of Tacitus is the most extensive account of the ancient Germans written during the Roman period. This new translation, introduction, and commentary provides an up-to-date guide to the relevant literary and archaeological evidence, and discusses the methodological issues involved in understanding this important historical source.

It is estimated that only a small fraction, less than 1 per cent, of ancient literature has survived to the present day. The role of Christian authorities in the active suppression and destruction of books in Late Antiquity has received surprisingly little sustained consideration by academics. In an approach that presents evidence for the role played by Christian institutions, writers and saints, this book analyses a broad range of literary and legal sources, some of which have hitherto been little studied. Paying special attention to the problem of which genres and book types were likely to be targeted, the author argues that in addition to heretical, magical, astrological and anti-Christian books, other less obviously subversive categories of literature were also vulnerable to destruction, censorship or suppression through prohibition of the copying of manuscripts. These include texts from materialistic philosophical traditions, texts which were to become the basis for modern philosophy and science. This book examines how Christian authorities, theologians and ideologues suppressed ancient texts and associated ideas at a time of fundamental transformation in the late classical world.

This book is a study both of anachronism in antiquity and of anachronism as a vehicle for understanding antiquity. It explores the post-classical origins and changing meanings of the term 'anachronism' as well as the presence of anachronism in all its forms in classical literature, criticism and material objects. Contrary to the position taken by many modern philosophers of history, this book argues that classical antiquity had a rich and varied understanding of historical difference, which is reflected in sophisticated notions of anachronism. This central hypothesis is tested by an examination of attitudes to temporal errors in ancient literary texts and chronological writings and by analysing notions of anachronistic survival and multitemporality. Rather than seeing a sense of anachronism as something that separates modernity from antiquity, the book suggests that in both ancient writings and their modern receptions chronological rupture can be used as a way of creating a dialogue between past and present. With a selection of case-studies and theoretical discussions presented in a manner suitable for scholars and students both of classical antiquity and of modern history, anthropology, and visual culture, the book's ambition is to offer a new conceptual map of antiquity through the notion of anachronism.

Socrates famously claimed that he knew nothing, and that wisdom consisted in awareness of one's ignorance. In Ignorance, Irony and Knowledge in Plato, Kevin Crotty makes the case for the centrality and fruitfulness of Socratic ignorance throughout Plato's philosophical career. Knowing that you don't know is more than a maxim of intellectual humility; Plato shows how it lies at the basis of all the virtues, and inspires dialogue, the best and most characteristic activity of the philosophical life. Far from being simply a lack or deficit, ignorance is a necessary constituent of genuine knowledge. Crotty explores the intricate ironies involved in the paradoxical relationship of ignorance and knowledge. He argues, further, that Plato never abandoned the historical Socrates to pursue his own philosophical agenda. Rather, his philosophical career can be largely understood as a progressive deepening of his appreciation of Socratic ignorance. Crotty presents Plato as a forerunner of the scholarly interest in ignorance that has gathered force in a wide variety of disciplines over the last 20 years.

This volume presents a broad array of contributions on Byzantine literature and culture, in which well-known Byzantinists approach topics of ceremonial, education, historiography, hagiography, homiletics, law, philology, philosophy, prosopography, rhetoric and theology. New editions and analyses of texts and documents are included. The essays combine traditional scholarship with newer approaches, thus reflecting the current dynamics of the field.

When their tribe in Britain is conquered by the Romans, Bran and his young sister, Hilda, are taken to Rome and sold as slaves to a wealthy Roman household. Filled with anger, Bran grows to hate everyone except Hilda, even rejecting the kindness shown to him by an elderly slave named Anicetus. Meanwhile, Hilda hears stories of the Roman god, Saturn, and longs for the day when he will rule the world in a Golden Age where everyone, including slaves, will be happy and free. One day, Anicetus takes Hilda to hear a prisoner named Paul and she learns of another God, a God who made the heavens and the earth and who loves slaves. Soon Hilda and Bran must decide if they are willing to follow this new God and to live in obedience to His commands.

Heracles and Oedipus in Greek Classical Drama by Professor Joseph R. Laurin offers a scholarly, clear and easy approach to the understanding of two of the greatest heroes of Ancient Greece and of the glory and tragedy of their stories in Greek Classical theater.
Readers and researchers can benefit greatly from the text and innumerable references presented in this book. Students as well as non-academic readers interested in Classical literature or the Theater can find it fascinating and beneficial.
After projecting a general view of the notion of the Ancient Greek Hero, the author develops the mythical stories of Heracles and Oedipus, and the dramas produced from these myths by the three Classical writers of Tragedy: Aeschylus, Euripides and Sophocles.
Four plays convey the dramatic story of Heracles: Alcestis, Heracles Mad, The Women of Trachis and The Children of Heracles. The story of Oedipus spans over several generations covered in six plays: Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus, The Seven Against Thebes, The Phoenician Women, The Suppliant Women and Antigone.
The author's vast knowledge of the sources of information, either in ancient texts or in modern literature, has made his book not only a brief retelling of the stories but a discussion of the major issues of interpretation and a thought-provoking commentary about human life, the universe and the gods.
Heracles and Oedipus in Greek Classical Drama is a valuable contribution to the understanding of two of the greatest heroes of Ancient Greece and of the masterful adaptation of their stories to the theater stage. This book, available either in paperback or hard cover, should inspire further research of thesources and discussion of issues confronting students as well as readers interested in Classical literature or the Theater.

Athenian democracy may have opened up politics to every citizen, but it had no impact on participation in sport. The city's sportsmen continued to be drawn from the elite, and so it comes as a surprise that sport was very popular with non-elite citizens of the classical period, who rewarded victorious sportsmen lavishly and created an unrivalled program of local sporting festivals on which they spent staggering sums of money. They also shielded sportsmen from the public criticism which was otherwise normally directed towards the elite and its conspicuous activities. This book is a bold and novel exploration of this apparent contradiction, which examines three of the fundamental aspects of Athens in the classical period - democratic politics, public commitment to sport and constant warfare - and is essential reading for all of those who are interested in Greek sport, Athenian democracy and its waging of war.

The so-called Antiatticista is a Greek Atticistic lexicon crucial for understanding the Atticism of the 2nd cent. CE. The anonymous author approved a broader idea of Attic language in contrast to the most rigorous Atticists. For this (polemic) purpose, he used some older sources (in particular Hellenistic ones, such as Aristophanes of Byzantium) where he could find rich quotations from classical authors, especially from comic poets. Given that many of them are no longer extant, this work now represents the only source for them. The first critical edition of this lexicon is prefaced by a survey of its textual tradition, direct and indirect, which concerns its relationship to the Byzantine lexicon Synagoge. The authorship, the typology, and the sources of the work are also investigated. The unedited annotations by David Ruhnkenius for his planned edition of the text are appended. Comprehensive indexes are provided at the end of the book.

The papers of this volume focus on the sacred landscapes of ancient Sicily. Religious and cultural dimensions of Greek sanctuaries are assessed in light of the results of recent exacavations and new readings of literary sources. The material dimension of cult practices in ancient sanctuaries is the central issue of all contributions, with a focus on the findings from ancient Akragas. Great attention is also paid to past ritual activities, which are framed in three complementary areas of enquiry. Firstly, the architectural setting of sanctuaries is examined beyond temple buildings to assess the wider context of their structural and spatial complexity. Secondly, the material culture of votive deposition and religious feasting is analysed in terms of performative characteristics and through the lens of anthropological approaches. Thirdly, the significance of gender in cultic practice is investigated in light of the fresh data retrieved from the field. The new findings presented in this volume contribute to close the existing research gaps in the study of sanctuaries in Sicily, as well as the wider practice of Greek religion.

Follows the military lives of three soldiers across the Roman world, providing interesting, historical insight into the Roman military from the late republic to the end of antiquity in the west This book introduces readers to three historical Roman soldiers--Titus Pullo from the late republic, Aurelius Polion from the high imperial era, and Flavius Aemilianus from late antiquity. The three men inspire the themes and chronological organization of the text. Drawing on a wide and diverse body of evidence, the author charts their lives from enlistment to death or retirement, allowing students to envision the life of a Roman soldier who is on duty or experiencing adventures across the Roman world. An Introduction to the Roman Military: From Marius (100 BCE) to Theodosius II (450 CE) starts with a historical overview before introducing readers to the Roman soldier. It covers such things as the military hierarchy, soldierly origins, recruitment and training, and the soldier's appearance and identity. The next section looks at the Roman military during war--its environment, strategies, campaigns, and enemies. Their existence during times of peace follows that and focuses on how soldiers celebrated victory, mourned defeat, and readjusted to civilian life after a war. The book also features a timeline for readers to follow, as well as two glossaries--one filled with Roman military terms and the other with important names and events. Authentically captures the experiences of Roman soldiers Educates undergraduate or graduate students on Roman military history Describes Roman soldiers based on legal, epigraphic, and archaeological evidence Emphasizes the human side of the Roman military Moves through three Roman historical periods--the late republic, high imperial, and late antiquity An Introduction to the Roman Military is an engaging choice as a text for specific courses on the Roman military or army. It is also suitable for more general courses covering ancient warfare. In addition to university students, researchers and history enthusiasts will have the opportunity to follow the military lives of three Roman soldiers with this unique book.

Among the twelve articles included in Volume 47 are: "The Early Augustan Aldobrandini Wedding Fresco: A Quatercentenary Reappraisal"; "Monasticism and Western Society: From Marginality to the Establishment and Back"; "Portrait of a Lady? Some Reflections on Images of Prostitutes from the Later Fifteenth Century"; "Proslavery Politics and Classical Authority: Antonio Canova's 'George Washington'"; and reports on archaeological projects sponsored by the Academy.
Anthony Corbeill is Associate Professor of Classics, University of Kansas.