Few empires had such an impact on the conquered peoples as did the Roman empire, creating social, economic, and cultural changes that erased long-standing differences in material culture, languages, cults, rituals and identities. But even Rome could not create a single unified culture. Individual decisions introduced changes in material culture, identity, and behavior, creating local cultures within the global world of the Roman empire that were neither Roman nor native. The author uses Northwest Italy as an exemplary case as it went from a marginal zone to one of the most flourishing and strongly urbanized regions of Italy, while developing a unique regional culture. This volume will appeal to researchers interested in the Roman Empire, as well as those interested in individual and cultural identity in the past.

This investigation of time and space is motivated by gaps in our current understanding: by the lack of definitions, by our failure to appreciate the nature of these entities, by our inability to pin down their properties. The author's approach is based on two key ideas: The first idea is to seek the geo-historical origins of time and space concepts. A thorough investigation of a diversified archaeological corpus, allows him to draft coherent definitions; it furthermore gives clues as to whether time and space were discovered or invented. The second idea is to define the units before trying to define space and time. The results presented here are unexpected: Time and space were not discovered in nature, but they were invented; time is not a phenomenon and space has no materiality; they are only concepts. This runs contrary to the opinion of most scientific and the philosophical authorities, although one would seek in vain for a theoretical validation of the conventional position. This book will provide much food for thought for philosophers and scientists, as well as interested general readers.

Age-old scholarly dogma holds that the death of serious theatre went hand-in-hand with the 'death' of the city-state and that the fourth century BC ushered in an era of theatrical mediocrity offering shallow entertainment to a depoliticised citizenry. The traditional view of fourth-century culture is encouraged and sustained by the absence of dramatic texts in anything more than fragments. Until recently, little attention was paid to an enormous array of non-literary evidence attesting, not only the sustained vibrancy of theatrical culture, but a huge expansion of theatre throughout (and even beyond) the Greek world. Epigraphic, historiographic, iconographic and archaeological evidence indicates that the fourth century BC was an age of exponential growth in theatre. It saw: the construction of permanent stone theatres across and beyond the Mediterranean world; the addition of theatrical events to existing festivals; the creation of entirely new contexts for drama; and vast investment, both public and private, in all areas of what was rapidly becoming a major 'industry'. This is the first book to explore all the evidence for fourth century ancient theatre: its architecture, drama, dissemination, staging, reception, politics, social impact, finance and memorialisation.

The Fate of Empires asks why many civilizations throughout human history have risen to greatness but later collapse into ruin. Can there be a permanent society, or are all doomed to decline? In the first part of this book, the author constructs several arguments based on parallels he observed in civilizations of antiquity. The reasons for the rise of various civilizations, and the forces which contribute to their success, are discussed. Hubbard proceeds to establish points surrounding human nature and racial identity, religious adherence, and the prevalence of rationality and reason: these attributes of mankind, when in harmony, establish sophisticated and prospering civilizations. For the author, when these traits are upset - as in conflicts between individual values and the requirements of the state - decline will set in. The overemphasis of the competitive traits of man likewise lead to a decline in moral and social cohesiveness.

Perhaps no other single Roman speech exemplifies the connection between oratory, politics and imperialism better than Cicero's De Provinciis Consularibus, pronounced to the senate in 56 BC. Cicero puts his talents at the service of the powerful "triumviri" (Caesar, Crassus and Pompey), whose aims he advances by appealing to the senators' imperialistic and chauvinistic ideology. This oration, then, yields precious insights into several areas of late republican life: international relations between Rome and the provinces (Gaul, Macedonia and Judaea); the senators' view on governors, publicani (tax-farmers) and foreigners; the dirty mechanics of high politics in the 50s, driven by lust for domination and money; and Cicero's own role in that political choreography. This speech also exemplifies the exceptional range of Cicero's oratory: the invective against Piso and Gabinius calls for biting irony, the praise of Caesar displays high rhetoric, the rejection of other senators' recommendations is a tour de force of logical and sophisticated argument, and Cicero's justification for his own conduct is embedded in the self-fashioning narrative which is typical of his post reditum speeches. This new commentary includes an updated introduction, which provides the readers with a historical, rhetorical and stylistic background to appreciate the complexities of Cicero's oration, as well as indexes and maps.

The inscribed text referred to as the sacred law of Andania contains almost 200 lines of regulations about a mystery festival and the sanctuary in which it took place. Although it concerns one annual festival in Messenia, it imparts information relevant to the general nature of sanctuary activity and the issues that were important in the routine management of cult. This book contributes to the recent shift in scholarship that has sought to view sanctuaries as more than simply settings for temples, but as locations created and affected by people's various needs, activities, and agendas. This examination of the inscription includes a new and accurate edition of its text with full critical apparatus, an English translation, and copious images of the stone. The accompanying introduction and commentary incorporate literary and epigraphical comparanda and on-site topographical research to present a holistic view of the cultic regulations in their historical and geographical context.

Mandaean priests, representatives of a religious heritage that can be traced back to Late Antique Mesopotamia, still copy their ancient literature by hand. The Great Stem of Souls is a study of the colophons -postscripts at the end of each text - that are appended to most Mandaean documents. A study of the contents of the colophons provides a framework for reconstructing Mandaean history.

Xerxes, the Persian king who invaded Greece in 480 BC, quickly earned a notoriety which endured throughout antiquity and beyond. The onslaught of this eastern king upon Greek territory, culminating in the burning of Athens, ensured that the character of Xerxes soon found his way into the Greek cultural encyclopaedia as a symbol of arrogance, hubris and cruelty. The Xerxes-tradition is rich in episodes which have captured the imagination of writers throughout antiquity and into modern times, including the crossing of the Hellespont, the battles of Thermopylae and Salamis, and the destruction of Athens. The earliest ancient Greek sources created an image of a figure to be both feared and mocked by those for whom the experience of the Persian Wars was a key moment in their own self-definition. Within this rhetorical framework Xerxes was constructed as the antitype of the virtuous Greeks who had resisted his attempt to enslave them. In later traditions this image was revisited, adapted and, in some cases, contradicted.Imagining Xerxes is a transhistorical analysis bringing together the disparate cultural responses to the Persian king; it includes an evaluation of his portrayal in historiographical works by Herodotus and Ctesias and in the literary representations of Aeschylus, the Athenian orators, the Roman poetic tradition and Plutarch. It also considers evidence which goes beyond the Hellenocentric view, such as extant Persian epigraphic and artistic sources and the Jewish tradition. From the image of the tyrannical yet effeminate bully seen in Aeschylus' Persae, to the official picture of the rightful king portrayed in Persian inscriptions, or the cruel and enslaving despot who transgresses boundaries seen in the historical and oratorical tradition, Xerxes is a figure who has been reinvented in a remarkable variety of cultural and literary contexts. Analysing these reinventions, this title examines the reception of a key figure in the ancient world: one whose image was in many cases inextricably bound up with notions of how the receiving societies imagined and defined themselves.

The story of Rome and its people draws on ancient legends passed down from generation to generation. Circulating throughout the Mediterranean world in the centuries after Rome's legendary founding, they were later enshrined in the words of the poets and historians of the great Augustan age and have been studied ever since. Before it was a mighty empire, Rome was born as a Latin settlement on the Palatine Hill and from the beginning showed an inclination to integrating different peoples through a federation. The early legends, born out in fact and in Rome's later history, offered an element of mixed ethnic identity. As Rome expanded its rule across Italy and over the world, adherence to Roman identity and values stood as the main qualifications for "becoming Roman" and enjoying all the privileges of Rome's civilization. As migrant populations traverse today's world, assimilation remains a crucial issue of debate in managing borders and defining societies.

The Bibliotheca Teubneriana, established in 1849, has evolved into the world's most venerable and extensive series of editions of Greek and Latin literature, ranging from classical to Neo-Latin texts. Some 4-5 new editions are published every year. A team of renowned scholars in the field of Classical Philology acts as advisory board: Gian Biagio Conte (Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa) Marcus Deufert (Universitat Leipzig) James Diggle (University of Cambridge) Donald J. Mastronarde (University of California, Berkeley) Franco Montanari (Universita di Genova) Heinz-Gunther Nesselrath (Georg-August-Universitat Goettingen) Dirk Obbink (University of Oxford) Oliver Primavesi (Ludwig-Maximilians Universitat Munchen) Michael D. Reeve (University of Cambridge) Richard J. Tarrant (Harvard University) Formerly out-of-print editions are offered as print-on-demand reprints. Furthermore, all new books in the Bibliotheca Teubneriana series are published as eBooks. The older volumes of the series are being successively digitized and made available as eBooks. If you are interested in ordering an out-of-print edition, which hasn't been yet made available as print-on-demand reprint, please contact us: [email protected] All editions of Latin texts published in the Bibliotheca Teubneriana are collected in the online database BTL Online.

It is unusual for a single scholar practically to reorient an entire sub-field of study, but this is what Chris Stray has done for the history of UK classical scholarship. His remarkable combination of interests in the sociology of scholars and scholarship, in the history of the book and of publishing, and (especially) in the detailed intellectual contextualisation of classical scholarship as a form of classical reception has fundamentally changed the way the history of British classics and its study is viewed. A generation ago the history of classical scholarship still consisted largely of accounts of particular scholars and groups of scholars written by other scholars from a broadly biographical and 'heroic individual' perspective. In these works scholars often sought to find their own place in the great tradition, choosing to praise or blame those whose work they admired or deprecated, and to identify with particular schools or trends, and there were few attempts to provide a broader and less prosopographical perspective. Almost all the chapters in the volume originated as papers at a conference in honour of the honorand, and have been improved both by discussion there and by the rigorous peer-review process conducted by the two experienced editors. It covers various aspects of classical reception, with a particular focus on the history of scholars, their institutions, and their writings; the main focus is on the UK, but there are also substantial engagements with continental Europe and (especially) the USA; the period covered runs from the Renaissance to the present. The cast contains a number of world-famous names. Unusually, the volume also contains an essay by the honorand, but we are very keen to include this, especially as it focusses on the topic of scholarly collaboration.

Die Bibliotheca Teubneriana, gegrundet 1849, ist die weltweit alteste, traditionsreichste und umfangreichste Editionsreihe griechischer und lateinischer Literatur von der Antike bis zur Neuzeit. Pro Jahr erscheinen 4-5 neue Editionen. Samtliche Ausgaben werden durch eine lateinische oder englische Praefatio erganzt. Die wissenschaftliche Betreuung der Reihe obliegt einem Team anerkannter Philologen: Gian Biagio Conte (Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa) Marcus Deufert (Universitat Leipzig) James Diggle (University of Cambridge) Donald J. Mastronarde (University of California, Berkeley) Franco Montanari (Universita di Genova) Heinz-Gunther Nesselrath (Georg-August-Universitat Goettingen) Dirk Obbink (University of Oxford) Oliver Primavesi (Ludwig-Maximilians Universitat Munchen) Michael D. Reeve (University of Cambridge) Richard J. Tarrant (Harvard University) Vergriffene Titel werden als Print-on-Demand-Nachdrucke wieder verfugbar gemacht. Zudem werden alle Neuerscheinungen der Bibliotheca Teubneriana parallel zur gedruckten Ausgabe auch als eBook angeboten. Die alteren Bande werden sukzessive ebenfalls als eBook bereitgestellt. Falls Sie einen vergriffenen Titel bestellen moechten, der noch nicht als Print-on-Demand angeboten wird, schreiben Sie uns an: [email protected] Samtliche in der Bibliotheca Teubneriana erschienenen Editionen lateinischer Texte sind in der Datenbank BTL Online elektronisch verfugbar.

Series Information:
Approaching the Ancient World

The archaeological study of the Ancient World has become increasingly popular in recent years. A Research Guide to the Ancient World: Print and Electronic Sources, is a partially annotated bibliography. The study of the ancient world is usually, although no exclusively, considered a branch of the humanities, including archaeology, art history, languages, literature, philosophy, and related cultural disciplines which consider the ancient cultures of the Mediterranean world, and adjacent Egypt and southwestern Asia. Chronologically the ancient world would extend from the beginning of the Bronze Age of ancient Greece (ca. 1000 BCE) to the fall of the Western Roman Empire (ca. 500 CE). This book will close the traditional subject gap between the humanities (Classical World; Egyptology) and the social sciences (anthropological archaeology; Near East) in the study of the Ancient World. This book is uniquely the only bibliographic resource available for such holistic coverage. The volume consists of 17 chapters and seven appendices. Arrangement is according to the traditional types of library research materials (bibliographies, dictionaries, atlases, etc.) and the appendices are most subject specific, including graduate programs in the Ancient World, significant archaeologyical sites reports, numismatics, and paleography and writing systems.Access to the contents of the volume is facilitated by extensive author and subject indexes.

Covering the very beginnings of Western civilization, this biographical dictionary introduces readers to the great cultural figures of the ancient world, including those who contributed significantly to architecture, astronomy, history, literature, mathematics, philosophy, painting, sculpture, and theology. While focusing on great cultural figures of the Mediterranean basin, such as Homer, Sophocles, and Aristophanes, the volume also includes those who impinged on Greco-Roman Civilization such as Hannibal Barca and King Darius of Persia. Showing how the era's intellectual milieu was interwoven with its political agenda, the book also includes entries on major political and military figures, pointing to their cultural as well as their political contributions. With 480 entries, the book is an excellent basic reference for students seeking an understanding of the ancient world.

Going from polis to empire, the years from 800 BC to AD 500 include the archaic period of the eastern Mediterranean, the Greek classical period, the Persian and Peloponnesian Wars, and Rome's evolution from a republic to an empire dominating the entire Western world. A Jewish carpenter, living at the edge of the Roman Empire, preached a message with profound implications for the Roman State and Western religion. Providing a quick and easy reference to people who lived in this world, this book profiles the men and women who contributed to the development, growth, and culture of Western civilization. Most of the subjects were native to the Mediterranean basin, including Asia Minor, Greece, Italy, southern Gaul, Spain, North Africa, and Phoenicia, but the book also includes important Persians, Celts, Germanic peoples, and Huns. The book provides valuable background information for anyone interested in the birth of Western culture.

In scholarship, classical (Renaissance) humanism is usually strictly distinguished from 'neo-humanism', which, especially in Germany, flourished at the beginning of the 19th century. While most classical humanists focused on the practical imitation of Latin stylistic models, 'neohumanism' is commonly believed to have been mainly inspired by typically modern values, such as authenticity and historicity. Bas van Bommel shows that whereas 'neohumanism' was mainly adhered to at the German universities, at the Gymnasien a much more traditional educational ideal prevailed, which is best described as 'classical humanism.' This ideal involved the prioritisation of the Romans above the Greeks, as well as the belief that imitation of Roman and Greek models brings about man's aesthetic and moral elevation. Van Bommel makes clear that 19th century classical humanism dynamically related to modern society. On the one hand, classical humanists explained the value of classical education in typically modern terms. On the other hand, competitors of the classical Gymnasium laid claim to values that were ultimately derived from classical humanism. 19th century classical humanism should therefore not be seen as a dried-out remnant of a dying past, but as the continuation of a living tradition.

Our current knowledge of Roman aqueducts across the Empire is patchy and uneven. Even if the development of "aqueduct studies" (where engineering, archaeology, architecture, hydraulics, and other disciplines converge) in recent years has improved this situation, one of the aspects which has been generally left aside is the chronology of their late antique phases and of their abandonment. In the Iberian peninsula, there is to date, no general overview of the Roman aqueducts, and all the available information is distributed across various publications, which as expected, hardly mention the late phases. This publication tackles this issue by analysing and reassessing the available evidence for the late phases of the Hispanic aqueducts by looking at a wide range of sources of information, many times derived from the recent interest shown by archaeologists and researchers on late antique urbanism.

The present volume contributes to a reassessment of the phenomenon of episcopal elections from the broadest possible perspective, examining the varied combination of factors, personalities, rules and habits that played a role in the process that eventually resulted in one specific candidate becoming the new bishop, and not another. The importance of episcopal elections hardly needs stating: With the bishop emerging as one of the key figures of late antique society, his election was a defining moment for the local community, and an occasion when local, ecclesiastical, and secular tensions were played out. Building on the state of the art regarding late antique bishops and episcopal election, this volume of collected studies by leading scholars offers fresh perspectives by focussing on specific case-studies and opening up new approaches. Covering much of the Later Roman Empire between 250-600 AD, the contributions will be of interest to scholars interested in Late Antique Christianity across disciplines as diverse as patristics, ancient history, canon law and oriental studies.