Lysias was the leading Athenian speech-writer of his generation (403-380 BC), whose speeches form a leading source for all aspects of the history of Athenian society during this period. The current volume focuses on speeches that are important particularly as political texts, during an unusually eventful post-imperial period which saw Athens coming to terms with the aftermath of its eventual defeat in the Peloponnesian War (431-404) plus two traumatic if temporary oligarchic coups (the Four Hundred in 411, and especially the Thirty in 404/3). The speeches are widely read today, not least because of their simplicity of linguistic style. This simplicity is often deceptive, however, and one of the aims of this commentary is to help the reader assess the rhetorical strategies of each of the speeches and the often highly tendentious manipulation of argument. This volume includes the text of speeches 12 to 16 (reproduced from Christopher Carey's 2007 Oxford Classical Texts edition, including the apparatus criticus), with a new facing English translation. Each speech receives an extensive introduction, covering general questions of interpretation and broad issues of rhetorical strategy, while in the lemmatic section of the commentary individual phrases are examined in detail, providing a close reading of the Greek text. To maximize accessibility, the Greek lemmata are accompanied by translations, and individual Greek terms are mostly transliterated. This is a continuation of the projected multi-volume commentary on the speeches and fragments begun with the publication of speeches 1 to 11 in 2007, which will be the first full commentary on Lysias in modern times.

When Greece Flew Across the Alps offers a reconstruction of the status of Greek studies in the vast territory lying between Spain and Russia and Austria and the Scandinavian Peninsula, from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries. Although closely related to the revival of Greek studies in fifteenth-century Italy, European Hellenism acquired distinctive peculiarities due to the influence of the Reformation, the advent and spread of printing, and initiatives taken by individuals or institutions. By analyzing this important aspect of the reception of the Classics, this volume contributes to a better understanding of early modern European culture. Contributors: Ovanes Akopyan, Johanna Akujarvi, Gianmario Cattaneo, Federica Ciccolella, Natasha Constantinidou, Iulian Mihai Damian, Christian Gastgeber, Tua Korhonen, Han Lamers, Marianne Pade, Inmaculada Perez Martin, Luigi-Alberto Sanchi, and Raf Van Rooy.

This book presents the first systematic linguistic study of Zenodotus' variant readings, showing that he used a version of Homer older than the one used by Aristarchus a century later. Several clues point to the fact that Zenodotus' version belongs to a tradition that was already distinct from that which eventually yielded the vulgate (that is, the Homer we know). In particular, his version largely pre-dates the Sophists' reflections on language, rhetorics and style, and the grammatical theories of Alexandrian scholars. The finding presented in this book should encourage not only historical linguists, but also philologists and classicists to revise the communis opinio and attentively consider Zenodotus' readings in their research.

Lysistrata is the most notorious of Aristophanes' comedies. First staged in 411 BCE, its action famously revolves around a sex strike launched by the women of Greece in an attempt to force their husbands to end the war. With its risque humour, vibrant battle of the sexes, and themes of war and peace, Lysistrata remains as daring and thought-provoking today as it would have been for its original audience in Classical Athens. Aristophanes: Lysistrata is a lively and engaging introduction to this play aimed at students and scholars of classical drama alike. It sets Lysistrata in its social and historical context, looking at key themes such as politics, religion and its provocative portrayal of women, as well as the play's language, humour and personalities, including the formidable and trailblazing Lysistrata herself. Lysistrata has often been translated, adapted and performed in the modern era and this book also traces the ways in which it has been re-imagined and re-presented to new audiences. As this reception history reveals, Lysistrata's appeal in the modern world lies not only in its racy subject matter, but also in its potential to be recast as a feminist, pacifist or otherwise subversive play that openly challenges the political and social status quo.

In 1583, five Jesuit brothers set out with the intention of founding a new church and mission in India. Their dream was almost immediately, and brutally, terminated by local opposition. When their massacre was announced in Rome, it was treated as martyrdom. Francesco Benci, professor of rhetoric at the Collegium Romanum, immediately set about celebrating their deaths in a new type of epic, distinct from, yet dependent upon, the classical tradition: Quinque martyres e Societate Iesu in India. This is the first critical edition and translation of this important text. The commentary highlights both the classical sources and the historical and religious context of the mission. The introduction outlines Benci's career and stresses his role as the founder of this vibrant new genre. This volume is the first one for a new subseries in the 'Jesuit Studies' series: 'Jesuit Neo-Latin Library'.

In The Lyon Terence Giulia Torello-Hill and Andrew J. Turner take an unprecedented interdisciplinary approach to map out the influence of late-antique and medieval commentary and iconographic traditions over this seminal edition of the plays of Terence, published in Lyon in 1493, and examine its legacy. The work had a profound impact on the way Terence's plays were read and understood throughout the sixteenth century, but its influence has been poorly recognised in modern scholarship. The authors establish the pivotal role that this book, and its editor Badius, played in the revitalisation of the theoretical understanding of classical comedy and in the revival of the plays of Terence that foreshadowed the establishment of early modern theatre in Italy and France.

This is the first volume dedicated to Plautus' perennially popular comedy Casina that analyses the play for a student audience and assumes no knowledge of Latin. It launches a much-needed new series of books, each discussing a comedy that survives from the ancient world. Four chapters highlight the play's historical context, themes, performance and reception, including its reflection of recent societal trends in marriage and property ownership by women after the Punic Wars, and its complex dynamics on stage. It is ideal for students, but helpful also for scholars wanting a brief introduction to the play. Casina pits a husband (Lysidamus) and wife (Cleostrata) against each other in a struggle for control of a 16-year-old slave named Casina. Cleostrata cleverly plots to frustrate the efforts of her lascivious elderly husband, staging a cross-dressing 'marriage' that culminates in his complete humiliation. The play provides rich insights into relationships within the Roman family. This volume analyses how Casina addresses such issues as women's status and property rights, the distribution of power within a Roman household, and sexual violence, all within a compellingly meta-comic framework from which Cleostrata emerges as a surprising comic hero. It also examines the play's enduring popularity and relevance.