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Esther is the most visual book of the Hebrew Bible and was largely
crafted in the Fourth Century BCE by an author who was clearly au
fait with the rarefied world of the Achaemenid court. It therefore
provides an unusual melange of information which can enlighten
scholars of Ancient Iranian Studies whilst offering Biblical
scholars access into the Persian world from which the text emerged.
In this book, Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones unlocks the text of Esther by
reading it against the rich iconographic world of ancient Persia
and of the Near East. Ancient Persia and the Book of Esther is a
cultural and iconographic exploration of an important, but often
undervalued, biblical book, and Llewellyn-Jones presents the book
of Esther as a rich source for the study of life and thought in the
Persian Empire. The author reveals answers to important questions,
such as the role of the King's courtiers in influencing policy, the
way concubines at court were recruited, the structure of the harem
in shifting the power of royal women, the function of feasting and
drinking in the articulation of courtly power, and the meaning of
gift-giving and patronage at the Achaemenid court.
Sister-Queens in the High Hellenistic Period is a cutting-edge
exploration of ancient queenship and the significance of family
politics in the dysfunctional dynasties of the late Hellenistic
world. This volume, the first full-length study of Kleopatra III
and Kleopatra Thea and their careers as queens of Egypt and Syria,
thoroughly examines the roles and ideology of royal daughters,
wives, and queens in Egypt, the ancient Near East, and ancient
Israel and provides a comprehensive study of the iconography,
public image, and titles of each queen and their cultural
precedents. In addition, this book also offers an introduction to
the critical concept of the 'High Hellenistic Period' and the
maturation of royal female power in the second century BCE.
Sister-Queens in the High Hellenistic Period is suitable for
students and scholars in ancient history, Egyptology, classics, and
gender studies, as well as the general reader interested in ancient
queenship, ancient Egypt, the Hellenistic world, and gender in
antiquity.
Towards the end of the fifth century BC Ctesias of Cnidus wrote his
23 book History of Persia. Ctesias is a remarkable figure: he lived
and worked in the Persian court and, as a doctor, tended to the
world's most powerful kings and queens. His position gave him
special insight into the workings of Persian court life and access
to the gossip and scandal surrounding Persian history and court
politics, past and present. His History of Persia was completed at
a time when the Greeks were fascinated by Persia and seems very
much to cater to contemporary interest in Persian wealth and
opulence, powerful Persian women, the institution of the harem,
kings and queens, eunuchs and secret plots. Presented here in
English translation for the first time with commentaries, Ctesias
offers a fascinating insight into Persia in the fifth century BC.
Luxurious objects are celebrated for their exoticism, rarity and
style, but also disparaged as indulgent, extravagant and corrupt.
The ancient origins of these attitudes emerged at the boundary
between the imperial Persian and democratic Athenian Greek worlds.
Luxury was at the centre of the royal Persian court and behaviours
of ostentatious display rippled through the imperial provinces,
whose elite classes emulated luxury objects in lesser materials.
But luxury is contrastingly depicted through Athenian eyes –
within the philosophical context of early democratic codes and the
historical context of the Greco-Persian Wars, which suddenly and
spectacularly brought eastern luxuries into the imagination of the
Athenian populace for the first time. While Greek writers rejected
luxury as eastern, despotic and corrupt, the Athenian elite adopted
Persian luxuries in imaginative ways to signal status, distinction
and prestige. Under the Macedonian empire of Alexander the Great
and its subsequent kingdoms, royal Achaemenid luxury culture would
later be adopted and displayed by the Macedonian and local elite
across the Greek and Middle Eastern worlds: behaviours of
ostentatious display were a means to seek advantage in the new
Hellenistic world order. Ultimately, this publication demonstrates
how competing political spins woven around 2,500 years ago still
continue to shape modern perceptions of luxury today.
THE PERSIANS is a definitive new history of the Persian Empire, the
world's first superpower. The Great Kings of Persia ruled over the
largest Empire of antiquity, stretching from Libya to the Steppes
of Asia, and from Ethiopia to Pakistan. At the heart of the Empire
was the fabled palace-city of Persepolis where the Achaemenid
monarchs held court in unparalleled grandeur. From here, Cyrus the
Great, Darius, Xerxes, and their heirs passed laws, raised armies,
and governed their multicultural Empire of enormous diversity. The
Achaemenids, however, were one of the great dysfunctional families
of history. Brothers fought brothers for power, wives and
concubines plotted to promote their sons to the throne, and eunuchs
and courtiers vied for influence and prestige. Our understanding of
the Persian Empire has traditionally come from the histories of
Greek writers such as Herodotus - and as such, over many centuries,
our perspective has been skewed by ancient political and cultural
agendas. Professor Llewellyn-Jones, however, calls upon original
Achaemenid sources, including inscriptions, art, and recent
archaeological discoveries in Iran, to create an authentic 'Persian
Version' of this remarkable first great empire of antiquity - the
Age of the Great Kings.
Who dressed as a woman in an attempt to commit adultery with Julius
Caesar's wife? How did the ancient Greeks make blusher from
seaweed? Just how does one wear a toga? If, as many claim, the
importance of clothes lies in their detail, then this a book that
no sartorially savvy Classicist should be without. Greek and Roman
Dress from A to Z is an alphabetized compendium of styles and
accessories that form the well-known classical image: a reference
source of stitches, drapery, hairstyles, colours, fabrics and
jewellery, and an analysis of the intricate system of social
meanings that they comprise. The entries range in length from a few
lines to a few pages and cover individual aspects of dress
alongside surveys of wider topics and illuminating socio-cultural
analysis, drawn from ancient art, literature and archaeology. For
those who want to take their reading further, there are references
to both primary sources and modern scholarship. This book is be
fascinating for anyone delving into it with an interest in style
and dress, and an invaluable companion for any classicist.
Towards the end of the fifth century BC Ctesias of Cnidus wrote his
23 book History of Persia. Ctesias is a remarkable figure: he lived
and worked in the Persian court and, as a doctor, tended to the
world's most powerful kings and queens. His position gave him
special insight into the workings of Persian court life and access
to the gossip and scandal surrounding Persian history and court
politics, past and present. His History of Persia was completed at
a time when the Greeks were fascinated by Persia and seems very
much to cater to contemporary interest in Persian wealth and
opulence, powerful Persian women, the institution of the harem,
kings and queens, eunuchs and secret plots. Presented here in
English translation for the first time with commentaries, Ctesias
offers a fascinating insight into Persia in the fifth century BC.
The Culture of Animals in Antiquity provides students and
researchers with well-chosen and clearly presented ancient sources
in translation, some well-known, others undoubtedly unfamiliar, but
all central to a key area of study in ancient history: the part
played by animals in the cultures of the ancient Mediterranean. It
brings new ideas to bear on the wealth of evidence - literary,
historical and archaeological - which we possess for the
experiences and roles of animals in the ancient world. Offering a
broad picture of ancient cultures in the Mediterranean as part of a
wider ecosystem, the volume is on an ambitious scale. It covers a
broad span of time, from the sacred animals of dynastic Egypt to
the imagery of the lamb in early Christianity, and of region, from
the fallow deer introduced and bred in Roman Britain to the Asiatic
lioness and her cubs brought as a gift by the Elamites to the Great
King of Persia. This sourcebook is essential for anyone wishing to
understand the role of animals in the ancient world and support
learning for one of the fastest growing disciplines in Classics.
Who dressed as a woman in an attempt to commit adultery with Julius
Caesar s wife? How did the ancient Greeks make blusher from
seaweed? Just how does one wear a toga? If, as many claim, the
importance of clothes lies in their detail, then this a book that
no sartorially savvy Classicist should be without. Greek and Roman
Dress from A to Z is an alphabetized compendium of styles and
accessories that form the well-known classical image: a reference
source of stitches, drapery, hairstyles, colours, fabrics and
jewellery, and an analysis of the intricate system of social
meanings that they comprise. The entries range in length from a few
lines to a few pages and cover individual aspects of dress
alongside surveys of wider topics and illuminating socio-cultural
analysis, drawn from ancient art, literature and archaeology. For
those who want to take their reading further, there are references
to both primary sources and modern scholarship. This book is be
fascinating for anyone delving into it with an interest in style
and dress, and an invaluable companion for any classicist.
Esther is the most visual book of the Hebrew Bible and was largely
crafted in the Fourth Century BCE by an author who was clearly au
fait with the rarefied world of the Achaemenid court. It therefore
provides an unusual melange of information which can enlighten
scholars of Ancient Iranian Studies whilst offering Biblical
scholars access into the Persian world from which the text emerged.
In this book, Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones unlocks the text of Esther by
reading it against the rich iconographic world of ancient Persia
and of the Near East. Ancient Persia and the Book of Esther is a
cultural and iconographic exploration of an important, but often
undervalued, biblical book, and Llewellyn-Jones presents the book
of Esther as a rich source for the study of life and thought in the
Persian Empire. The author reveals answers to important questions,
such as the role of the King's courtiers in influencing policy, the
way concubines at court were recruited, the structure of the harem
in shifting the power of royal women, the function of feasting and
drinking in the articulation of courtly power, and the meaning of
gift-giving and patronage at the Achaemenid court.
A stunning portrait of the magnificent splendor and enduring legacy
of ancient Persia The Achaemenid Persian kings ruled over the
largest empire of antiquity, stretching from Libya to the steppes
of Asia and from Ethiopia to Pakistan. From the palace-city of
Persepolis, Cyrus the Great, Darius, Xerxes, and their heirs
reigned supreme for centuries until the conquests of Alexander of
Macedon brought the empire to a swift and unexpected end in the
late 330s BCE. In Persians, historian Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones tells
the epic story of this dynasty and the world it ruled. Drawing on
Iranian inscriptions, cuneiform tablets, art, and archaeology, he
shows how the Achaemenid Persian Empire was the world's first
superpower--one built, despite its imperial ambition, on
cooperation and tolerance. This is the definitive history of the
Achaemenid dynasty and its legacies in modern-day Iran, a book that
completely reshapes our understanding of the ancient world.
The clothing and ornament of Greek women signalled much about the
status and the morality assigned to them. Yet this revealing aspect
of women's history has been little studied. In this collection of
new studies by an international team, ancient visual evidence from
vase-painting and sculpture is used extensively alongside Greek
literature to reconstruct how women of the Greek world were
perceived, and also, in important ways, how they lived.
This book explores Achaemenid kingship and argues for the
centrality of the royal court in elite Persian society. The first
Persian Empire (559-331 BC) was the biggest land empire the world
had seen, and seated at the heart of its vast dominions, in the
south of modern-day Iran, was the person of the Great King. Hidden
behind the walls of his vast palace, and surrounded by the complex
rituals of court ceremonial, the Persian monarch was undisputed
master of his realm, a god-like figure of awe, majesty, and
mystery. Yet the court of the Great King was no simple platform for
meaningless theatrical display; at court, presentation mattered:
nobles vied for position and prestige, and the royal family
attempted to keep a tight grip on dynastic power - in spite of
succession struggles, murders, and usurpations, for the court was
also the centre of political decision - making and the source of
cultural expression. This book explores the representation of
Persian monarchy and the court of the Achaemenid Great Kings from
the point of view of the ancient Iranians themselves (as well as
other Near Eastern peoples) and through the sometimes distorted
prism of Classical and Biblical sources. Key Features: draws on
rich Iranian and Classical sources; examines key issues such as
royal ideology, court structure, ceremony and ritual, royal
migrations, gender, hierarchy, architecture and space and cultural
achievements; accesses the rarefied but dangerous world of Persian
palace life; and includes guides to further reading and web
resources to encourage research.
The Culture of Animals in Antiquity provides students and
researchers with well-chosen and clearly presented ancient sources
in translation, some well-known, others undoubtedly unfamiliar, but
all central to a key area of study in ancient history: the part
played by animals in the cultures of the ancient Mediterranean. It
brings new ideas to bear on the wealth of evidence - literary,
historical and archaeological - which we possess for the
experiences and roles of animals in the ancient world. Offering a
broad picture of ancient cultures in the Mediterranean as part of a
wider ecosystem, the volume is on an ambitious scale. It covers a
broad span of time, from the sacred animals of dynastic Egypt to
the imagery of the lamb in early Christianity, and of region, from
the fallow deer introduced and bred in Roman Britain to the Asiatic
lioness and her cubs brought as a gift by the Elamites to the Great
King of Persia. This sourcebook is essential for anyone wishing to
understand the role of animals in the ancient world and support
learning for one of the fastest growing disciplines in Classics.
In the period 1916-1966, during its so-called Golden Age, Hollywood
developed a passion for the ancient world and produced many epic
movie blockbusters. The studios used every device they could find
to wow audiences with the spectacle of antiquity. In this unique
study, Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones shows how Hollywood carefully and
skilfully created the popular modern perception of the ancient
world. He analyses how producers, art directors, costumiers,
publicity agents, movie stars, and inevitably, 'a cast of
thousands' literally designed and crafted the ancient world from
scratch. This lively book offers a technical as well as a
theoretical guide to a much-neglected area of film studies and
reception studies that will appeal to anyone working in these
disciplines. Key Features: This is the first study of the
mechanisms and ideologies behind the making of epic movies in
Hollywood Lavishly illustrated including rare and fascinating
marketing material and production stills produced by Hollywood at
the time Explores the casting and consequences of movie stars in
historical roles Sets a new agenda for exploring the relationship
between history and film and between history and visual culture.
Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones is Professor of Ancient History at Cardiff
University.
This volume in The Edinburgh Leventis Studies series collects the
papers presented at the sixth A. G. Leventis conference organised
under the auspices of the Department of Classics at the University
of Edinburgh. As with earlier volumes, it engages with new research
and new approaches to the Greek past, and brings the fruits of that
research to a wider audience. Although Greek historians were
fundamental in the enterprise of preserving the memory of great
deeds in antiquity, they were not alone in their interest in the
past. The Greeks themselves, quite apart from their historians and
in a variety of non-historiographical media, were constantly
creating pasts for themselves that answered to the needs -
political, social, moral and even religious - of their society. In
this volume eighteen scholars discuss the variety of ways in which
the Greeks constructed de-constructed, engaged with, alluded to,
and relied on their pasts whether it was in the poetry of Homer, in
the victory odes of Pindar, in tragedy and comedy on the Athenian
stage, in their pictorial art, in their political assemblies, or in
their religious practices. What emerges is a comprehensive overview
of the importance of and presence of the past at every level of
Greek society.
In the final chapter the three discussants present at the
conference (Simon Goldhill, Christopher Pelling and Suzanne Said)
survey the contributions to the volume, summarise its overall
contributions as well as indicate new directions that further
scholarship might follow."
Hellenistic courts were centres of monarchic power, social prestige
and high culture in the kingdoms that emerged after the death of
Alexander. They were places of refinement, learning and luxury, and
also of corruption, rivalry and murder. Surrounded by courtiers of
varying loyalty, Hellenistic royal families played roles in a
theatre of spectacle and ceremony. Architecture, art, ritual and
scholarship were deployed to defend the existence of their
dynasties. The present volume, from a team of international
experts, examines royal methods and ideologies. It treats the
courts of the Ptolemies, Seleucids, Attalids, Antigonids and of
lesser dynasties. It also explores the influence, on Greek-speaking
courts, of non-Greek culture, of Achaemenid and other Near Eastern
royal institutions. It studies the careers of courtesans,
concubines and 'friends' of royalty, and the intellectual,
ceremonial, and artistic world of the Greek monarchies. The work
demonstrates the complexity and motivations of Hellenistic royal
civilisation, of courts which governed the transmission of Greek
culture to the wider Mediterranean world - and to later ages.
Greek women routinely wore the veil. That is the unexpected finding
of this major study. The Greeks, rightly credited with the
invention of civic openness, are revealed as also part of a more
eastern tradition of seclusion. From the iconography as well as the
literature of Greece, Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones shows that fully
veiling of face and head was commonplace. He analyses the elaborate
Greek vocabulary for veiling, and explores what the veil was meant
to achieve. He also uses Greek and more recent - mainly Islamic -
evidence to show how women could exploit and subvert the veil to
achieve eloquent, sometimes emotional, communication.
In the period 1916-1966, during its so-called Golden Age, Hollywood
developed a passion for the ancient world and produced many epic
movie blockbusters. The studios used every device they could find
to wow audiences with the spectacle of antiquity. In this unique
study, Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones shows how Hollywood carefully and
skilfully created the popular modern perception of the ancient
world. He analyses how producers, art directors, costumiers,
publicity agents, movie stars, and inevitably, 'a cast of
thousands' literally designed and crafted the ancient world from
scratch. This lively book offers a technical as well as a
theoretical guide to a much-neglected area of film studies and
reception studies that will appeal to anyone working in these
disciplines. Key Features: This is the first study of the
mechanisms and ideologies behind the making of epic movies in
Hollywood Lavishly illustrated including rare and fascinating
marketing material and production stills produced by Hollywood at
the time Explores the casting and consequences of movie stars in
historical roles Sets a new agenda for exploring the relationship
between history and film and between history and visual culture.
Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones is Professor of Ancient History at Cardiff
University.
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