Books in the Blackwell Companions to the Ancient World series

A Companion to the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East is a comprehensive and authoritative overview of ancient material culture from the late Pleistocene to Late Antiquity. This expansive two-volume work includes sixty original essays from an international community of Ancient Near East scholars.

Covering the period from the death of Alexander the Great to the celebrated defeat of Antony and Cleopatra at the hands of Augustus, this book explores the world that Alexander created but did not live to see. It also features reading for courses on Hellenistic history.

This Companion provides a comprehensive review of the critical issues and approaches that have transformed scholarly understanding of Roman architecture in the last 20 years. It serves as an indispensable teaching and reference work for English-speaking undergraduates and graduates.

A Companion to Women in the Ancient World is the first interdisciplinary, methodologically-based collection of readings to address the study of women in the ancient world while weaving textual, visual, and archaeological evidence into its approach.

A COMPANION TO LATE ANCIENT JEWS AND JUDAISM THIRD CENTURY BCE TO SEVENTH CENTURY CE An innovative approach to the study of ten centuries of Jewish culture and history A Companion to Late Ancient Jews and Judaism explores the Jewish people, their communities, and various manifestations of their religious and cultural expressions from the third century BCE to the seventh century CE. Presenting a collection of 30 original essays written by noted scholars in the field, this companion provides an expansive examination of ancient Jewish life, identity, gender, sacred and domestic spaces, literature, language, and theological questions throughout late ancient Jewish history and historiography. Editors Naomi Koltun-Fromm and Gwynn Kessler situate the volume within Late Antiquity, enabling readers to rethink traditional chronological, geographic, and political boundaries. The Companion incorporates a broad methodology, drawing from social history, material history and culture, and literary studies to consider the diverse forms and facets of Jews and Judaism within multiple contexts of place, culture, and history. Divided into five parts, thematically-organized essays discuss topics including the spaces where Jews lived, worked, and worshiped, Jewish languages and literatures, ethnicities and identities, and questions about gender and the body central to Jewish culture and Judaism. Offering original scholarship and fresh insights on late ancient Jewish history and culture, this unique volume: Offers a one-volume exploration of "second temple," "Greco-Roman," and "rabbinic" periods and sources Explores Jewish life across most of the geographic places where Jews or Judaeans were known to have lived Features original maps of areas cited in every essay, including maps of Jewish settlement throughout Late Antiquity Includes an outline of major historical events, further readings, and full references A Companion to Late Ancient Jews and Judaism is a valuable resource for students, instructors, and scholars of Jewish studies, religion, literature, and ethnic identity, as well as general readers with interest in Jewish history, world religions, Classics, and Late Antiquity.

A COMPANION TO ANCIENT GREEK AND ROMAN MUSICA comprehensive guide to music in Classical Antiquity and beyondDrawing on the latest research on the topic, A Companion to Ancient Greek and Roman Music provides a detailed overview of the most important issues raised by the study of ancient Greek and Roman music. An international panel of contributors, including leading experts as well as emerging voices in the field, examine the ancient 'Art of the Muses' from a wide range of methodological, theoretical, and practical perspectives.Written in an engaging and accessible style, this book explores the pervasive presence of the performing arts in ancient Greek and Roman culture--ranging from musical mythology to music theory and education, as well as archaeology and the practicalities of performances in private and public contexts. But this Companion also explores the broader roles played by music in the Graeco-Roman world, examining philosophical, psychological, medical and political uses of music in antiquity, and aspects of its cultural heritage in Mediaeval and Modern times.This book debunks common myths about Greek and Roman music, casting light on yet unanswered questions thanks to newly discovered evidence. Each chapter includes a discussion of the tools or methodologies that are most appropriate to address different topics, as well as detailed case studies illustrating their effectiveness. This book* Offers new research insights that will contribute to the future developments of the field, outlining new interdisciplinary approaches to investigate the importance of performing arts in the ancient world and its reception in modern culture* Traces the history and development of ancient Greek and Roman music, including their Near Eastern roots, following a thematic approach* Showcases contributions from a wide range of disciplines and international scholarly traditions* Examines the political, social and cultural implications of music in antiquity, including ethnicity, regional identity, gender and ideology* Presents original diagrams and transcriptions of ancient scales, rhythms, and extant scores that facilitate access to these vital aspects of ancient music for scholars as well as practicing musiciansWritten for a broad range of readers including classicists, musicologists, art historians, and philosophers, A Companion to Ancient Greek and Roman Music provides a rich, informative and thought-provoking picture of ancient music in Classical Antiquity and beyond.

A Companion to Greek Literature presents a comprehensive introduction to the wide range of texts and literary forms produced in the Greek language over the course of a millennium beginning from the 6th century BCE up to the early years of the Byzantine Empire.* Features contributions from a wide range of established experts and emerging scholars of Greek literature* Offers comprehensive coverage of the many genres and literary forms produced by the ancient Greeks--including epic and lyric poetry, oratory, historiography, biography, philosophy, the novel, and technical literature* Includes readings that address the production and transmission of ancient Greek texts, historic reception, individual authors, and much more* Explores the subject of ancient Greek literature in innovative ways

A Companion to Sport and Spectacle in Greek and Roman Antiquity presents a series of original essays that apply a socio-historical perspective to myriad aspects of ancient sport and spectacle.

A Companion to Greek Mythology presents a series of essays that explore the phenomenon of Greek myth from its origins in shared Indo-European story patterns and the Greeks contacts with their Eastern Mediterranean neighbours through its development as a shared language and thought-system for the Greco-Roman world.

A Companion to Women in the Ancient World is the first interdisciplinary, methodologically-based collection of readings to address the study of women in the ancient world while weaving textual, visual, and archaeological evidence into its approach.

For a dead language, Latin has achieved an elevated stature unmatched by few living languages -- its cultural cachet evidenced through countless terms and phrases utilized in Western law, medicine, and science.

A comprehensive treatment of the significant symbols and institutions of Roman religion, this Companion places the various religious symbols, discourses, and practices, including Judaism and Christianity, into a larger framework to reveal the sprawling landscape of the Roman religion.

A Companion to Catullus addresses the central themes in Catullan studies and reflects the most recent trends in the field, providing readers with the fundamental knowledge necessary to appreciate and understand the poet's work.

Examining the profusion of ways in which the arts, culture, and thought of Greece and Rome have been transmitted, interpreted, adapted and used, A Companion to Classical Receptions explores the impact of this phenomenon on both ancient and later societies.

A Companion to Ancient Education presents a series of essays from leading specialists in the field that represent the most up-to-date scholarship relating to the rise and spread of educational practices and theories in the ancient Greek and Roman worlds.

A Companion to Julius Caesar examines the great man and great polarizing figure from a variety of illuminating perspectives: military genius, ruthless tyrant, brilliant politician, first class orator, sophisticated man of letters, and more.

Offering unparalleled scope, A Companion to Hellenistic Literature in 30 newly commissioned essays explores the social and intellectual contexts of literature production in the Hellenistic period, and examines the relationship between Hellenistic and earlier literature.

A Companion to the Roman Empire provides readers with a guide both to Roman imperial history and to the field of Roman studies, taking account of the most recent discoveries. Provides a guide both to Roman imperial history and to the field of Roman studies. Takes account of recent discoveries.

A Companion to Greek Religion covers all aspects of religion in the ancient Greek world from the archaic, through the classical, and into the hellenistic period. Each of the volume's 27 essays is written by an international expert and provides a survey of a particular area that reflects contemporary scholarship.

A Companion to the Classical Tradition accommodates the pressing need for an up-to-date introduction and overview of the growing field of reception studies. * A comprehensive introduction and overview of the classical tradition - the interpretation of classical texts in later centuries.

A guide to Roman rhetoric from its origins to the Renaissance and beyond. Comprises 32 original essays by leading international scholars. Explores major figures Cicero and Quintilian in-depth. Covers a broad range of topics such as rhetoric and politics, gender, status, self-identity, education, and literature.

This complete guide to ancient Greek rhetoric is exceptional both in its chronological range and the breadth of topics it covers. * Traces the rise of rhetoric and its uses from Homer to Byzantium. * Covers wider-ranging topics such as rhetoric's relationship to knowledge, ethics, religion, law, and emotion.

This Companion provides an authoritative and up-to-date overview of Roman Republican history as it is currently practiced. Highlights recent developments, including archaeological discoveries, fresh approaches to textual sources, and the opening up of new areas of historical study. Retains the drama of the Republic's rise and fall.

A comprehensive treatment of the significant symbols and institutions of Roman religion, this Companion places the various religious symbols, discourses, and practices, including Judaism and Christianity, into a larger framework to reveal the sprawling landscape of the Roman religion.

This complete guide to ancient Greek rhetoric is exceptional both in its chronological range and the breadth of topics it covers. Traces the rise of rhetoric and its uses from Homer to Byzantium. Covers wider-ranging topics such as rhetoric's relationship to knowledge, ethics, religion, law, and emotion.

Presents an account of Latin literature from its beginnings in the third century BC through to the end of the second century AD.