Handbook to Life in Ancient Greece by
This handy reference provides comprehensive access to over three millennia of ancient Greek history and archaeology, from the beginning of the Minoan civilization to the fall of the Greek states to the Romans by 30 BC. Clear, authoritative, and highly organized, the Handbook to Life inAncient Greece provides an engaging look at a civilization that once stretched from what is now modern Greece, to Spain, India, and beyond; a civilization that has had an enormous and lasting influence on the development of myriad aspects of Western culture, from philosophy and medicine to democracyand town planning.The thematically arranged chapters cover an exhaustive range of topics: armies and weapons, rulers from Alexander the Great to Xerxes, the rise and fall of numerous city-states, notably Sparta and Athens, agriculture, architectural styles, craft industries, religious festivals, deities, traveland transport, mythological figures, even Greek concepts of the afterlife. The guide includes a wide-ranging bibliography for each chapter, as well as over 180 maps, photographs, and line drawings.Combining both archaeological and historical evidence, the Handbook to Life in Ancient Greece is essential reading for anyone interested in Greek history, the classics, or an overview of the Greek period.
Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome by
This handy reference provides full access to the 1,200 years of Roman rule from the 8th century B.C. to the 5th century A.D., including information that is hard to find and even harder to decipher. Clear, authoritative, and highly organized, Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome provides a uniquelook at a civilization whose art, literature, law, and engineering influenced the whole of Western Europe throughout the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and beyond.The myriad topics covered include rulers; the legal and governmental system; architectural feats such as the famous Roman roads and aqueducts; the many Roman religions and festivals; the Roman system of personal names; contemporary poets and historians; even typical Roman leisure pursuits. Eachchapter includes an extensive bibliography, as well as more than 125 site-specific photographs and line drawings. Maps chart the expansion and contraction of the territory from the foundation city of Rome itself to the Byzantine Empire and the ultimate decline of the West.Combining both archaeological and historical evidence, the Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome is perfect for anyone interested in Roman history, the classics, or an overview of the amazing period in which the Romans ruled.
The Oxford Companion to Classical Civilization by
CIVILIZATION IN ALL ITS ASPECTSFor more than 2000 years the civilizations of ancient Greece and Rome have captivated our collective imagination and provided fresh inspiration for every age.Now, for the first time, The Oxford Companion to Classical Civilization distils the fruits of recent scholarship to provide the most up-to-date and authoritative survey of the Greek and Roman worlds in all their aspects.Drawing on the latest edition of the highly praised Oxford Classical Dictionary, this new illustrated Oxford Companion offers unrivalled access to the latest knowledge of classical civilization, making it the perfect guide for general readers interested in learning more about the very bedrock ofWestern culture.HISTORY AND POLITICSthe events, achievements, and personalities of 2500 years of history of Greece and Rome and their immediate neighbours, as well as the underlying issues from democracy to propaganda, famine and finance, Hellenization and mercenaries, population, and slaveryETHICS AND MORALS, LAW AND PUNISHMENTindividual philosophers and their schools, and ethical issues, such as corruption; prison; torture; abortion; attitudes to animals, to wealth, or to warfare; suicide; freedom; and intellectual or religious intoleranceSOCIAL AND FAMILY LIFEfood and drink, cookery, houses, and dress; childbirth; sexual behaviour, including rape and incest; and broader social topics such as status, kinship and the family, ritualized friendship, tourism, and urbanizationLANGUAGE, LITERATURE, ART AND SCHOLARSHIPwriters and poets, orators and playwrights, literacy and books, archives and education, literary genres, painting and sculpture, and the writing of historyRELIGION AND MYTHOLOGYGreek, Roman, and Egyptian beliefs, cults, and rituals, from oracles and curses, to sacred prostitution, together with their attendant deities and mythological creatures, mingle with Judaism and early ChristianityTECHNOLOGY, SCIENCE, AND MEDICINEthe birth of the scientific method in experiment, and all manner of discovery , exploration, treatment, and theorizing on disease, geography, climate, astronomy, mineralogy, navigation, sanitation, vivisectionMAJOR ESSAYS and BRILLIANT ILLUSTRATIONSpecially designed articles on the individuals and themes of central importance provide a useful overview for the modern reader from Alexander to Xenophon, Cicero and Hannibal; and from the histories of Greece and Rome, to Christianity, and architecture. Imaginatvely chosen and strikingillustrations underline further the sophistication and complextity of classical civilization, making the ancient world dramatically present.
The Oxford Companion to Classical Literature by
The third edition of The Oxford Companion to Classical Literature is the complete and authoritative reference guide to the classical world and its literary heritage. It not only presents the reader with all the essential facts about the authors, tales, and characters from ancient myth and literature, but it also places these details in the wider contexts of the history and society of the Greek and Roman worlds. With an extensive web of cross-references, a useful chronological table, and location maps (all of which have been brought fully up to date), this volume traces the development of literary forms and the classical allusions which have become embedded in our Western culture. Extensively revised and updated, the Companion includes more thematic entries - medicine, friendship, science, the concept of freedom, and sexuality. These topical entries provide an excellent starting point to the exploration of their subjects in classical literature. The Companion contains extensive biographies of classical literary figures from Aeschylus to Zeno; entries on a multitude of literary styles from biography and rhetoric to lyric poetry and epic, and character entries and plot summaries for the major figures and myths in the classical canon. It is the ideal guide for students in Classics, and for all who are passionate about the vast and varied literary tradition bequeathed to us from the classical world.
The Facts on File Companion to Classical Drama by
The great era of classical drama continues to be widely studied today. One of the most extensive works of its kind, The Facts On File Companion to Classical Drama examines the history and development of ancient Greek and Roman drama from the late sixth century BCE through the first century CE. Approximately 400 entries cover the 80 complete plays that survived from the classical era; the major authors; the background, characters, and themes of the dramas; and the conventions and practices of their respective theaters.