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Rome's Gothic Wars is a concise introduction to research on the Roman Empire's relations with one of the most important barbarian groups of the ancient world. The book uses archaeological and historical evidence to look not just at the course of events, but at the social and political causes of conflict between the empire and its Gothic neighbours. In eight chapters, Michael Kulikowski traces the history of Romano-Gothic relations from their earliest stage in the third century, through the development of strong Gothic politics in the early fourth century, until the entry of many Goths into the empire in 376 and the catastrophic Gothic war that followed. The book closes with a detailed look at the career of Alaric, the powerful Gothic general who sacked the city of Rome in 410.
The German archaeologist Ernst Curtius (1814–1896) published this seminal work in three volumes between 1857 and 1867. It quickly became a bestseller and was republished in numerous German editions. The work was translated into English by the eminent British historian Adolphus William Ward (1837–1924) who divided it into five volumes, published between 1868 and 1873. Volume 2 focuses on the themes of conflict and unity, with the second part of Book 2, and Book 3 which covers the Ionian revolt and the events that led to the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War. Curtius' History was a pioneering work of nineteenth-century classical scholarship. For many generations it provided an indispensable guide through the complex history of the ancient Greek world, and it continues to inspire researchers today.
The renowned classical scholar and archaeologist A. B. Cook (1868–1952) published the second volume of his monumental Zeus: A Study in Ancient Religion in two parts in 1925. Part I, containing the main text of the study, surveys the theme of Zeus as god of lightning and thunder, an idea that became common during the classical period. Weaving together archaeological, artistic and ancient literary evidence, Cook investigates in detail the concept of the 'Diosemia' or the Zeus-sign; the ideas of the Zeus-struck man, the heavenly road of Zeus and Greek sky-pillars; the relationship between Zeus and Dionysus; and the role of the shrine at Delphi (usually associated with Apollo) in Zeus worship. This sumptuous work is a treasure of primary texts, epigraph material and archaeological data. It contains hundreds of illustrations, and is an indispensable tool for students of classics, mythology and ancient religion.
The pre-eminent historian of his day, Edward Gibbon (1737–94) produced his magnum opus in six volumes between 1776 and 1788. Reissued here is the authoritative seven-volume edition prepared by J. B. Bury (1861–1927) between 1896 and 1900. Immediately and widely acclaimed, Gibbon's work remains justly famous for its magisterial account of Roman imperialism and Christianity from the first century CE through to the fall of Constantinople and beyond. Innovative in its use of primary sources and notable for its tone of religious scepticism, this epic narrative stands as a masterpiece of English literature and historical scholarship. Volume 3 mainly covers the period 363–455 CE, including the division of the Eastern and Western Empires, the rise of the Huns, the end of paganism, the German invasion of Gaul, the Vandal conquest of Africa, and the life of Attila the Hun.
Henry Fynes Clinton (1781–1852) made an innovative contribution to classical scholarship with this history of the Roman Empire, published in two volumes in 1845 and 1850. Applying a scientific method of analysis to the study of ancient history, he organises the information chronologically in tables, demonstrating the connection between different spheres at various phases of development of the empire. Volume 1 lists the Roman Consuls and the events that took place under their mandate, including significant Greek and Roman literary and cultural achievements. Among Clinton's sources were chronicles, law codes, medals and coins, and classic literature, covering a period of over five hundred years. Beginning with the death of Augustus in 14 CE, this volume ends in 578 CE, a century after the conventional date of the empire's fall. An index to the tables gives the reader a chronological overview which is still of great value today.
This volume examines 1 Corinthians 1-4 within first-century politics, demonstrating the significance of Corinth's constitution to the interpretation of Paul's letter. Bradley J. Bitner shows that Paul carefully considered the Roman colonial context of Corinth, which underlay numerous ecclesial conflicts. Roman politics, however, cannot account for the entire shape of Paul's response. Bridging the Hellenism-Judaism divide that has characterised much of Pauline scholarship, Bitner argues that Paul also appropriated Jewish-biblical notions of covenant. Epigraphical and papyrological evidence indicates that his chosen content and manner are best understood with reference to an ecclesial politeia informed by a distinctively Christ-centred political theology. This emerges as a 'politics of thanksgiving' in 1 Corinthians 1:4-9 and as a 'politics of construction' in 3:5-4:5, where Paul redirects gratitude and glory to God in Christ. This innovative account of Paul's political theology offers fresh insight into his pastoral strategy among nascent Gentile-Jewish assemblies.
James Rennell (1742–1830) could be claimed as the father of historical geography. After a long career at sea and in India, during which he had learned surveying and cartography, he returned to England and entered the circle of Sir Joseph Banks, who encouraged him to widen his interests to include the geography of the ancient world. In this work, published in 1814, Rennell compares the actual topography of the area in which Troy was believed to be located with the accounts of ancient commentators on Homer, with the Homeric accounts themselves, and finally with the work of ancient geographers. Without offering his own solution to the problem, he demolishes with zest the then current theory that Troy was located at the village of Bournabashi - a conclusion with which Heinrich Schliemann later agreed. Rennell's posthumously published work on the topography of Western Asia is also reissued in this series.
The Greeks inscribed their works of art and craft with labels identifying mythological or historical figures, bits of poetry, and claims of ownership. But no type of inscription is more hotly debated or more intriguing than the artist's signature, which raises questions concerning the role and status of the artist and the work of art or craft itself. In this book, Jeffrey M. Hurwit surveys the phenomenon of artists' signatures across the many genres of Greek art from the eighth to the first century BCE. Although the great majority of extant works lack signatures, the Greek artist nonetheless signed his products far more than any other artist of antiquity. Examining signatures on gems, coins, mosaics, wall-paintings, metalwork, vases, and sculptures, Hurwit argues that signatures help us assess the position of the Greek artist within his society as well as his conception of his own skill and originality.
A. B. Cook (1868–1952) published the first volume of his monumental Zeus: A Study in Ancient Religion in 1914. This comprehensive work traces the genesis, development and growth of the cult of Zeus from Hellenic worship of the 'bright sky' to the personified and anthropomorphised Zeus, the god of the sky. It focuses on the development of mountain-cults, religious syncretism with solar cults, and the importance of the sun, moon and stars to the worship of Zeus. Cook skilfully integrates both archaeological and ancient literary evidence as well as offering a synthesis of scholarly knowledge. This sumptuous work is a treasure-trove of primary texts, epigraphic material and archaeological data. It contains over 600 illustrations and the most important literary sources, both Greek and Latin, are quoted in full. It is an indispensable tool for students of classics, mythology and ancient religion.
Daniel Chwolson (or Khvolson) was born in Vilna in 1819 and educated for the rabbinate. He attended universities in Breslau (Wroclaw) and Leipzig and became a professor of Oriental Studies in St Petersburg in 1855. This important monograph, originally published in German in 1859, was a milestone in the scholarly understanding of the ancient Near East. Chwolson argued, controversially, for the existence of a highly developed civilisation in Babylon long before the rise of the Greeks. His hypothesis was based on Arabic texts, preserved in several manuscripts, which the Muslim author (working in the early tenth century C.E.) claimed to have translated from ancient sources. In this volume Chwolson discusses three complete texts (a 1300-page treatise on agriculture, a medical work on poisons, and an astrological work) and a number of fragments. For each text, he considers the date and context of its composition, its authorship and its content.
The renowned classical scholar and archaeologist A. B. Cook (1868–1952) published the final volume of his monumental Zeus: A Study in Ancient Religion in 1940. Part I, which contains the main body of text for the volume, weaves together archaeological, artistic and ancient literary evidence to explore the concept of Zeus as a weather-god - the god of earthquakes, clouds, wind, dew, rain and meteorites. In this final volume Cook draws together his conclusions on the major theme spanning all three volumes: Zeus as god of the sky. This sumptuous work, encyclopaedic in its breath, is a treasure-trove of primary texts, epigraph material and archaeological data. It contains hundreds of illustrations, including images of pottery, statues, friezes and ancient coins and the most important literary sources, both Greek and Latin, are quoted in full. It is an indispensable tool for students and scholars of classics, mythology and ancient religion.