Synopses & Reviews
From the epic poems of Homer through the glittering art and architecture of Greece's Golden Age to the influential Roman systems of law and leadership, the classical world established the foundations of our culture as well as many of its most enduring achievements. Now available in a smaller, more convenient format, the astonishingly in-depth and widely praised Oxford History of the Classical World offers the general reader the definitive companion to the Graeco-Roman world.
The first volume, Classical Greece and the Hellenistic World, covers the period from the eighth to the first centuries B.C., a period unparalleled in history for its brilliance in literature, philosophy, and the visual arts. It also treats the Hellenization of the Middle East by the monarchies established in the area conquested by Alexander the Great.
The second volume, Classical Rome, covers early Rome and Italy, the expansion of the Roman republic, the foundation of the Roman Empire by Augustus, its consolidation in the first two centuries A.D., and the later Empire and its influence on Western civilization.
The editors, John Boardman, Jasper Griffen, and Oswyn Murray--all eminent classicists--intersperse chapters on political and social history with sections on literature, philosophy, and the arts, and reinforce the historical framework with maps and historical charts. The two volumes also offer bibliographies and a full index, as well as black and white photographs integrated into the text.
The contributors--thirty of the world's leading scholars--present the latest in modern scholarship through masterpieces of wit, brevity, and style. While concentrating on the aspects essential to the understanding of each period, they also focus on those elements of the classical world that remain of lasting importance and interest to readers today. Together, these volumes provide both a provocative and entertaining window into our classical heritage.
Synopsis
From the epic poems of Homer to the glittering art and architecture of Greece's Golden Age, to the influential Roman systems of law and leadership, the classical Greek world established the foundations of our culture as well as many of its most enduring achievements.
Now, in this vivid volume, readers can embrace the spirit of the classical world, from the eighth to the first centuries B.C., a period unparalleled in history for its brilliance in literature, philosophy, and the visual arts. This work also treats the Hellenization of the Middle East by the monarchies established in the area conquered by Alexander the Great. The editors, all celebrated classicists, intersperse chapters on political and social history with sections on literature, philosophy, and the arts, and reinforce the historical framework with maps and historical charts. Moreover, the contributors--thirty of the world's leading scholars--present the latest in modern scholarship through masterpieces of wit, brevity, and style. Together with hundreds of excellent illustrations, these entries provide both a provocative and entertaining window into our classical heritage.
About the Author
About the Editors:
John Boardman is Lincoln Professor of Classical Archaeology and Art and Fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford University. Jasper Griffin is Fellow of Balliol College, Oxford and author of Homer on Life and Death. Oswyn Murray is Fellow of Balliol College and author of Early Greece.
Table of Contents
Introduction,
Jasper Griffin1. Greece: The History of the Archaic Period, George Forrest
2. Homer, Oliver Taplin
3. Greek Myth and Hesiod, Jasper Griffin
4. Lyric and Elegiac Poetry, Ewen Bowie
5. Early Greek Philosophy, Martin West
6. Greece: The History of the Classical Period, Simon Hornblower
7. Greek Drama, Peter Levi
8. Greek Historians, Oswyn Murray
9. Life and Society in Classical Greece, Oswyn Murray
10. Classical Greek Philosophy, Julia Annas
11. Greek Religion, Robert Parker
12. Greek Art and Architecture, John Boardman
13. The History of the Hellenistic Period, Simon Price
14. Hellenistic Culture and Literature, Robin Lane Fox
15. Hellenistic Philosophy and Science, Jonathan Barnes
16. Hellenistic and Graeco-Roman Art, Roger Ling