Ancient World: Comparative Histories – serie

Through a series of original essays by leading international scholars, The Roman Empire in Context: Historical and Comparative Perspectives offers a comparative historical analysis of the Roman empire’s role and achievement and, more broadly, establishes Rome’s significance within comparative studies. Fills a gap in comparative historical analysis of the Roman empire’s role and achievementFeatures contributions from more than a dozen distinguished scholars from around the worldExplores the relevance of important comparativist themes of state, empire, and civilization to ancient Rome

The first book to explore the religious dimensions of the family and the household in ancient Mediterranean and West Asian antiquity. Advances our understanding of household and familial religion, as opposed to state-sponsored or civic temple cultsReconstructs domestic and family religious practices in Egypt, Greece, Rome, Israel, Mesopotamia, Ugarit, Emar, and PhilistiaExplores many household rituals, such as providing for ancestral spirits, and petitioning of a household's patron deities or of spirits associated with the house itselfExamines lifecycle rituals – from pregnancy and birth to maturity, old age, death, and beyondLooks at religious practices relating to the household both within the home itself and other spaces, such as at extramural tombs and local sanctuaries

Thinking, Recording, and Writing History in the Ancient World presents a cross-cultural comparison of the ways in which ancient civilizations thought about the past and recorded their own histories. Written by an international group of scholars working in many disciplinesTruly cross-cultural, covering historical thinking and writing in ancient or early cultures across in East, South, and West Asia, the Mediterranean, and the AmericasIncludes historiography shaped by religious perspectives, including Judaism, early Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism

This fascinating volume brings together leading specialists, who have analyzed the thoughts and records documenting the worldviews of a wide range of pre-modern societies. Presents evidence from across the ages; from antiquity through to the Age of DiscoveryProvides cross-cultural comparison of ancient societies around the globe, from the Chinese to the Incas and Aztecs, from the Greeks and Romans to the peoples of ancient IndiaExplores newly discovered medieval Islamic materials

Peace in the Ancient World: Concepts and Theories conducts a comparative investigation of why certain ancient societies produced explicit concepts and theories of peace and others did not. Explores the idea that concepts of peace in antiquity occurred only in periods that experienced exceptional rates of warfareUtilizes case studies of civilizations in China, India, Egypt, and GreeceComplements the 2007 volume War and Peace in the Ancient World, drawing on ideas from that work and providing a more comprehensive examination

With contributions from leading scholars, this is a unique cross-cultural comparison of historical epics across a wide range of cultures and time periods, which presents crucial insights into how history is treated in narrative poetry. The first book to gain new insights into the topic of ‘epic and history’ through in-depth cross-cultural comparisonsCovers epic traditions across the globe and across a wide range of time periodsBrings together leading specialists in the field, and is edited by two internationally regarded scholarsAn important reference for scholars and students interested in history and literature across a broad range of disciplines

On Human Bondage—a critical reexamination of Orlando Patterson’s groundbreaking Slavery and Social Death—assesses how his theories have stood the test of time and applies them to new case studies. Discusses the novel ideas of social death and natal alienation, as Patterson first presented them 35 years ago and as they are understood todayBrings together exciting new work by a group of esteemed historians of slavery, as well as a final chapter by Patterson himself that responds to and expands upon the other contributionsProvides insights into slave societies around the world and across time, from classical Greece and Rome to modern Brazil and the Caribbean, and from Han China and pre-colonial South Asia to early modern Europe and the New WorldDelves into a wide range of topics, including the reformation of social identity after slavery, the new historicist approach to slavery, rituals of enslavement and servitude, questions of honor and dishonor, and symbolic imagery of slavery

The Adventure of the Human Intellect presents the latest scholarship on the beginnings of intellectual history on a broad scope, encompassing ten eminent ancient or early civilizations from both the Old and New Worlds. Borrows themes from The Intellectual Adventure of Ancient Man (1946), updating an old topic with a new approach and up-to-date theoretical underpinning, evidence, and scholarshipProvides a broad scope of studies, including discussion of highly developed ancient or early civilizations in China, India, West Asia, the Mediterranean, and the AmericasExamines the world view of ten ancient or early societies, reconstructed from their own texts, concerning the place of human beings in society and state, in nature and cosmos, in space and time, in life and death, and in relation to those in power and the world of the divineConsiders a diversity of sources representing a wide array of particular responses to differing environments, circumstances, and intellectual challengesReflects a more inclusive and nuanced historiographical attitude with respect to non-elites, gender, and local variationsBrings together leading specialists in the field, and is edited by an internationally renowned scholar

This book is the first to focus on war and peace in the ancient world from a global perspective. The first book to focus on war and peace in the ancient world Takes a global perspective, covering a large number of early civilizations, from China, India and West Asia, through the Mediterranean to the Americas Features contributions from nineteen distinguished scholars, all of whom are experts in their fields Offers remarkable insights into the different ways in which ancient societies dealt with a common human challenge Requires no prior historical knowledge, making it suitable for non-specialists

This book is the first to focus on war and peace in the ancient world from a global perspective. The first book to focus on war and peace in the ancient world Takes a global perspective, covering a large number of early civilizations, from China, India and West Asia, through the Mediterranean to the Americas Features contributions from nineteen distinguished scholars, all of whom are experts in their fields Offers remarkable insights into the different ways in which ancient societies dealt with a common human challenge Requires no prior historical knowledge, making it suitable for non-specialists

The first book to explore the religious dimensions of the family and the household in ancient Mediterranean and West Asian antiquity. Advances our understanding of household and familial religion, as opposed to state-sponsored or civic temple cultsReconstructs domestic and family religious practices in Egypt, Greece, Rome, Israel, Mesopotamia, Ugarit, Emar, and PhilistiaExplores many household rituals, such as providing for ancestral spirits, and petitioning of a household's patron deities or of spirits associated with the house itselfExamines lifecycle rituals – from pregnancy and birth to maturity, old age, death, and beyondLooks at religious practices relating to the household both within the home itself and other spaces, such as at extramural tombs and local sanctuaries

This fascinating volume brings together leading specialists, who have analyzed the thoughts and records documenting the worldviews of a wide range of pre-modern societies. Presents evidence from across the ages; from antiquity through to the Age of DiscoveryProvides cross-cultural comparison of ancient societies around the globe, from the Chinese to the Incas and Aztecs, from the Greeks and Romans to the peoples of ancient IndiaExplores newly discovered medieval Islamic materials

With contributions from leading scholars, this is a unique cross-cultural comparison of historical epics across a wide range of cultures and time periods, which presents crucial insights into how history is treated in narrative poetry. The first book to gain new insights into the topic of ‘epic and history’ through in-depth cross-cultural comparisonsCovers epic traditions across the globe and across a wide range of time periodsBrings together leading specialists in the field, and is edited by two internationally regarded scholarsAn important reference for scholars and students interested in history and literature across a broad range of disciplines

“The Gift in Antiquity is an exciting and learned dialogue with Marcel Mauss’s The Gift: Forms and Functions of Exchange in Archaic Societies, published ninety years ago. The essays engage Mauss’s model, offering critique and nuance, and sometimes push Mauss’s insights far beyond what he had imagined. While many anthologies are useful for the one or two essays they contain, this volume offers a tightly organized collection useful as a reader in classics, religion, or anthropology courses.” John S. Kloppenborg, University of Toronto “The Gift in Antiquity offers a rousing demonstration of the lessons to be learned from Marcel Mauss’s early insight that gift-giving offers a privileged way to understand social relations and social obligations. The book brims with the excitement of scholars from different disciplines building on a common theoretical tool to offer new perspectives on topics in their own fields as well as on the foundational concept of the gift itself. It is a book that all scholars of the ancient Mediterranean and Near East, as well as all scholars interested in the gift, will want to read.” David I. Kertzer, Brown University In his seminal essay The Gift (1922), French sociologist Marcel Mauss proposed an original theoretical framework for thinking about gift-giving practices. Emphasizing that all gifts were “total social facts” that created bonds of reciprocity between communities and individuals, Mauss’s framework has been fundamental in anthropological research. The Gift in Antiquity applies Mauss’s notion of gift-giving as a catalyst in strengthening group bonds to the study of antiquity. This thought-provoking collection of 14 original essays covers such wide-ranging topics as vows in the Hebrew Bible; ancient Greek wedding gifts; Hellenistic civic practices; Latin literature; Roman and Jewish burial practices; and Jewish and Christian religious gifts, along with wider theoretical and methodological reflections. Collectively, the essays open up a cross-cultural dialogue that generates new ways of thinking about both antiquity and theories of gift-giving and reciprocity. The Gift in Antiquity offers illuminating insights into the enduring value of Mauss’s work and the influential nature of reciprocity and exchange throughout the course of history.