Greece and Rome Live – serie

Ancient Greece and Rome in Modern Science Fiction introduces and analyses the reception of classical antiquity in contemporary science fiction. By using up-to-date methods from classical reception theory, science-fiction analysis and fictional-world studies, the book will help furnish the reader’s understanding of the ways in which the literature, culture, history and mythology of ancient Greece and Rome are appropriated and represented across multiple media platforms in the science-fiction genre today. The book will therefore serve as an entry point into several areas of study: the reception of classics in popular culture, antiquity in modern media, the uses of the ancient world in science-fiction, and broader science-fiction criticism.The chapters – structured by medium – principally offer a roughly chronological overview of that medium and its treatment of ancient history, mythology, literature and culture. An abundance of case studies from literature, film and television and videogames including Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Fallout: New Vegas, the Mass Effect franchise and Assassin’s Creed show how classical antiquity is reused, encountered, re-encountered by creators and consumers of the present – how we bounce off it, and it bounces off us, and how this reciprocation creates new visions of Greece and of Rome.

Ebook available to libraries exclusively as part of the JSTOR Path to Open initiative.The Romans claimed to have invented satire—one of the most enduring and certainly one of the most entertaining genres of literature bequeathed to posterity from the ancient world. Modern satire aims generally to puncture pretence and to hurt its targets with withering caricature and bruising irony, but Roman satire was not so easy to characterise. One of the earliest exponents (Lucilius) went in for some personal invective and set the tone for many a 21st-century scribbler keen to wound his enemies with well-chosen words, but later writers in the Roman tradition distanced themselves from the tradition of personal critique and were reluctant to paint themselves as in any sense attack-dogs. If they were inveighing against folly and vice, it was (they claimed) more in a spirit of positive encouragement to us all to live better and happier lives, freed from the shackles of character-flaws and absurd behaviour. Satire in verse was also a highly self-conscious literary exercise which invested its moral message with layers of irony and wit. This tradition of both personal and philosophical satire laid the foundations for the massive tradition of satire in Europe which continues to this day.Roman Verse Satires will examine the tradition of hexameter verse satires as practised by Ennius, Lucilius, Horace, Persius and Juvenal and will also present something of the massive influence which this this complex, at times contradictory and entertaining Roman genre had on later literature, culture and film.

Ebook available to libraries exclusively as part of the JSTOR Path to Open initiative.The Romans claimed to have invented satire—one of the most enduring and certainly one of the most entertaining genres of literature bequeathed to posterity from the ancient world. Modern satire aims generally to puncture pretence and to hurt its targets with withering caricature and bruising irony, but Roman satire was not so easy to characterise. One of the earliest exponents (Lucilius) went in for some personal invective and set the tone for many a 21st-century scribbler keen to wound his enemies with well-chosen words, but later writers in the Roman tradition distanced themselves from the tradition of personal critique and were reluctant to paint themselves as in any sense attack-dogs. If they were inveighing against folly and vice, it was (they claimed) more in a spirit of positive encouragement to us all to live better and happier lives, freed from the shackles of character-flaws and absurd behaviour. Satire in verse was also a highly self-conscious literary exercise which invested its moral message with layers of irony and wit. This tradition of both personal and philosophical satire laid the foundations for the massive tradition of satire in Europe which continues to this day.Roman Verse Satires will examine the tradition of hexameter verse satires as practised by Ennius, Lucilius, Horace, Persius and Juvenal and will also present something of the massive influence which this this complex, at times contradictory and entertaining Roman genre had on later literature, culture and film.

Ancient Greece and Rome in Modern Science Fiction introduces and analyses the reception of classical antiquity in contemporary science fiction. By using up-to-date methods from classical reception theory, science-fiction analysis and fictional-world studies, the book will help furnish the reader’s understanding of the ways in which the literature, culture, history and mythology of ancient Greece and Rome are appropriated and represented across multiple media platforms in the science-fiction genre today. The book will therefore serve as an entry point into several areas of study: the reception of classics in popular culture, antiquity in modern media, the uses of the ancient world in science-fiction, and broader science-fiction criticism.The chapters – structured by medium – principally offer a roughly chronological overview of that medium and its treatment of ancient history, mythology, literature and culture. An abundance of case studies from literature, film and television and videogames including Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Fallout: New Vegas, the Mass Effect franchise and Assassin’s Creed show how classical antiquity is reused, encountered, re-encountered by creators and consumers of the present – how we bounce off it, and it bounces off us, and how this reciprocation creates new visions of Greece and of Rome.

Ever since HBO-BBC’s Rome burst onto screens in 2005, Rome has appeared on television screens in a variety of dramatic productions. These utilise many of the elements of ancient Rome that were familiar to audiences from big screen epic movies, but adapt them for a television genre, in a manner that is characteristic of the the second millennium, playing on older tropes and merging them with new formats. Where do such tropes come from and how have they been developed over time specifically on the small screen, a medium that overlaps with, but is substantially different from, the cinema? How have the changes in technology and the manner in which television is consumed by audiences influenced the productions? Answering these questions and more, this book examines the presentation of ancient Rome in (primarily British and American) television productions of the twenty-first century, exploring not only how they depict the ancient world, but how the various programmes reflect aspects and concerns of contemporary society in which they are produced. Through a series of nine different case studies, it considers three main issues: the miniseries format as television epic; sexuality and gender in contemporary ancient Rome productions; and specific national contexts.

Julius Caesar was, as this book maintains, quite simply the most famous Roman who ever lived. His influence endures to the present day: in our 'Julian' calendar of 365.25 days, which he introduced; in the geographical entity we call France, whose boundaries he established; and, thanks to his 'invasion' of 55 BCE, his is virtually the earliest familiar name in the history of Britain. This introductory book seeks to explore the many facets of his complex character - his vanity and his vitality, his charisma and his cruelty. It seeks to set his astounding career and accomplishments against the background of late republican Rome, so enabling the reader to understand not only Caesar himself but also the violent and destructive world in which he grew up. It traces in detail the sources of his phenomenal rise to power and the deep unpopularity which ultimately made him 'one of the loneliest men alive'. Garland pays particular attention to the day of Caesar's death, which can, like no other day of the ancient world, be re-constructed on an almost hour-by-hour basis. Caesar's powerful legacy is also examined, as is his 'reception' in European thought and culture from antiquity to the present day in a variety of media, including epic poetry, drama, fiction and film. The book includes a guide to further reading.

Augustine's 'Confessions', written at the close of the fourth century CE, is a highly significant text in the history of European culture. Augustine explains just how and why he came to abandon a successful career and the personal enjoyments of a largely secular existence to follow a life of prayer and study, leading to a true comprehension of God and the Bible. The avowed approach of this introductory book is to 'historicise' - to set Augustine's own experiences of religion, philosophy and Christian faith against the long-standing political, cultural and religious traditions of the classical world. Late antiquity saw the transformation of the classical heritage and its transmission by Christian authors. Augustine's ideas about how texts may be presented and read, how people respond to written and spoken language, find resonance in recent critical theory.The world in which Augustine lived, the structure, style and purpose of the Confessions, and the problems of rhetoric and truth posed by its author's personal search for himself are all scrutinised in this lucid introductory account. The volume also offers a useful guide to further reading.

From the ranks of the early Christian faithful emerged colourful personalities who seized the imagination and held the attention of the rest of their community. This they achieved either by their readiness in times of persecution to die for their faith as martyrs or by their sometimes extravagant efforts to subsume their physical desires and needs to spiritual ends as ascetics. Their actions not only inspired contemporaries; they played a key role in the development of the Christian faith and the organisation of the Church. Intriguing in themselves because of their often extreme behaviour, they remain venerated figures in the Christian tradition.This book provides a short introduction to these remarkable figures and the thinking behind their actions. It places them in their historical and cultural context, making them accessible to all readers, whether they approach the subject from a sociological, historical or theological standpoint. At the same time it offers a clear portrait of the period and its impact on subsequent Roman society and on the Church.By avoiding both the triumphalist approach of Christian commentators and the negative position of those who disapprove of the way in which the Church developed, Hartney's account offers a rounded picture, adding depth by reference to some of the theological complexities involved.

Rome's first emperor, Augustus, the adopted son of Julius Caesar, has probably had the most lasting effect on history of all rulers of the classical world. This book focuses on his rise to power and on the ways in which he then maintained authority throughout his reign. It is often assumed that the close relationship between power and presentation, popularly known as 'spin', is a modern phenomenon. Augustus, however, emerges as consummate master of the political process, using propaganda to fashion his own historical legacy. Clark examines the importance of his chief political advisor Maecenas, the patron of Horace and Virgil; and of his military commander Agrippa. He also considers the contrasting fates of the main poets of Augustus' reign, Virgil and Ovid, and the public monuments that - as much as poetry -– served to shape his reputation.

This book addresses the political aspects of fifth-century Athenian tragedies, setting them in their immediate historical context. It is an important topic and one that only rarely and sporadically finds its way into accessible accounts of Greek tragedy. Carter sets out to elucidate to a student and general audience how and why Athenian tragedy should be read as a political art form. The political content of ancient drama has been the subject of much scholarly debate in the last thirty years, but much of that debate is highly technical and inaccessible. Carter demonstrates that like the contemporary satirical comedy of Aristophanes, or indeed the sculptures of the Parthenon, tragedy involved a highly political dimension.He provides stimulating and provocative analyses, from varied points of view, of the political aspect in several individual tragedies (always referred to in modern translations). To this he adds a chapter on the ‘reception’ of political tragedy, alluding to theatre and film productions of the Greek plays that have taken an overtly political stance within a modern context.

Hadrian’s Wall – one of the most prominent monuments of the Roman period in Britain – has a special place in the public imagination. It offers a tangible reminder of our ancient past and a concrete link with the Roman occupation. Visitors can stand amid the remains, knowing that they tread in the footsteps of the soldiers who garrisoned the province. Guides to the Wall have tended to concentrate on the archaeological record, on the Wall’s construction and on military organisation. This book folds these aspects into a wider historical, social and economic perspective, providing the general reader with an analysis of how Hadrian’s Wall functioned. It describes the impact it had on the lives of both Rome’s soldiers and the native population, dealing with the contentious issue of ‘Romanisation’. It looks, too, at what happened in Christian communities of the Wall area after the Roman army’s departure. Geraint Osborn utilises archaeological evidence, including the content of the remarkable Vindolanda tablets, to give a rounded picture of military life on the Wall. He also considers the role of the monument in the context of Victorian England, a time when parallels were frequently drawn between the Roman and British empires, and how this in turn affected the excavation, preservation and modern presentation of Hadrian’s Wall.

The tyrants of Greece are some of the most colourful figures in antiquity, notorious for their luxury, excess and violence, and provoking heated debates among political thinkers. Greek Tyranny examines the phenomenon of autocratic rule outside the law in archaic and classical Greece, offering a new interpretation of the nature of tyranny. The development of tyrannical government is examined in theory and in practice, embracing lesser-known rulers such as the tagoi of Thessaly and the Hecatomnids of Halicarnassus, as well as canonical figures like the Pisistratid rulers of Athens and the Dionysii at Syracuse. The book considers the different forms which sole rulership took – the violent usurper, the appointed magistrate, the general and the Hellenistic king – and the responses which tyranny evoked, both from the citizens of the polis and from intellectuals such as Plato and Aristotle. Lewis replaces the longstanding theory of an ‘age of tyranny’ in Greece with powerful new arguments, suggesting tyranny was a positive choice for many Greek states.

'Ancient Rome at the Cinema' is a lucid study of the worlds created in Roman historical epics. Based on analysis of the visual and narrative fabric of seven films set in Ancient Rome, 'Ancient Rome at the Cinema' demonstrates how cinematic versions of Ancient Rome have been able to captivate us, and inscribe their versions of the city and its history onto our imagination. Theodorakopoulos uses film theory and criticism to examine the ways in which historical drama creates the past through story-telling and visual effects. Particular emphasis is put on the tension between narrative and spectacle which is an inherent feature of cinema, and a long-standing preoccupation of film critics and theorists from the 1930s to the present. The book also examines the techniques and the rhetoric of realism which feature especially prominently in historical films.'Ancient Rome at the Cinema' is a companion volume to 'Ancient Greece in Film and Popular Culture' by Gideon Nisbet (9781904675785, 2008, 2nd edition).

Hannibal’s enduring reputation as a man and as a general is due to his enemies’ fascination with him. The way his legend was shaped in the Greek and Roman consciousness is one of the book’s main themes. Under Hannibal’s leadership, Carthage came close to dominating the western Mediterranean; his total victory would have changed the course of history. That he was a brilliant general is unquestioned and his strategy and tactics have been studied as real-life lessons in war even into the modern era (Norman Schwartzkopf is a fan). His political career is less appreciated and his achievements as civilian leader of Carthage in 196-5 BC have been virtually overlooked. The issue of whether he might indeed have changed history had he postponed conflict with Rome and concentrated first on Carthage’s own prosperity and safety is explored in this volume as vigorously as the military questions.

The tyrants of Greece are some of the most colourful figures in antiquity, notorious for their luxury, excess and violence, and provoking heated debates among political thinkers. Greek Tyranny examines the phenomenon of autocratic rule outside the law in archaic and classical Greece, offering a new interpretation of the nature of tyranny. The development of tyrannical government is examined in theory and in practice, embracing lesser-known rulers such as the tagoi of Thessaly and the Hecatomnids of Halicarnassus, as well as canonical figures like the Pisistratid rulers of Athens and the Dionysii at Syracuse. The book considers the different forms which sole rulership took – the violent usurper, the appointed magistrate, the general and the Hellenistic king – and the responses which tyranny evoked, both from the citizens of the polis and from intellectuals such as Plato and Aristotle. Lewis replaces the longstanding theory of an ‘age of tyranny’ in Greece with powerful new arguments, suggesting tyranny was a positive choice for many Greek states.

Of all the Roman poets Catullus is the most accessible for the modern reader. His poems range from the sublimely beautiful to the scatologically disgusting, from the world of heroic epic poetry to the dirt of the Roman streets. This accessible book, which assumes no prior knowledge of the poet or of Roman poetry in general, explores Catullus in all his many guises. In six concise chapters Godwin deals with the cultural background to Catullus’ poetic production, its literary context, the role of love, Alexandrian learning and obscenity and, in the final chapter, considers the coherence and rationale of the collection as a whole. Each chapter is illustrated by readings of a number of poems, chosen to give a representative overview of Catullus’ poety. All quotations from the text are translated and a brief discursive section of ‘Further Reading’ is provided at the end of each chapter. A timeline giving dates of authors mentioned and full bibliography is also supplied.

This book provides separate discussions of each of Sophocles’ seven plays: Ajax, Women of Trachis, Antigone, Oedipus the King, Electra, Philoctetes and Oedipus at Colonus. It sets these between an essay that outlines modern approaches to Greek tragedy and a final chapter that spotlights a key moment in the reception of each work. Focusing on the tragedies’ dramatic power and the challenges with which they confront an audience, Morwood refuses to confine them within a supposedly Sophoclean template. They are seven unique works, only alike in the fact that they are all major masterpieces.Focusing on the tragedies’ dramatic power and the challenges with which they confront an audience, Morwood refuses to confine them within a supposedly Sophoclean template. They are seven unique works, only alike in the fact that they are all major masterpieces.

This book offers an illuminating re-appraisal of the domestic space in classical Greece. Starting from the premise that we must cease to view the classical Greek house through the lens of contemporary Western notions of the household, Janett Morgan provides a fresh evaluation of what ‘home’ meant to different communities in the ancient Greek world. By employing textual analysis alongside archaeological scholarship her book seeks to explain some of the contradictions that previous, more simplistic approaches have left unanswered. Of value to students and academics alike, Morgan’s work gives an exciting new perspective on relations between men and women, between public and private, and between home and city in the ancient world.

This book offers an illuminating re-appraisal of the domestic space in classical Greece. Starting from the premise that we must cease to view the classical Greek house through the lens of contemporary Western notions of the household, Janett Morgan provides a fresh evaluation of what ‘home’ meant to different communities in the ancient Greek world. By employing textual analysis alongside archaeological scholarship her book seeks to explain some of the contradictions that previous, more simplistic approaches have left unanswered. Of value to students and academics alike, Morgan’s work gives an exciting new perspective on relations between men and women, between public and private, and between home and city in the ancient world.