The Cambridge Ancient History Plates – serie

A new Plates Volume to accompany the four new Parts of The Cambridge Ancient History, Volumes I and II. The editors have selected many new as well as familiar subjects for illustration, and contributors to the text Volumes have made frequent references to these illustrations. The Plates Volume can also, however, stand on its own as a visual guide to the formative period of civilization in Egypt, the Middle East and the Aegean region from earliest times to about 1000 B.C.

This volume complements the publication of the second edition of The Cambridge Ancient History Volumes V and VI, which cover the history of Greece and associated areas between the Persian wars and the death of Alexander the Great - the Classical Period par excellence. It is also, however, intended to be an independent account of the physical evidence for Greek culture in this period and deals, therefore, with some subjects barely discussed in the text volumes, as well as serving as an illustrated commentary on their main themes. Major sections are devoted to the art and architecture of a period which was to prove the most influential in the development of the arts in the western world. Other sections deal with subjects for which the archaeological evidence is particularly illuminating and where it supplements the record of ancient authors in important ways: these include consideration of the economy and trade, the social and civic life of Athens, religion, the theatre, warfare and coinage. The volume will serve the general reader with an interest in the prime period of classical antiquity no less than ancient historians, archaeologists and art historians.

The publication of the Plates Volume to accompany the Cambridge Ancient History Volume III and that for Volume VII Part 1 inaugurates a new style and format for these books. The illustrations are now presented with a descriptive text and commentary, so that each chapter is a self-contained account of matters of archaeological and art-historical interest, relevant to the history of a period and place. The order of illustration is not always that of the chapters in the text volumes, but is determined by the material illustrated and the principal subjects it suggests. The intention is thus both to complement the text volumes and to provide an independent commentary on the material evidence of antiquity. The plates for Volume VII Part 1 covers the history and culture of the Hellenistic period from 323 to the first century B.C. Individual chapters deal with particular areas of the Hellenistic world - Ptolematic Egypt, the Seleucid kingdom, Bactria and India, Asia Minor, Macedonia, Greece and the Cyclades, Sicily and Magna Graecia. Other chapters cover aspects of life and society such as warfare, religion, trade, sport and education. The narrative draws on the evidence of topography, excavation and art-history to provide a well-rounded and coherent survey of the period, illustrating the positive contributions of the Hellenistic world to the story of Greek civilization and thus, through the medium of the Romans, to the modern world.

The Cambridge Ancient History is the most authoritative history of the ancient world. This volume is the partner to the volume of plates illustrating the Hellenistic East and provides an authoritative selection of illustrations for the early history of Rome and the development of the city of Rome, as well as all the regions of Italy and the West, including North Africa, Spain, Sicily and Gaul. It covers a period in which Rome began to expand westwards and illustrates both Rome's own transformation and the impact on the West, including the consequences of the Punic Wars and the destruction to Carthage. All aspects of material culture are considered, with a particular focus on the development of coinage, as well as monumental building, the archaeology of naval and land warfare and the fascinating mixtures of languages and scripts represented in epigraphy. This will become a standard reference work for the period.