Yale Classical Studies – serie

This collection of papers illustrates how our picture of the Greco-Roman East has changed in recent decades. The chapters, by a distinguished international cast of contributors, present a view of life in the Eastern Empire from the bottom up, and show how a thoughtful use of both more recent and existing material evidence can shed light on aspects of social and political life that could barely be guessed at from the literary record alone. The evidence of coins, inscriptions and archaeological data is used in the investigation of wider socio-historical issues, including processes of Hellenization and acculturation, the permeability and flexibility of political boundaries at all levels, the interaction of civil and religious authority, and the operation of networks of patronage and power from the highest to the lowest social level.

Anger is found everywhere in the ancient world, starting with the very first word of the Iliad and continuing through all literary genres and every aspect of public and private life. Yet it is only recently, as a variety of disciplines start to devote attention to the history and nature of the emotions, that Classicists, ancient historians and ancient philosophers have begun to study anger in antiquity with the seriousness and attention it deserves. This volume brings together a number of significant studies by authors from different disciplines and countries, on literary, philosophical, medical and political aspects of ancient anger from Homer until the Roman Imperial Period. It studies some of the most important ancient sources and provides a paradigmatic selection of approaches to them, and should stimulate further research on this important subject in a number of fields.

Yale Classical Studies volume XXVIII is devoted to papyrology, which celebrated its centenary as a branch of classical studies in the eighties. The volume embraces all the principal facets of papyrological study: editions and re-editions of texts and papers - ranging from brief pieces to comprehensive studies - in the many areas of classical antiquity in which our knowledge has been so immeasurably enriched by the discovery and decipherment of Greek and Latin papyri, viz. language, government, social and economic history, law and private life. Some of the papers also have interdisciplinary ramifications and the international co-operation that has characterised papyrology from its inception is here readily apparent in the names, different languages and institutional affiliations of the contributors.

The ways in which literary works begin have proved fascinating to readers and critics at least since Aristophanes. This collection of essays gives life to a topic of perennial interest by presenting a variety of original readings in nearly all the major genres of Greek and Latin literature. The subjects of these essays range from narrative voices in the opening of the Odyssey to ideological reasons for Tacitus' choice of a beginning in the Histories, and from a survey of opening devices in Greek poetry to the playwright's negotiations with the audience in Roman comedy. Other papers discuss 'false starts' in Gorgias and Herodotus, the prologues of Greek tragedy, Plato's 'frame' dialogues, delayed proems in Virgil, the role of the patron in Horace, aristocratic beginnings in Seneca, and 'inappropriate' prefaces in Plutarch. By embracing a variety of authors and a broad range of approaches, from formal analysis of opening devices to post-structural interpretation, these twelve contributions by both younger and established scholars offer an exciting new perspective on beginnings in classical literature.

This volumes begins with a long essay on the nature and structure of Saturnian verse. This is followed by two studies of Plautus (the Menaechmi seen as a comedy of errors and the prologue of the Poenulus as an editor's conflation of several scripts). There is an essay on nine graffito epigrams from Pompeii, and an analysis of the poetic quality of the scientific passages in the De Rerum Natura. Catullus 64 is studied as an epitome of the whole age of heroes; and there are two essays on Horace (his handling of the rhetorical recusatio in the odes to Bacchus and his lyric prayers for poetic inspiration). The volume ends with an investigation into how much Ovid actually knew of the law, and how he exploited this knowledge with piquancy and inventiveness in his writings.

The essays in volume 25 of Yale Classical Studies were specially commissioned by the editors to provide a cross-section of contemporary approaches to the interpretation of Greek tragedy. All three Attic dramatists receive attention, some essays being studies of a play as a whole, others concentrating on some particular passage or theme. Greek passages are translated so this volume should be of use and interest not only to classical specialists but also to students in any literary field.

This book covers a wide range of subjects from Latin literature and language to textual history and criticism. E. D. Francis gives a history of the words prae and pro, as adverb, preposition and prefix. H. D. Jocelyn surveys the distribution and differing uses of quotations from Greek poetry in Cicero's prose writings and D. F. S. Thomson takes a fresh look at the manuscript tradition of Catullus. The remaining six articles deal with later authors and are divided equally between the poets and the historians: a reading of Horace's Roman Odes and their relation to the other odes in which he addressed the Roman people; a demonstration of the internal coherence of a Tibullan elegy and two Juvenal satires; a review of disputed readings in the OCT of Livy IX; an analysis of the structure of the prologues to the Annals, Histories and Agricola to cast light on Tacitus' intentions; and a critical review of Tacitus' portrait of Germanicus, generally viewed in a sympathetic light but debated by D. O. Ross.

Aristophanes, one of the greatest and most important poets of the golden age of classical Greek literature, has remained, in the English-speaking world at least, one of the most forbidding, because least well understood. This is a collection of critical and interpretative essays in English devoted entirely to this poet. Addressed to specialists and non-specialists alike, its purpose is to bring modern literary and philological methods to bear on some aspects of Aristophanic poetry most crucial for our understanding not only of Greek literature but of Greek history and culture as well. The essays provide fresh insights into three of Aristophanes' richest and most challenging plays (Acharnians, Clouds and Lysistrate), a re-evaluation of the poet's fame as a lyricist, and a consideration of his notoriety as an opponent of the great war with Sparta. It is hoped that these essays will stimulate in all students of classical antiquity renewed interest in this brilliant and provocative poet.

The historians considered in this volume lived between the fifth century BC and the third century AD. They came from areas as far apart as Syria and Sicily and they had in common the Greek language and the Greek tradition of historical writing. They include authors who, though not strictly historians, shed important light on the tradition. Some contributors consider the value of their subjects as historical sources, others deal with problems of historical method or with ideas which arise from their works.

This volume covers a wide range of topics in Athenian intellectual history, drawing on the methods of various other disciplines to provoke a reconsideration of outstanding problems and controversies in classical studies. The papers have been organised by the editor around three natural groupings. The first five chapters will be of interest to those who have no specialist knowledge of Greek. There is a fresh look at Socrates' doctrine of the soul, a twentieth-century reappraisal of Protagoras' relativism and an examination of the primary function of myths. A second group analyses more specific problems, considering the two burials of the Antigone, the stylistic characterisation in the speeches in Thucydides and the Socratic paradox as it seems to be stated in the Hippolytus. The final papers critically examine controversial passages from Iphigenta in Aulide and the Trachiniae. The papers, by distinguished scholars, will be important reading for all who are interested in the thought and literature of fifth-century Athens.

Under the Roman Empire Greek literature experienced a renaissance. This flowering of interest in the Classics was in part a revival of the traditional culture associated with the glorious past and in part a development of new forms such as the novel, the classical lecture and the erotic letter. This literature has traditionally been considerably underrated and the essays in this 1982 volume of Yale Classical Studies were collected in an attempt to draw attention to the literary excellence of some undeservedly neglected authors and to inspire more readers to take them seriously. As the editors say in their introduction: 'nowadays we look to papyrology for ocasional revelations of exciting new pieces of ancient literature, but there are masterpieces already on the shelves waiting to be noticed'. This book will be of interest to students of Greek literature and ancient hsitory, especially to those concerned with post-Hellenistic Greek culture.

This book explores how recent findings and research provide a richer understanding of religious activities in Republican Rome and contemporary central Italic societies, including the Etruscans, during the period of the Middle and Late Republic. While much recent research has focused on the Romanization of areas outside Italy in later periods, this volume investigates religious aspects of the Romanization of the Italian peninsula itself. The essays strive to integrate literary evidence with archaeological and epigraphic material as they consider the nexus of religion and politics in early Italy; the impact of Roman institutions and practices on Italic society; the reciprocal impact of non-Roman practices and institutions on Roman custom; and the nature of 'Roman', as opposed to 'Latin', 'Italic', or 'Etruscan', religion in the period in question. The resulting volume illuminates many facets of religious praxis in Republican Italy, while at the same time complicating the categories we use to discuss it.

The transition from republic to monarchy with the accession of Augustus heralded the transformation not just of the Roman political system but of the city of Rome itself. This volume, written by some of the foremost scholars from around the world, addresses three main topics: the impact of imperial building programs on the configuration of space within the city and on the evolution of Rome's urban image; the various ways in which the figure of the emperor himself was represented, both visually and symbolically, in the city's urban fabric; and the performance of rituals and ceremonies that expressed key imperial ideals and values and enabled communications between the emperor and important collectivities in the city. The contributors build on important recent developments in research: increased archaeological excavation and restoration, the proliferation of digital technologies, and the greater attention paid by scholars to the centuries after Augustus.

The aim of this 1996 book is to identify and evaluate the distinctive styles of five important ancient Greek sculptors whose work is discussed by ancient writers. Its underlying assumption is that the history of Greek sculpture was not simply governed by impersonal, evolutionary forces but that, like the sculpture of later periods, it was shaped by the intuitions, predilections and innovations of particular individuals. The international group of authors whose essays appear here recognize that the problematical and fragmentary nature of the surviving evidence makes their task a difficult one. Nevertheless, by drawing upon the evidence of recent archaeological finds and by re-evaluating both the ancient literary sources and earlier scholarly literature, they expand our understanding of the role of personal styles in ancient Greek art.

This collection brings together leading experts in a number of fields of the humanities to offer a new perspective on the classical tradition. Drawing on reception studies, philology and early modern studies, the essays explore the interaction between literary criticism and the multiple cultural contexts in which texts were produced, discovered, appropriated and translated. The intersection of Realpolitik and textual criticism, poetic and musical aesthetics, and authority and self-fashioning all come under scrutiny. The canonical Latin writers and their subsequent reception form the backbone of the volume, with a focus on the European Renaissance. It thus marks a reconnection between classical and early modern studies and the concomitant rapprochement of philological and cultural historical approaches to texts and other works of art. This book will be of interest to scholars in classics, Renaissance studies, comparative literature, English, Italian and art history.

Anger is found everywhere in the ancient world, starting with the very first word of the Iliad and continuing through all literary genres and every aspect of public and private life. Yet it is only recently, as a variety of disciplines start to devote attention to the history and nature of the emotions, that Classicists, ancient historians and ancient philosophers have begun to study anger in antiquity with the seriousness and attention it deserves. This volume brings together a number of significant studies by authors from different disciplines and countries, on literary, philosophical, medical and political aspects of ancient anger from Homer until the Roman Imperial Period. It studies some of the most important ancient sources and provides a paradigmatic selection of approaches to them, and should stimulate further research on this important subject in a number of fields.

This collection of papers illustrates how our picture of the Greco-Roman East has changed in recent decades. The chapters, by a distinguished international cast of contributors, present a view of life in the Eastern Empire from the bottom up, and show how a thoughtful use of both more recent and existing material evidence can shed light on aspects of social and political life that could barely be guessed at from the literary record alone. The evidence of coins, inscriptions and archaeological data is used in the investigation of wider socio-historical issues, including processes of Hellenization and acculturation, the permeability and flexibility of political boundaries at all levels, the interaction of civil and religious authority, and the operation of networks of patronage and power from the highest to the lowest social level.

This book explores how recent findings and research provide a richer understanding of religious activities in Republican Rome and contemporary central Italic societies, including the Etruscans, during the period of the Middle and Late Republic. While much recent research has focused on the Romanization of areas outside Italy in later periods, this volume investigates religious aspects of the Romanization of the Italian peninsula itself. The essays strive to integrate literary evidence with archaeological and epigraphic material as they consider the nexus of religion and politics in early Italy; the impact of Roman institutions and practices on Italic society; the reciprocal impact of non-Roman practices and institutions on Roman custom; and the nature of 'Roman', as opposed to 'Latin', 'Italic', or 'Etruscan', religion in the period in question. The resulting volume illuminates many facets of religious praxis in Republican Italy, while at the same time complicating the categories we use to discuss it.

An integrated collection of essays examining the politics, social networks, law, historiography, and literature of the later Roman world. The volume treats three central themes: the first section looks at political and social developments across the period and argues that, in spite of the stress placed upon traditional social structures, many elements of Roman life remained only slightly changed. The second section focuses upon biographical texts and shows how late-antique authors adapted traditional modes of discourse to new conditions. The final section explores the first years of the reign of Theodosius I and shows how he built upon historical foundations while unfurling new methods for utilising, presenting, and commemorating imperial power. These papers analyse specific events and local developments to highlight examples of both change and continuity in the Roman world from 284-450.

The artistic category of relief has long dominated scholarly discussions of ancient Greco-Roman art for good reason: images in relief pervaded ancient visual culture from the rise of the Greek city-state through to the Christian era. They are witnessed in public and private contexts; terracotta, bronze, and stone media; techniques as varied as incision, modelling, or repoussé; and scales from the miniature to the monumental. Precisely because of the ubiquity and fluidity of ancient relief, the category as such has not been given full consideration in own right, and many questions have remained under-theorized. Boasting an international cast of contributors, this volume addresses key questions about relief across the geographic and temporal scope of the ancient world, including how relief was conceptualized within antiquity, what role materials and techniques played in its creation, and what the relations were between relief media and their effects on viewers.

This volume provides a unique overview of the broad historical, geographical and social range of Latin and Greek as second languages. It elucidates the techniques of Latin and Greek instruction across time and place, and the contrasting socio-political circumstances that contributed to and resulted from this remarkably enduring field of study. Providing a counterweight to previous studies that have focused only on the experience of elite learners, the chapters explore dialogues between center and periphery, between pedagogical conservatism and societal change, between government and the governed. In addition, a number of chapters address the experience of female learners, who have often been excluded from or marginalized by earlier scholarship.

This volume advances our understanding of the religion, society and culture of Dura-Europos, the small town on the Euphrates known since the 1930s as the 'Pompeii of the Syrian desert'. Several features make the site potentially our best source for day-to-day life in a small town situated on the periphery of the Roman world: inscriptions and graffiti in ten ancient languages; sculptures and frescoes combining elements of Classical and Oriental art; the most important papyrological dossier of any military unit in the Roman world; documents relating to the local economy; over a dozen pagan sanctuaries; plus a famously painted synagogue and the earliest Christian house church, all set in a gridiron city plan and surrounded by well-preserved fortifications. Dura's unique findings facilitate the study of life in a provincial small town to a degree that archaeology and history do not usually allow.

The transition from republic to monarchy with the accession of Augustus heralded the transformation not just of the Roman political system but of the city of Rome itself. This volume, written by some of the foremost scholars from around the world, addresses three main topics: the impact of imperial building programs on the configuration of space within the city and on the evolution of Rome's urban image; the various ways in which the figure of the emperor himself was represented, both visually and symbolically, in the city's urban fabric; and the performance of rituals and ceremonies that expressed key imperial ideals and values and enabled communications between the emperor and important collectivities in the city. The contributors build on important recent developments in research: increased archaeological excavation and restoration, the proliferation of digital technologies, and the greater attention paid by scholars to the centuries after Augustus.

This volume advances our understanding of the religion, society and culture of Dura-Europos, the small town on the Euphrates known since the 1930s as the 'Pompeii of the Syrian desert'. Several features make the site potentially our best source for day-to-day life in a small town situated on the periphery of the Roman world: inscriptions and graffiti in ten ancient languages; sculptures and frescoes combining elements of Classical and Oriental art; the most important papyrological dossier of any military unit in the Roman world; documents relating to the local economy; over a dozen pagan sanctuaries; plus a famously painted synagogue and the earliest Christian house church, all set in a gridiron city plan and surrounded by well-preserved fortifications. Dura's unique findings facilitate the study of life in a provincial small town to a degree that archaeology and history do not usually allow.

This volume explores journeys across time and space in Greek and Latin literature, taking as its starting point the paradigm of travel offered by the epic genre. The epic journey is central to the dynamics of classical literature, offering a powerful lens through which characters, authors, and readers experience their real and imaginary worlds. The journey informs questions of identity formation, narrative development, historical emplotment, and constructions of heroism - topics that move through and beyond the story itself. The act of moving to and from 'home' - both a fixed point of spatial orientation and a transportable set of cultural values - thus represents a physical journey and an intellectual process. In exploring its many manifestations, the chapters in this collection reconceive the centrality of the epic journey across a wide variety of genres and historical contexts, from Homer to the moon.