Classics, Ancient History, Archaeology, and Egyptology : Books

The Gods of Ancient Greece

The Greek gods are still very much present in modern consciousness. Although Apollo and Dionysos, Artemis and Aphrodite, Zeus and Hermes are household names, it is much less clear what these divinities meant and stood for in ancient Greece. In fact, they have been very much neglected in modern scholarship. This book brings together a team of international scholars with the aim of remedying this situation and generating new approaches to the nature and development of the Greek gods in the period from Homer until Late Antiquity.The book looks at individual gods, but also asks to what extent cult, myth and literary genre determine the nature of a divinity. How do the Greek gods function in a polytheistic pantheon and what is their connection to the heroes? What is the influence of philosophy? What does archaeology tell us about the gods? In what way do the gods in Late Antiquity differ from those in classical Greece? This book presents a synchronic and diachronic view of the gods as they functioned in Greek culture until the triumph of Christianity (Provided by Publisher)

Exploring Archaeology : Archaeology as Humanities

This book looks inward to reveal and analyze problems in archaeology itself. The subject explored in this volume include humanistic attributes of archaeology, various archaeological theory, challenges in the development of archaeology, China Archaeology paradigms and "Chinese School", responsibilities and status of archaeology in society, and prospects of Archaeology in China. With years of engagement in philosophy and theory studies, the author raised many bold questions and contributed unique and original views. While the archaeological circle remained tacit about -"Chinese School"- a term proposed by leading authority Professor Su Bingqi, the author bravely voiced that archaeology needs a "Chinese school". The "Chinese school" would facilitate both the reconstruction of cultural significance and the vying for international discourse power. The author also puts forward his thoughts on the current public archaeological fever, explaining and reflecting on the social responsibility, discourse power and how to present the archaeological discovery in a more accurate and efficient way to the public. Chen Shengqian is a professor and tutor for graduate students of the Department of Archaeology and Museology in School of History of Renmin University of China. In 2004, he earned his Ph.D. at the Southern Methodist University (SMU) in the United States. His main research fields are archeology theory, archaeological thought history, agricultural origin, stone tool analysis, the formation process of archaeological site, prehistoric art, and archaeological education. Chen engaged in writings on archaeological theory methods and history of archaeology (Provided by Publisher).

Ancient Southeast Mesoamerica

Ancient Southeast Mesoamerica explores the distinctive development and political history of the region from its earliest inhabitants up to the Spanish conquest. It was composed of a matrix of social networks rather than divided by distinct cultures and domains. Making use of the area's rich archaeological data, Edward Schortman and Patricia Urban provide a social network analysis of southeast Mesoamerica. They demonstrate how inhabitants from different locales were organized within such networks, and how they mobilized the assets that they needed to define and achieve their own goals. The also provide evidence for the actions of other groups, who sought to promote their importance at local and regional scales, and often opposed those efforts. Schortman and Urban's study demonstrates the fresh insights gained from study of socio-political structures via a social network perspective. It also challenges models that privilege the influence of powerful leaders in shaping those structures (Provided by Publisher).

Prehistoric Flint Mines in Europe

This volume offers a review of major flint mines dating from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age. The 18 articles were contributed by archaeologists from Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Sweden, using the same framework to propose a uniform view of the mining phenomenon (Provided by Publisher).

This title was acquired through the Library's Order a Book service.

Citizenship in Antiquity - Civic Communities in the Ancient Mediterranean

This volume brings together scholars working on the multifaceted and changing dimensions of citizenship in the ancient Mediterranean, from the second millennium BCE to the first millennium CE, adopting a multidisciplinary and comparative perspective. The chapters in this volume cover numerous periods and regions - from the Ancient Near East, through the Greek and Hellenistic worlds and pre-Roman North Africa, to the Roman empire and its continuations, and with excursuses to modernity. The contributors to this volume adopt various contemporary theories, demonstrating the manifold meanings and ways of defining the concept and practices of citizenship and belonging in ancient societies and, in turn, of non-citizenship and non-belonging. Whether citizenship was defined by territorial belonging or blood descent; by privileged or exclusive access to resources or participation in communal decision-making; by a sense of group belonging - such identifications were also open to discursive redefinitions and manipulation. Citizenship and belonging, as well as non-citizenship and non-belonging, had many shades and degrees; citizenship could be bought or faked, or even deprived. By casting light on different areas of the Mediterranean over the course of antiquity, this volume seeks to explore this multi-layered notion of citizenship and contribute to an on-going and relevant discourse. Citizenship in Antiquity offers a wide-ranging, comprehensive collection suitable for students and scholars of citizenship, politics, and society in the ancient Mediterranean world, as well as those working on citizenship throughout history interested in taking a comparative approach (Provided by Publisher).

This title was acquired through the Library's Order a Book service.

The Imagination of the Mind in Classical Athens : Forms of Thought

This book explores the imaginative processes at work in the artefacts of Classical Athens, building a diverse picture of culturally mediated thought in this period, prior to the development of explicit theories of the imagination in the centuries after Plato and Aristotle. When ancient Athenians strove to grasp 'justice' or 'war' or 'death', when they had dreams or encountered ghosts, when they deliberated upon problems, how did they do it? Did they think about what they were doing? Did they worry about it? Did they imagine an imagining mind? European notions of the imagination have often begun with philosophical theories, such as those of Aristotle. This volume is premised upon the idea that imaginative activity, especially efforts to articulate it, can take place in the absence of technical terminology or formal theory as developed in later periods. In exploring the imagination and self-reflection mediated by art and literature, the book scopes out the cultural roots of later, more explicit, theoretical enquiry. Taken together, the chapters explore a range of visual and verbal cultural artefacts from the Classical period. Approaching the topic from different angles - philosophical, historical, philological, literary, and art historical - they turn attention upon how these artefacts stimulate affective, sensory, meditative - in short, 'imaginative' - encounters between imagining bodies and their world. The Imagination of the Mind in Classical Athens offers a fascinating reassessment of "imagination" in ancient Greek culture and thought, of interest to students and scholars researching ancient philosophies of mind, as well as those working on ancient philosophy, art, and Greek culture, thought, and literature more broadly (Provided by publisher).

Poverty in Ancient Greece and Rome

This volume presents an innovative picture of the ancient Mediterranean world. Approaching poverty as a multifaceted condition, it examines how different groups were affected by the lack of access to symbolic, cultural and social - as well as economic - capital. Collecting a wide range of studies by an international team of experts, it presents a diverse and complex analysis of life in antiquity, from the archaic to the late antique period. The sections on Greece, Rome, and Late Antiquity offer in-depth studies of ancient life, integrating analysis of socio-economic dynamics and cultural and discursive strategies that shaped this crucial element of ancient (and modern) societies. Themes like social cohesion and control, exclusion, gender, agency, and identity are explored through the combination of archaeological, epigraphic, and literary evidence, presenting a rich panorama of Greco-Roman societies and a stimulating collection of new approaches and methodologies for their understanding. The book offers a comprehensive view of the ancient world, analysing different social groups - from wealthy elites to poor peasants and the destitute - and their interactions, in contexts as diverse as Classical Athens and Sparta, imperial Rome, and the late antique towns of Egypt and North Africa. Poverty in Ancient Greece and Rome: Discourses and Realities is a valuable resource for students and scholars of ancient history, classical literature, and archaeology. In addition, topics covered in the book are of interest to social scientists, scholars of religion, and historians working on poverty and social history in other periods (Provided by Publisher).

A Modern Legal History of Treasure

This book examines treasure law and practice from the rise of the new science of archaeology in the early Victorian period to the present day. Drawing on largely-unexamined state records and other archives, the book covers several legal jurisdictions: England and Wales, Scotland, Ireland pre- and post-independence, and post-partition Northern Ireland. From the Mold gold cape (1833) to the Broighter hoard (1896), from Sutton Hoo (1939) to the Galloway hoard (2014), the law of treasure trove, and the Treasure Act 1996, are considered through the prism of notable archaeological discoveries, and from the perspectives of finders, landowners, archaeologists, museum professionals, collectors, the state, and the public. Literally and metaphorically, treasure law is revealed as a ground-breaking chapter in the history of the legal protection of cultural property and cultural heritage in Britain and Ireland (Provided by Publisher).

Golden Mummies of Egypt: interpreting identities from the Graeco-Roman Period

Golden Mummies of Egypt presents new insights and a rich perspective on beliefs about the afterlife during an era when Egypt was part of the Greek and Roman worlds (c. 300 BCE–200 CE). This beautifully illustrated book, featuring photography by Julia Thorne, accompanies Manchester Museum’s first-ever international touring exhibition. Golden Mummies of Egypt is a visually spectacular exhibition that offers visitors unparalleled access to the museum’s outstanding collection of Egyptian and Sudanese objects – one of the largest in the UK (Provided by Publisher).

Writing the Sphinx : Literature, Culture and Egyptology

Unearths a rich tradition of creative flexibility, collaboration and mutual influence between literary culture and Egyptology. The first monograph study to bring literature into conversation with Egyptological culture incorporates a number of archival primary sources which have, until now, escaped critical attention. Analyses canonical literature alongside works by lesser-known authors combines literary criticism with book history, the history of science, and reception studies. This book explores literary and Egyptological cultures from the closing decades of the nineteenth century to the opening decades of the twentieth, culminating in the aftermath of the high-profile discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922. Analysing the works of Egyptologists including Howard Carter, Arthur Weigall and E. A. Wallis Budge alongside those of their literary contemporaries such as H. Rider Haggard, Marie Corelli and Oscar Wilde, it investigates the textual, cultural and material exchanges between literature, Egyptology and visual and material culture across this period (Provided by Publisher). 

Egypt in Late Antiquity

This book brings together a vast amount of information pertaining to the society, economy, and culture of a province important to understanding the entire eastern part of the later Roman Empire. Focusing on Egypt from the accession of Diocletian in 284 to the middle of the fifth century, Roger Bagnall draws his evidence mainly from documentary and archaeological sources, including the papyri that have been published over the last thirty years (Provided by Publisher).

'Madness' in the Ancient World, Innate or Acquired? : From Theoretical Concepts to Daily Life

This is the first book volume ever to study the ‘difficult’ subject of congenital, intellectual disability in the ancient world. The contributions cover the Ancient Near East, Egypt and the Graeco-Roman world, up to the late ancient period, China, the rabbinic tradition, Byzantium, the Islamic world, and the Middle Ages in the Latin West. The engaging and thought-provoking chapters combine careful textual analysis with attention to the material evidence and comparative perspectives, not the least those offered by disability history for recent periods in history.

(Provided by publisher.)

Christian Laes is Professor of Ancient History at the University of Manchester.

Tomb Families : Private Tomb Distribution in the New Kingdom Theban Necropolis

Tomb Families investigates the apparently random distribution of New Kingdom private tombs in the Theban Necropolis by focusing on factors which may have influenced tomb location. The Theban Necropolis contains hundreds of tombs belonging to elite individuals, dating from the end of the Old Kingdom through to the Ptolemaic Period, with the vast majority dating to the New Kingdom (c.1550-1077 BC). These tombs are scattered across the landscape at the edge of the desert between the Valley of the Kings to the west, and the row of royal mortuary temples along the edge of the cultivation to the east. GPS surveying has enabled the spatial analysis of these tombs, demonstrating that specific areas of the necropolis were popular at different times and among particular groups of people.

(Provided by Publisher).

Katherine Slinger is a Lecturer in Egyptian Archaeology at the University of Manchester.

Greek Inscriptions

Greek Inscriptions is an accessible introduction that reveals the importance of Greek inscriptions in the understanding of ancient Greek culture.

Inscriptions are an important form of evidence for our interpretation of past human societies. They are outstanding sources as they offer direct snapshots into the behaviour of humans and their aspiration to make a permanent and public record of themselves. Greek inscriptions in particular combine word and image in a multitude of ways, meaning they are rich in terms of the insights they offer into the ancient cultures of the Mediterranean and the mindsets of their peoples. They give us views of inter-state relations, historical narratives, the political administration of city-states and honorific culture; and at the same time offer perspectives on the significance of ideas about democracy, citizenship, gender, ethnicity, religion and the supernatural.

This book, based on the collection of ancient Greek inscriptions on stone and metal held at the British Museum, constitutes an introduction to the study of ancient Greek inscriptions, their significance for our understanding of ancient Greek culture, their history and their reception in the modern world. It places emphasis on the texts of the inscriptions, their physical form, their importance in understanding the ancient Greek language and the modern history of their collection. (Provided by Publisher.)

Peter Liddel is Professor of Greek History and Epigraphy at the University of Manchester.