The Epicurean philosophical system has enjoyed much recent scrutiny, but the question of its philosophical ancestry remains largely neglected. This book traces its origins in the fifth-century BC atomist Democritus, in his fourth-century followers such as Anaxarchus and Pyrrho, and in Epicurus' disagreements with his own Democritean teacher Nausiphanes. The result is not only a fascinating reconstruction of a lost tradition, but also an important contribution to the philosophical interpretation of Epicureanism, bearing especially on its ideal of tranquillity and on the relation of ethics to...

Plutarch and Arrian are the ancient writers who tell us most about Alexander the Great. This book is the first attempt to analyze and evaluate in detail the sources of information they themselves drew on, a necessary first step to appreciating the value of their own accounts. It completes Professor Hammond's study of the five Alexander-historians which began with Three Historians of Alexander the Great (Cambridge University Press 1983) and lays a new basis for work on Alexander.

Stoic work on ambiguity represents one of the most innovative, sophisticated and rigorous contributions to philosophy and the study of language in Western antiquity. This book is both the first comprehensive survey of the often difficult and scattered sources and the first attempt to locate Stoic material in the rich array of contexts, ancient and modern, which alone can guarantee full appreciation of its subtlety, scope and complexity. It is designed to be accessible to readers with no Greek or Latin.

This book is a study of one of the most famous poems of Roman literature, Virgil's Georgics. By close reading of selected passages in the poem it seeks to understand the work in terms of the cultural and political upheavals that were afflicting Rome at the time of its composition. The poem, it argues, constitutes an audacious attempt to explain and justify the violent civil wars that had recently brought Octavian (the future Augustus, with whom Virgil was closely associated) to power in Rome.

The Chain of Change is the first full-scale philosophical commentary devoted to Aristotle's Physics VII, in which Aristotle argues for the existence of a first, unmoved cosmic mover. This study systematically considers the major issues of the book, and argues for the fundamental importance of Physics VII in our understanding of Aristotelian cosmology and natural science. Physics VII is extant in two versions, and therefore poses special editorial problems. For this reason one of the features of Dr. Wardy's study is the provision of an improved text and translation in both versions. The...

A feature of Roman rhetorical education under the early empire was the dominance of the declamatio - the declamation on a mythological, historical or quasi-legal theme designed in the first place to train students for the law courts and political debating but indulged in for its own sake by amateurs as well as students and teachers of rhetoric. The elder Seneca, father of the philosopher and dramatist, compiled an anthology of the often bizarre utterances of the declaimers. Janet Fairweather's 1981 book is a detailed study of the anthologist's literary criticism. From Seneca's prefactory...

Apollonius Rhodius' Argonautica is a Greek epic poem dating from the 3rd century BC which tells the story of the quest by Jason and the Argonauts for the Golden Fleece. This book examines the poem from a number of perspectives, exploring thematic and narrative complexities arising primarily from the poet's use of language. It breaks new ground in the critical interpretation of the Argonautica and, as such, is an indispensable addition to mainstream literary criticism of the poem.

It has long been held by historians that trade and markets in the Roman Empire resembled those found later in early modern Europe. Using the concept of the bazaar, however, Peter Bang argues that the development spawned by Roman hegemony proves clear similarities with large, pre-colonial or tributary empires such as the Ottoman, the Mughal in India, and the Ming/Ch'ing in China. By comparing Roman market formation particularly with conditions in the Mughal Empire, Bang changes our comparative horizons and situates the ongoing debate over the Roman economy firmly within wider discussions about...

This is a 1976 study of the organization and tactics of the Seleucid armies from 312 to 129 BC. The first part of the book discusses the numerical strength of the armies, their sources of manpower, the contingents of the regular army, their equipment and historical development, the chain of command, training and discipline. The second part reconstructs the great campaigns in order to examine the Seleucid tactics. The book provides a lesson in Hellenistic and military history and discusses several questions: how did the Hellenistic armies develop after Alexander? What distinguished the...