The technological achievements of the Greeks and Romans continue to fascinate and excite admiration. But what was the place of technology in their cultures? Through five case-studies, this book sets ancient technical knowledge in its political, social and intellectual context. It explores the definition of the techne of medicine in classical Athens, the development of new military technology in Hellenistic times, the self-image of technicians through funerary art in the early Roman Empire, the resolution of boundary disputes in the early second century AD, and the status of architecture and...

The topic of fruit and seed production is given a broad and comprehensive treatment, with chapters covering the onset of flowering through to the development and growth of fruits and seeds, and finally to ecological and evolutionary aspects of fruiting.

The chief purpose of this book is to show how burials may be used as a uniquely informative source for Greek and Roman social history. Burials permit a far wider range of inference and insight than the literary texts produced by and for a narrow social elite, and by studying them in depth Dr. Morris is able to offer new interpretations of social change in Graeco-Roman antiquity. The major interdisciplinary importance of the book lies in its attempt to break down barriers between archaeologists and historians of different societies and cultures.

This book explores the role of written and oral communication in Greece and is the first systematic and sustained treatment at this level. It examines the recent theoretical debates about literacy and orality and explores the uses of writing and oral communication, and their interaction, in ancient Greece. It sets the significance of written and oral communication as much as possible in their social and historical context, and stresses the specifically Greek characteristics in their use. It draws together the results of recent studies and suggests further avenues of inquiry. All ancient...

The absence of a professional police force in the city of Rome in classical times is often identified as a major cause of the collapse of the Republic. But this alleged "structural weakness" was not removed by the Emperor Augustus and his successors, and was in fact shared with other premodern states. In this critical new study of the system of law and order in ancient Rome in both the republican and imperial periods, Wilfried Nippel identifies the mechanisms of self-regulation that operated as a stabilizing force within Roman society.

The absence of a professional police force in the city of Rome in classical times is often identified as a major cause of the collapse of the Republic. But this alleged "structural weakness" was not removed by the Emperor Augustus and his successors, and was in fact shared with other premodern states. In this critical new study of the system of law and order in ancient Rome in both the republican and imperial periods, Wilfried Nippel identifies the mechanisms of self-regulation that operated as a stabilizing force within Roman society.

This book examines the legal regulation of violence and the role of litigation in Athenian society. Using comparative anthropological and historical perspectives, David Cohen challenges traditional evolutionary and functionalist accounts of the development of legal process. Examining Athenian theories of social conflict and the rule of law, as well as actual litigation involving the regulation of violence, the book emphasizes the way in which the judicial process operates in an agonistic society.

This is the first book to present a synthetic view of Roman banking and financial life from the fourth century BC to the end of the third century AD. It describes the business deals of the elite and the professional bankers and the interventions of the state. It shows to what extent the spirit of profit and enterprise predominated over the traditional values of Rome, what economic role these financiers played, and how that role compares with that of their later counterparts.

This book is a history of friendship in Greece and Rome, from the warrior society of the Homeric epics to the time of the Christian Roman Empire. It demonstrates how ancient friendship resembles modern conceptions, and how it evolves in different social contexts. The book sheds new light on such questions as friendship and democracy, the importance of friends in government and in philosophical communities, women's friendships, and the transformation of friendship under the influence of Christian ideas of brotherhood.

This book is the only up-to-date general introduction to ancient Greek sport now available in English. Its subjects include the origins and history of the Olympic games, athletic nudity, professionalism, and the place of women in Greek sport. Accessible to nonspecialists, its overall perspective and discussions of many particular problems will also interest experts in Greek history and sport studies.