The creation of a Greek Frontier in Central Asia was one of the most famous and far-reaching achievements of Alexander the Great. Yet the process was shaped as much by the political traditions of the natives as by the cultural traditions of the newcomers. This book examines this key historical clash from both sides, and shows that the birth of Hellenistic Bactria was a traumatic one eliciting more bitterness than 'brotherhood'.
The book is composed of four major parts: Part I provides an introduction to both Bactrian and Alexander studies; Part II surveys the land and peoples of Central...

Eduard Meyer (1855-1930) was among the most important historians of his age. After Mommsen he is the best known German ancient historian. From 1902 he taught ancient history in Berlin and from 1919/20 he was vice-chancellor. His most important work "Geschichte des Altertums" includes the ancient oriental cultures, contains a sociological- anthropological methodology and considers all humane studies, especially religious history. This collection treats aspects of Meyer's biography - including his journey to America, his relations with his contemporaries (M. Weber, O. Spengler, U.von...

This volume is an in-depth study of the short poetic cycle of Lygdamus, one of the authors included in Book III of the Corpus Tibullianum. The Introduction analyzes the controversial quaestio Lygdamea (identity and dating of the poet), the relationship between Lygdamus and his beloved, Neaera, the incorporation of his poems into the Corpus Tibullianum, and the manuscript tradition. This is followed by a rigorous critical edition (taking fully into account the earliest editions and conjectures). Finally, there is a detailed and exhaustive line-by-line and word-by-word...

Theatrum Arbitri is a literary study dealing with the possible influence of Roman comic drama (comedies of Plautus and Terence, theatre of the Greek and Roman mimes, and fabula Atellana) on the surviving fragments of Petronius' Satyrica. The theatrical assessment of this novel is carried out at the levels of plot-construction, characterization, language, and reading of the text as if it were the narrative equivalent of a farcical staged piece with the theatrical structure of a play produced before an audience. The analysis follows the order of each of the scenes in the...

This is the second of three volumes covering the long history of the fable from Sumer to the present day. Historical evidence reaching as far back as Antiquity, supports the study of more than 500 works considered to be fables.

This volume deals with Xerxes' invasion of Greece (480 B.C.), particularly as a naval operation. It examines the traditions preserved by Aischylos, Herodotos, and others against the background of the revolutionary naval developments in the period preceding Xerxes' decision to attack. Among the subjects discussed are: the naval pressure on Persian foreign policy; the strength in numbers of the Persian navy in 480; its deployment in the waters of Salamis related to the physical features of the battlefield and the position of the Greeks; Themistokles' legendary message as a key to the Persian...

This volume represents the sixth in the series on Orality and Literacy in Ancient Greece and Rome. The present work comprises a collection of essays that explore the tensions and controversies that arise as society moves from an oral to literate culture.

The reign of the Flavian emperors (69-96) saw the production of a large and varied body of Latin poetry: the epics of Valerius Flaccus, Silius Italicus and Statius, the Silvae of the same Statius, and the Epigrams of Martial. This poetry, long seen as derivative or decadent, is now increasingly appreciated for the daring originality of its responses both to the Latin literary tradition and to the contemporary Roman world. In the summer of 2003, the first-ever international conference on Flavian poetry, was held at Groningen, The Netherlands, bringing together leading scholars in the...

Exile and displacement are central topics in classical literature. Previous research has been mostly biographical and has focused on the three most prominent exiles: Cicero, Ovid, and Seneca. By shifting focus to a discourse of exile and displacement in early Greek poetry, Greek historiography, Cynicism, consolatory literature, Latin epic, Greek literature of the empire, and Medieval Latin literature, the present volume questions the notion of a distinct, psychologically conditioned 'genre' or 'mode' of exile literature. It shows how ancient and medieval authors perceive and present their...