Product Description

How did the ancient Greeks and Romans differ in their attitude towards alcoholism? What role did dance play in religious rituals? What did the ancient Greeks eat? Why was emperor Nero popular with the ordinary people but less so with the upper classes? How did ancient authors reason why Oedipus ('with swollen foot') was so called? For over 2,000 years the civilizations of ancient Greece and Rome have captivated our collective imagination and provided inspiration for so many aspects of our lives, from culture, literature, drama, cinema, and television to society, education, and politics. Many of the roots to the way life is lived in the West today can be traced to the ancient civilizations, not only in politics, law, technology, philosophy, and science, but also in social and family life, language, and art. Beautiful illustrations, easy-to-use jargon free entries, and a useful chronology and bibliography make this Companion the perfect guide for readers interested in learning more about the Graeco-Roman world. As well as providing sound information on all aspects of classical civilization such as history, politics, ethics, morals, law, society, religion, mythology, science and technology, language, literature, art, and scholarship, the entries in the Companion reflect the changing interdisciplinary aspects of classical studies, covering broad thematic subjects, such as race, nationalism, and ecology, confirming the impact classical civilizations have had on the modern world. HISTORY AND POLITICS the events, achievements, and personalities of 2,000 years of history in Greece and Rome and their immediate neighbours and the underlying issues themes: armies, banks, bribery, class struggle, democracy, economy, oligarchy, tyranny individuals: Agrippa, Mark Antony, Augustus, Cleopatra VII, Domitian, Livia, Nero, Quintus, Pyrrhus, Trajan ETHICS AND MORALS, LAW AND PUNISHMENT, ECONOMICS individual philosophers and their schools, and ethical issues, attitudes to animals, to wealth, or to warfare, and intellectual or religious intolerance themes: abortion, adoption, adultery, alcoholism, barbarian, capitalism, debt, imperialism, industry, marriage law, prison, slavery, torture Institutions: banks, police, senate SOCIAL AND FAMILY LIFE the everyday lives of the ancients and broader social topics covering status, kinship and the family themes: age, chastity, childbirth, class-struggle, cookery, dancing, dress, food and drink, games, heterosexuality, homosexuality, houses, incest, kinship, meals, suicide, tourism, women LANGUAGE, LITERATURE, ART, AND SCHOLARSHIP writers and poets, orators and playwrights, literacy and books, archives and education, literary genres, painting and sculpture, and the writing of history themes: art, bilingualism, books, comedy, epic, fantastic literature, gardens, genre, maps, narrative, novel, orality, pottery, reception, satire, tragedy individuals: Achilles, Alcaeus, Aristophanes, Cicero, Euripides, Horace, Isocrates, Odysseus, Seneca, Sophocles, Virgil, Xenophon RELIGION AND MYTHOLOGY Greek, Roman, and Egyptian beliefs, cults, and rituals, together with their attendant deities and mythological creatures, mingle with Judaism and early Christianity themes: cakes, dancing, games, initiation, intolerance, magic, mythology, oracles, prayer, ruler-cult, sacrifice, sin, temple individuals: Achilles, Aphrodite, Apollo, Hector, Heracles, Oedipus, Zeus TECHNOLOGY, SCIENCE, AND MEDICINE the birth of the scientific method in experiment, and all manner of discovery, exploration, treatment, and theorizing on disease, geography, climate, astronomy, mineralogy, navigation, sanitation, vivisection themes: agriculture, anatomy and physiology, anthropology, artillery, astronomy, botany, disease, ecology, famine, geography, mathematics, medicine, navigation, physics, sanitation

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15244 in Books
• Published on: 2004-09-23
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 832 pages

Times Literary Supplement
'beautifully illustrated and intelligently reader friendly...this is a serious book as well as an attractive one'

Booklist
'a cut above'

About the Author
Simon Hornblower is Professor of Classics and Ancient History, University College London. He is the author and editor of many books (see books by the same author).

Customer Reviews

an excellent review of the classical world
This dictionary is a must have for any classics student, or teachers for that matter! It covers a wide variety of topics from Roman empire to magic, and from literature to cookery in antiquity. It has an easy to read format, contains over two dozen maps and colour plates and many more black and white plates. It is suitable for anyone studying this subject, and I would recommend it especially to those of you who are studying at A-Level and degree (ie, 16+). The 'Companion' takes the most important entries, in full, from its sister book, the Oxford Classical Dictionary (3rd ed) to create a cheaper and less weighty version, great for those who are on a budget. Topics that require a little more explainaiton are given longer articles so that this extra detail can be added. The excellent editing means that only the best information is supplied by the best authors in the business. This truely is a vital companion for anyone who about to venture classical civilization.

a cheap and accessible alternative to the oxford classical dictionary
Admittedly there's no beating the OCD but this is a brilliant alternative. The entries come from the OCD itself but it excludes the bibliographies per subject - which frankly are out of date anyway. As the other reviewer here has mentioned, the entries are wide ranging and eclectic, but always informative, readable and stimulating. I have the hardback version (necessary for the amount of referencing it gets!) and the book itself is nicely produced with good weight paper and excellent illustrations. Whether you're a serious student or an interested amateur, this is a brilliant buy.