Syracuse in Antiquity


Book Description

Syracuse was the largest and most powerful of all the cities established by the Greeks in Sicily. Its history, often violent but always colourful, is recounted by both Greek and Roman historians, its coinage is justly famous, and its extensive remains continue to fascinate visitors to the city. The object of this work is to retell aspects of the history of Syracuse, with particular reference to the topography of the city and its surrounding countryside. In order to acquaint or re-acquaint the reader with the impressive architectural monuments of Syracuse and to contextualise these in their geographical environment, comprehensive use is made of visual material contained in an accompanying CD.




Ancient Syracuse


Book Description

Syracuse possesses a unique place in the history of the ancient Mediterranean because of its contribution to Greek culture and political thought and practice. Even in the first century BC Cicero could still declare ’You have often heard that of all the Greek cities Syracuse is the greatest and most beautiful.’ Sicily’s strategic location in the Mediterranean brought the city prosperity and power, placing it in the first rank of states in the ancient world. The history and governance of the city were recorded from the fifth century BC and the volume of literary sources comes close to matching the records of Athens or Rome. Combining literary and material evidence this monograph traces the history of Syracuse, offering new arguments about the date of the city’s foundation, and continues through the fifth century when, as a democracy, Syracuse’s military strength grew to equal that of Athens or Sparta, surpassing them in the early fourth century under the tyrant Dionysius I. From ca. 350 BC, however, the city’s fortunes declined as the state was wracked with civil strife as the tyranny lost control. The result was a collapse so serious that the city faced complete and imminent destruction.




The Archimedes Palimpsest


Book Description

The Archimedes Palimpsest is the name given to a Byzantine prayer-book which was written over a number of earlier manuscripts. This volume provides colour images and transcriptions of three of the texts recovered from it. Pride of place goes to the treatises of Archimedes, including the only Greek version of Floating Bodies, and the unique copies of Method and Stomachion. This transcription provides many different readings from those made by Heiberg from what he termed Codex C in his edition of the works of Archimedes of 1910-1915. Secondly, fragments of two previously unattested speeches by the Athenian orator Hyperides, which are the only Hyperides texts ever to have been found in a codex. Thirdly, a fragment from an otherwise unknown commentary on Aristotle's Categories. In each case advanced image-processing techniques have been used to create the images, in order to make the text underneath legible.




Language and Linguistic Contact in Ancient Sicily


Book Description

A comprehensive and up-to-date account of the languages of ancient Sicily by an international team of experts.




Agathokles of Syracuse


Book Description

Agathokles of Syracuse ruled large areas of Sicily and southern Italy between 317 and 289 BC. In this book, Christopher de Lisle argues that Agathokles was an important player in the Mediterranean world at a key moment in its history. Agathokles' career has important implications for our definition of the Hellenistic world and its relationship to both the western Mediterranean and earlier Greek history. However, he has tended not to feature in studies of the Hellenistic world or of ancient Sicily. In ancient discourse about him, in the coins he issued, in his interactions with the world around him, and in the way he ruled, Agathokles is simultaneously heir to a long tradition and actively engaged in his contemporary world. The failure to place Agathokles in both of these contexts up till now has contributed to the development of an excessively deep separation between the western and eastern Mediterranean and between the Classical and Hellenistic periods. This work - the first book-length study of Agathokles in English in over a century - places him in the context of both the earlier history of Sicily, and the developments in the eastern Mediterranean that mark the start of the Hellenistic era. The volume includes a narrative of his career, studies of his coinage and his representation in literary sources, and a series of explorations of important themes and regions.




Iroquoia


Book Description

In a book that spans the Iroquoian culture from its ancient roots to its survival in the modern world, William Engelbrecht maintains that two themes pervade this development: warfare and spirituality. An investigation of oral tradition, archaeology, and historical records provides new insight into this now largely vanished world known as Iroquoia. Engelbrecht covers a wide geographic range, exploring regional and temporal differences in material culture and subsistence patterns. He finds change over time in the distribution and size of communities and in response to environmental demographic, and social factors. In addition, he furthers the controversial debate that "arrow sacrifice" and other beliefs spread from Mesoamerica with the dispersal of maize and horticulture. Although scholars have suggested that palisaded hilltop Iroquoian villages were constructed with an eye for defense, this book is unique in showing that the longhouse—known mainly as a community forum and spiritual place—may also have served as a defense structure. Throughout this work, which will become the new standard text to which scholars will refer, Engelbrecht reminds us that the the study of the Iroquoian people continues to enrich and inform the modern world.




A Companion to Greeks Across the Ancient World


Book Description

An innovative, up-to-date treatment of ancient Greek mobility and migration from 1000 BCE to 30 BCE A Companion to Greeks Across the Ancient World explores the mobility and migration of Greeks who left their homelands in the ten centuries between the Early Iron Age and the Hellenistic period. While most academic literature centers on the Greeks of the Aegean basin area, this unique volume provides a systematic examination of the history of the other half of the ancient Greek world. Contributions from leading scholars and historians discuss where migrants settled, their new communities, and their connections and interactions with both Aegean Greeks and non-Greeks. Divided into three parts, the book first covers ancient and modern approaches and the study of the ancient Greeks outside their homelands, including various intellectual, national, and linguistic traditions. Regional case studies form the core of the text, taking a microhistory approach to examine Greeks in the Near Eastern Empires, Greek-Celtic interactions in Central Europe, Greek-established states in Central Asia, and many others throughout Europe, Africa, and Asia. The closing section of the text discusses wider themes such as the relations between the Greek homeland and the edges of Greek civilization. Reflecting contemporary research and fresh perspectives on ancient Greek culture contact, this volume: Discusses the development and intersection of mobility, migration, and diaspora studies Examines the various forms of ancient Greek mobility and their outcomes Highlights contributions to cultural development in the Greek and non-Greek world Examines wider themes and the various forms of ancient Greek mobility and their outcomes Includes an overview of ancient terminology and concepts, modern translations, numerous maps, and full references A Companion to Greeks Across the Ancient World is a valuable resource for students, instructors, and researchers of Classical antiquity, as well as non-specialists with interest in ancient Greek mobilities, migrations, and diasporas.




Syracuse, City of Legends


Book Description

Dubbed 'the greatest Greek city and the most beautiful of them all' by Cicero, Syracuse also boasts the richest history of anywhere in Sicily. Syracuse, City of Legends - the first modern historical guide to the city - explores Syracuse's place within the island and the wider Mediterranean and reveals why it continues to captivate visitors today, more than two and a half millennia after its foundation. Over its long and colourful life, Syracuse has been home to many creative figures, including Archimedes, the greatest mathematician of the ancient world, as well as host to Plato, Scipio Africanus, conqueror of Hannibal, and Caravaggio, who have all contributed to the rich history and atmosphere of this beguiling and distinctive Sicilian city. Generously illustrated, Syracuse, City of Legends also offers detailed descriptions of the principal monuments from each period in the city's life, explaining their physical location as well as their historical context.This vivid and engaging history weaves together the history, architecture and archaeology of Syracuse and will be an invaluable companion for anyone visiting the city as well as a compelling introduction to its ancient and modern history.




Sicily


Book Description

Published on the occasion of the exhibition Sicily: art & invention between Greece and Rome, on view at the J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Villa in Malibu, from April 3 to August 19, 2013; at the Cleveland Museum of Art from September 30, 2013 to January 5, 2014; and at Palazzo Ajutamicristo, Palermo, from February 14 to June 15, 2014.




Archimedes in the 21st Century


Book Description

​This book is a collection of papers presented at the “Archimedes in the 21st Century” world conference, held at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences in 2013. This conference focused on the enduring and continuing influence of Archimedes in our modern world, celebrating his centuries of influence on mathematics, science, and engineering. Archimedes planted the seeds for a myriad of seminal ideas that would grow over the ages. Each chapter surveys the growth of one or more of these seeds, and the fruit that they continue to bear to this day. The conference speakers contributing to this book are actively involved in STEM fields whose origins trace back to Archimedes, many of whom have conducted and published research that extends Archimedes’ work into the 21st century. The speakers are not historians, so while historical context is provided, this book is uniquely focused on the works themselves as opposed to their history. The breadth and depth of Archimedes’ influence will inspire, delight, and even surprise readers from a variety of fields and interests including historians, mathematicians, scientists, and engineers. Only a modest background in math is required to read this book, making it accessible to curious readers of all ages.