Ancient World 2011

Ancient World 2011 press.princeton.edu ForThcoMing PaPerback New PaPerback Finalist, 2009 National book award, Nonfiction with a new introduction by the author one of the Washington Post’s best books of 2009 winner of the 2010 Gold Medal in biography, Independent Publisher The First Fossil Hunters The Poison King Dinosaurs, Mammoths, and Myth in The Life and Legend of Mithradates, Greek and roman Times rome’s Deadliest enemy Adrienne Mayor Adrienne Mayor “a brilliant book, full of new insights into the “a wonderful reading experience, as bracing as myths and past of the ancient Greeks. earthshak- a tonic.” ingly important.” —carolyn See, Washington Post —robin Lane Fox, author of Alexander the Great “Mithradates should be a household name “adrienne Mayor has . done some digging alongside his fellow rebels hannibal, cleopatra, deep into the past and found literary and artistic Spartacus, and attila. This detailed, juicy, clues—and not a few huge fossils—that seem entertaining, yet painstaking work of superb to explain the inspiration for many of the giants, scholarship should finally give Mithradates the monsters, and other strange creatures in the recognition he deserves.” mythology of antiquity.” —Margaret George, author of Helen of Troy: —John Noble wilford, New York Times A Novel “Mayor has done an admirable job of tracking Machiavelli praised his military genius, and his down . a paleontological bonanza centuries life inspired Mozart’s first opera. but until now no before the first dinosaur remains were recog- modern historian has recounted the full story of nised by modern science.” Mithradates, the ruthless king and visionary rebel —richard Fortey, London Review of Books who challenged the power of rome in the first adrienne Mayor is a research scholar in classics century bc. in this richly illustrated book, adri- and history of science at Stanford University. enne Mayor combines a storyteller’s gifts with the most recent archaeological and scientific 2011. 400 pages. 63 halftones. 17 line illus. 1 tables. discoveries to tell the tale of Mithradates as it has Pa: 978-0-691-15013-0 $18.95 | £12.95 never been told before. april 2011. 480 pages. 10 color plates. 75 halftones. 9 maps. ForThcoMing Fall 2011 Pa: 978-0-691-15026-0 $18.95 | £12.95 cl: 978-0-691-12683-8 $29.95 | £20.95 Victorian Culture and Classical Antiquity art, opera, Fiction, and the Proclamation of Modernity Simon Goldhill cover image: a composite image of a Protoceratops skeleton and an imaginary griffin’s wing designed by carmina alvarez, based on drawings by ed heck. The image illustrates how the depiction of Greek mythological creatures might have been influenced by the discovery of dinosaur bones in the ancient world. See adrienne Mayor’s The First Fossil Hunters. New New Rethinking the Other in Antiquity Aesopic Conversations Erich S. Gruen Popular Tradition, cultural Dialogue, and the invention of Greek Prose “Did ancient Greeks regard Persians and egyp- Leslie Kurke tians as servile ‘barbarians,’ by way of indicating their own superiority? Did romans believe that “Leslie kurke is one of the sharpest and most carthaginians were essentially perfidious, Gauls original scholars of ancient Greek literary culture and Germans primitive, Jews weird and despi- writing today. informed, intellectually precise, cable? with deep learning and a graceful style, and always engaged, her work has long been a Gruen shows that these modern generalizations pleasure and an education. here she brings all are wide of the mark, and that ancient attitudes of her considerable theoretical experience to toward foreigners were nuanced and by and the life and work of that least refined of ancient large positive. The book invites us to inquire authors: aesop. a hick, a foreigner, a slave, aesop whether scholars have projected onto the clas- speaks with no kind of authority and yet by all sical world a sense of ethnic ‘otherness’ more accounts he is wise. kurke takes this central co- characteristic of our own.” nundrum as the starting point for a wide-ranging —David konstan, brown University exploration of what it means in ancient Greek culture to be highbrow or lowbrow, gold or Prevalent among classicists today is the notion dross. along the way there are some surprising that Greeks, romans, and Jews enhanced their diversions, numerous clever insights, and quite a own self-perception by contrasting themselves lot of sophisticated and not so sophisticated fun.” with the so-called other—egyptians, Phoeni- —James Davidson, University of warwick cians, ethiopians, Gauls, and other foreigners— frequently through hostile stereotypes, distor- Delving into aesop, his adventures, and his tions, and caricature. in this provocative book, crafting of fables, Aesopic Conversations shows erich Gruen demonstrates how the ancients how this low, noncanonical figure was—unex- found connections rather than contrasts, how pectedly—central to the construction of ancient they expressed admiration for the achievements Greek literature. and principles of other societies, and how they discerned—and even invented—kinship rela- Leslie kurke is professor of classics and comparative tions and shared roots with diverse peoples. literature at the University of california, berkeley. Martin Classical Lectures erich S. Gruen is the Gladys rehard wood 2010. 520 pages. 7 halftones. Professor of history and classics (emeritus) at Pa: 978-0-691-14458-0 $29.95 | £20.95 the University of california, berkeley. cl: 978-0-691-14457-3 $75.00 | £52.00 Martin Classical Lectures 2011. 416 pages. 8 halftones. cl: 978-0-691-14852-6 $39.50 | £27.95 To receive notices about new books, subscribe for email at press.princeton.edu/subscribe press.princeton.edu 1 ForThcoMing New Eco-Republic Augustine’s Confessions what the ancients can Teach Us about a biography ethics, Virtue, and Sustainable Living Garry Wills Melissa Lane “Garry wills rescues augustine’s Confessions from “This is a provocative and powerful book. Lane its posterity, peeling away layer after layer of recommends the ethical vision of Greek antiquity anachronistic reactions to the text and providing rather than a society of individuals following an invaluable aid to readers. a master restorer, legal rules. Such a vision is, Lane argues, a wills gives us a picture carefully cleaned of a mil- sustainable one—bringing ethics, ecology, and lennium-and-a-half of varnish. This is vintage politics together.” wills—punchy, clear, well-argued, and beautifully —Justin champion, royal holloway, University translated, both linguistically and culturally.” of London —Peter brown, author of Augustine of Hippo: A Biography an ecologically sustainable society cannot be achieved without citizens who possess the in this brief and incisive book, Pulitzer Prize– virtues and values that will foster it, and who winning historian Garry wills tells the story of believe that individual actions can indeed make the Confessions—what motivated augustine to a difference. Eco-Republic draws on ancient Greek dictate it, how it asks to be read, and the many thought—and Plato’s Republic in particular—to ways it has been misread in the one-and-a-half put forward a new vision of citizenship that millennia since it was composed. Following can make such a society a reality. Melissa Lane wills’s biography of augustine and his transla- develops a model of a society whose health and tion of the Confessions, this is an unparalleled sustainability depend on all its citizens recogniz- introduction to one of the most important books ing a shared standard of value and shaping their in the christian and western traditions. personal goals and habits accordingly. bringing together the moral and political ideas of the Garry wills is the best-selling author of many ancients with the latest social and psychological books on religion and american history, theory, Lane illuminates the individual’s vital including the Pulitzer Prize–winning Lincoln at role in social change, and articulates new ways Gettysburg (Simon & Schuster). of understanding what is harmful and what is Lives of Great Religious Books valuable, what is a benefit and what is a cost, 2011. 176 pages. and what the relationship between public and cl: 978-0-691-14357-6 $19.95 | £13.95 private well-being ought to be. Melissa Lane is professor of politics at Princeton University. July 2011. 312 pages. cl: 978-0-691-15124-3 $27.95 For sale only in the United States and Canada 2 ForThcoMing New Rome Imperialism, Power, and Identity Day one experiencing the roman empire Andrea Carandini David J. Mattingly Translated by Stephen Sartarelli “Mattingly critically examines accepted ideas “a fascinating examination of how rome began about the roman empire and evaluates them some twenty-eight centuries ago, written by an on the basis of recent archaeological analyses. archaeologist whose many years of excavation he provides excellent, up-to-date discussions of have profoundly altered our understanding of such issues as roman imperialism, colonialism, the city and its history. challenging, and often and the expression of identity through material controversial, this book is a rewarding read culture. This book will be important in providing both for the long-standing enthusiast and the a set of new ideas about many current themes newcomer to the subject.” regarding the roman world.” —adrian Goldsworthy, author of Caesar: The Life —Peter S. wells, author of The Barbarians Speak: of a Colossus How the Conquered Peoples Shaped Roman Europe andrea carandini’s archaeological discoveries Despite what history has taught us about impe- and controversial theories about ancient rome rialism’s destructive effects on colonial societies, have made international headlines over the past many classicists continue to emphasize dispro- few decades. in this book, he presents his most portionately the civilizing and assimilative nature important findings and ideas, including the of the roman empire and to hold a generally argument that there really was a romulus—a favorable view of rome’s impact on its subject first king of rome— who founded the city in the peoples.

Load more