Classics: History & Literature

"The Grove Encyclopedia of Classical Art and Architecture is the most current and comprehensive reference resource for the visual arts of the Classical period. It features an abundance of in-depth articles on this field of enduring importance—from biographies to thematic entries on architecture, ceramics, metalwork, mosaics, painting and sculpture."

"This is the first publication in English of Pierre Briant's classic short history of Alexander the Great's conquest of the Persian empire, from the Mediterranean to Central Asia. Eschewing a conventional biographical focus, this is the only book in any language that sets the rise of Alexander's short-lived empire within the broad context of ancient Near Eastern history under Achaemenid Persian rule, as well as against Alexander's Macedonian background. As a renowned historian of both the Macedonians and the Persians, Briant is uniquely able to assess Alexander's significance from the viewpoint of both the conquerors and the conquered, and to trace what changed and what stayed the same as Alexander and the Hellenistic world gained ascendancy over Darius's Persia."

"Tracing the extraordinary trajectory of the great Roman emperor’s life, Goldsworthy covers not only the great Roman emperor’s accomplishments as charismatic orator, conquering general, and powerful dictator but also lesser-known chapters during which he was high priest of an exotic cult, captive of pirates, seducer not only of Cleopatra but also of the wives of his two main political rivals, and rebel condemned by his own country. Ultimately, Goldsworthy realizes the full complexity of Caesar’s character and shows why his political and military leadership continues to resonate some two thousand years later."

This accessible one-volume survey of the literature of Greece and Rome covers the period between Homer around 700 BC and Augustine around AD 410.

"Written for undergraduate students who have no previous knowledge of classical studies or ancient Greek or Latin, this volume focuses on the eight major classical playwrights (Aeschylus, Aristophanes, Euripides, Menander, Plautus, Seneca, Sophocles, and Terence); their 85 surviving dramatic works; and major characters in the important tragedies along with historical and mythological characters, places, events, terms, and other items important to the understanding of classical drama."

Andrew Erskine examines the role and meaning of Troy in the changing relationship between Greeks and Romans, as Rome is transformed from a minor Italian city into a Mediterranean superpower. The book seeks to understand the significance of Rome's Trojan origins for the Greeks by considering the place of Troy and Trojans in Greek culture. It moves beyond the more familiar spheres of art and literature to explore the countless, overlapping, local traditions, the stories that cities told about themselves, a world often neglected by scholars.

Link leads to ebook version available with Butler University credentials.

A Companion to Women in the Ancient World presents an interdisciplinary, methodologically-based collection of newly-commissioned essays from prominent scholars on the study of women in the ancient world.

Link leads to ebook version available with Butler University credentials.

"Kitto argues that in spite of dealing with big moral and intellectual questions, the Greek dramatist is above all an artist and the key to understanding classical Greek drama is to try and understand the tragic conception of each play. In Kitto’s words ‘We shall ask what the dramatist is striving to say, not what in fact he does say about this or that.’ Through a brilliant analysis of Aeschylus’s ‘Oresteia’, the plays of Sophocles including ‘Antigone’ and ‘Oedipus Tyrannus’; and Euripides’s ‘Medea’ and ‘Hecuba’, Kitto skilfully conveys the enduring artistic and literary brilliance of the Greek dramatists."

Music in Ancient Greece and Rome provides a comprehensive introduction to the history of music from Homeric times to the Roman emperor Hadrian, presented in a concise and user-friendly way.

Link leads to ebook version available with Butler University credentials.

This series provides individual textbooks on early Greek poetry, on Greek drama, on philosophy, history and oratory, and on the literature of the Hellenistic period and of the Empire.

Link leads to ebook version available with Butler University credentials.

The Edinburgh Companion is a gateway to the fascinating worlds of ancient Greece and Rome. Wide-ranging in its approach, expert contributors demonstrate the multifaceted nature of classic civilization by drawing together perspectives and methods of different disciplines, from philosophy to history, poetry to archaeology, art history to numismatics, and many more.