Classics Faculty Books

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  Rome, Parthia, and the Politics of Peace: The Origins of War in the Ancient Middle East

  Jason M. Schlude

  This volume offers an informed survey of the problematic relationship between the ancient empires of Rome and Parthia from c.96/95 BCE to 224 CE. Schlude explores the rhythms of this relationship and invites its readers to reconsider the past and our relationship with it. Some have looked to this confrontation to help explain the roots of the long-lived conflict between the West and Middle East. It is a reading symptomatic of most scholarship on the subject, which emphasizes fundamental incompatibility and bellicosity in Roman-Parthian relations. Rather than focusing on the relationship as a series of conflicts, Rome, Parthia, and the Politics of Peace responds to this common misconception by highlighting instead the more cooperative elements in the relationship and shows how a reconciliation of these two perspectives is possible. There was in fact a cyclical pattern in the Roman-Parthian interaction, where a reality of peace and collaboration became overshadowed by images of aggressive posturing projected by powerful Roman statesmen and emperors for a domestic population conditioned to expect conflict. The result was the eventual realization of these images by later Roman opportunists who, unsatisfied with imagined war, sought active conflict with Parthia. Rome, Parthia, and the Politics of Peace is a fascinating new study of these two superpowers that will be of interest not only students of Rome and the Near East, but also to anyone with an interest in diplomatic relations and conflict in the ancient world, and today. -- Provided by publisher

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  Arsacids, Romans, and Local Elites: Cross-Cultural Interactions of the Parthian Empire

  Jason M. Schlude

  For almost 500 years (247 BCE–224 CE), the Arsacid kings of Parthia ruled over a vast multicultural empire, which encompassed much of central Asia and the Near East. The inhabitants of this empire included a complex patchwork of Hellenized Greek-speaking elites, Iranian nobility, and semi-nomadic Asian tribesman, all of whom had their own competing cultural and economic interests. Ruling over such a diverse group of subjects required a strong military and careful diplomacy on the part of the Arsacids, who faced the added challenge of competing with the Roman empire for control of the Near East. This collection of new papers examines the cross-cultural interactions among the Arsacids, Romans, and local elites from a variety of scholarly perspectives. Contributors include experts in the fields of ancient history, archaeology, classics, Near Eastern studies, and art history, all of whom participated in a multiyear panel at the annual conference of the American Schools of Oriental Research between 2012 and 2014. The seven chapters investigate different aspects of war, diplomacy, trade, and artistic production as mechanisms of cross-cultural communication and exchange in the Parthian empire. Arsacids, Romans, and Local Elites will prove significant for those interested in the legacy of Hellenistic and Achaemenid art and ideology in the Parthian empire, the sometimes under-appreciated role of diplomacy in creating and maintaining peace in the ancient Middle East, and the importance of local dynasts in kingdoms like Judaea, Osrhoene, and Hatra in shaping the geopolitical landscape of the Near East, alongside the imperial powerhouses of Rome and Parthia.

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  Dorothy Dunnett’s Lymond Chronicles: The Enigma of Francis Crawford

  Scott Richardson

  Since the first installment of Dunnett’s series was published in 1961, Francis Crawford of Lymond, the swashbuckling protagonist of the stories, has been captivating his fellow characters and readers alike. Instead of approaching the books primarily as historical fiction, Richardson, an enthusiastic admirer of the series, unravels the complexities of the main character by exploring his psychology, positioning the books within the genre of espionage, and examining Dunnett’s strategy of using games in her writing. Richardson’s insight and passion for his subject will inspire fans to revisit Dunnett’s series.

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  The Homeric Narrator

  Scott Richardson

  The narrator of the Iliad and the Odyssey[…]belongs neither to the stories he tells nor to the real world. He is not a fictional character living in the heroic world of the epic, nor is he the historical author known as Homer.[…]This metacharacter, the Homeric narrator, is the subject of the present study. [from the Introduction]

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  Euripides’ Iphigenia at Aulis

  Donald Richardson and Scott Richardson

  There have been some excellent efforts by modern translators in rendering the choral parts of Aristophanes’ comedies as discernibly entertaining songs, but so far there has been little serious endeavor toward doing the same with the songs of tragedy. This translation is an attempt to do that. The songs herein are unmistakably songs. The content, tone, and themes of each are strictly Euripides’; their formats and musical idioms are modern.
  
  Because this is not a line-for-line translation and because we have taken liberties with the lyrics, we are calling this an adaptation rather than a translation. In our own minds it is a translation, however, for it is more in keeping with the spirit of Iphigenia at Aulis than any other version we know of.
  
  Music has been composed for all the songs. It has been arranged for keyboard, guitar, bass, and drums and is available through either collaborator upon request. [from the Preface]