The Struggle for Identity
In the first century BCE, Greek intellectuals had to come to terms with the stability of Roman power. Many of them were active in Rome, which became the cultural centre of the Greek world; others were connected with Roman patrons. Their work became important for the emergence of Greek identity in the Roman Empire.
Bringing together an international group of leading Classical scholars, this volume represents the first attempt at a comprehensive study of Greek cultural identity in the first century: how did the Romans influence the Greeks' view(s) of themselves and of their classical heritage? How did the Greeks interpret the Romans and their role in the world? Covering such different genres as historiography, literary criticism, the novel, and epigram, as well as archaeological material, the contributions explore the intellectual diversity of one of the most significant periods in history and situate the authors active under Augustus within their broader intellectual-historical context.
"I would recommend this really valuable book to all who work on Greek literature and socil history of Hellenistic and Roman times."
Alexey V. Belousov, Ancient West & East 14, 2015
"This excellent book has achieved a great deal in starting to map a complex topic. Everyone interested in the Hellenism of later antiquity will need to read it."
Antony Spawforth, Sehepunkte 12, 2012/2
"Thomas Schmitz and Nicolas Wiater have brought together an important collection of papers that push forward current conversations about identity in the Greco-Roman World, primarily through the lens of Greek literature. […] Readers of edited volumes often pick and choose only those chapters which seem most relevant to their interests. If one were only to read the chapters on historiography or those on epigrams, this book would still offer valuable scholarly insights. However, the true value of this volume is in how it binds together different genres and other forms of cultural expression and illuminates the shared struggle of the first century BCE to express Greek identity in a shifting political landscape."
Liv Mariah Yarrow, Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2012.09.32
| ISBN | 978-3-515-09671-3 |
|---|---|
| Media type | Book - Paperback |
| Edition number | 1. |
| Copyright year | 2011 |
| Publisher | Franz Steiner Verlag |
| Length | 305 pages |
| Illustrations | 4 b/w figs. |
| Size | 17.0 x 24.0 cm |
| Language | English |
