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A Social and Cultural History of the Hellenistic World
Gillian Ramsey Neugebauer (Author)
9781119043201, Wiley
Paperback / softback, published 16 January 2025
352 pages
25.2 x 17.8 x 2 cm, 0.499 kg
"The book is invaluable not only as a student-friendly complement to political and military narratives, but also as a reliable introduction for scholars seeking to engage with the fundamental themes of Hellenistic society. Ramsey Neugebauer’s book will doubtless become a standard reference for teaching the social and cultural history of the Hellenistic world."
Elizabeth Kosmetatou, Bryn Mawr Classical Review
Explore the detailed and personal stories of real people living throughout the Hellenistic world In A Social and Cultural History of the Hellenistic World, author Gillian Ramsey Neugebauer paints a vivid picture of the men and women of the Hellenistic period, their communities, and their experiences of life. Assuming only minimal knowledge of classical antiquity, this clear and engaging textbook brings to life the real people who lived in the Mediterranean region, the Balkans, around the Black Sea, across North Africa, and the Near East. Rather than focusing on the elites, royals, and other significant figures of the period, the author draws from a wide range of ancient evidence to explore everyday Hellenistic people in their own context. Reader-friendly chapters offer fresh perspectives on well-studied areas of ancient Greek culture while providing new insights into rarely discussed aspects of day-to-day life in the Hellenistic world. Topics include daily technology, food, clothing, housing, travel, working life, slavery, education, temple economies, and more. Containing numerous references, further readings, photographs, and figures, A Social and Cultural History of the Hellenistic World is an excellent textbook for undergraduate and graduate courses in Ancient History or Classical Studies programs, particularly those dedicated to Hellenistic history.
List of Figures x Preface xi Abbreviations xiii Money and Weights xv Maps xvi 1 Introduction 1 What Is Hellenistic? 2 Why Social History? 3 Mapping Out the Hellenistic World 5 A Polyglot World 7 Further Reading 8 2 Sources of Evidence 10 Written Sources 10 Numismatics 17 Archaeological Sources 20 Literary Sources 22 Further Reading 28 3 Chronological Patterns 30 Prevalence of Warfare 31 Alexander the Great’s Legacy 32 Successor States 35 Foreign Incursions 39 Civil Unrest 42 Growing Roman Involvement 43 Further Reading 46 4 People and Status 47 Slaves 48 People on the Land 55 Citizens 59 Further Reading 64 5 Making a Living 65 Wages 66 Agriculture 69 Crafts 74 Temple Economies 78 Further Reading 81 6 Government and Administration 82 A Citizen’s Duties 82 Paying Taxes 88 Law and Order 94 Further Reading 101 7 Sex and Gender 103 Sex 104 Gender 113 Further Reading 120 8 Daily Life 122 Eating and Drinking 122 Housing 133 Neighbourhoods 138 Further Reading 143 9 Art and Adornment 144 Adorning the Body 145 Art 154 Further Reading 161 10 Education 163 Primary Education 163 Training Young Citizens 168 Occupational Training 169 Higher Education 171 Exchange of Knowledge 174 Further Reading 178 11 Leisure and Entertainment 179 Opportunities for Leisure 180 Children’s Play 181 Contents ix Games 182 Gambling 184 Sports 184 Feasts 186 Music and Dance 187 Dramatic Performances 190 Competitive Festivals 192 Being in the Audience at a Special Event 193 Further Reading 195 12 Religious Life 197 Traditional Religion 198 Religious Change 205 Divine Interventions and Interactions 212 Funerary Practices 214 Further Reading 215 13 Health 217 Disease in the Hellenistic World 217 Medical Knowledge and Craft 219 Public Physicians and Public Health 224 Treatments 226 Healing Sanctuaries 229 Further Reading 232 14 Technology 234 Devices and Machines 235 Chemical Processes 245 Further Reading 250 15 Travel 251 Journeys 252 Logistics 261 Further Reading 267 Afterword 269 Selected Bibliography 272 Index 317
Subject Areas: History [HB]
