Reading Ancient Slavery - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0715638688 ISBN 13: 9780715638682

Publisher: Bristol Classical Press, 2011

Synopsis

Studies of ancient slavery have tended to rely on particular types of evidence – inscriptions, legal sources, and historical accounts – whereas literary imaginings of slavery have been relatively under-exploited. Yet these sources illuminate for us the ideologies that allowed slavery to be practised throughout antiquity with virtually no opposition and further to understand how and why slavery was debated and, to some extent, experienced by Greeks and Romans. This volume provides a sustained discussion of the theory and practice of handling ancient literature and art in order to enhance our understanding of ancient slavery.

Twelve essays by an international team of specialists develop a variety of theoretical positions, reading practices and interpretive strategies for recovering the psychological and social impact of ancient slavery from Homer, Aristotle, Greek drama, visual images, Roman poetry and imperial Roman dream interpretation.

About this title

About the Authors

Edith Hall is Professor of Classics at the University of Durham and Consultant Director of the Archive of Performances of Greek and Roman Drama in Oxford, UK. Her books on ancient Greek culture and its reception include The Return of Ulysses (2008), Greek Tragedy (2010), Adventures with Iphigenia in Tauris (2013) and Introducing the Ancient Greeks (2015).

Laura Proffitt is Lecturer at Birkbeck College, University of London, UK.

Richard Alston is Professor of Roman History at Royal Holloway, University of London, UK. He is author and editor of several books including The City in Roman and Byzantine Egypt (2001), and has published articles on the classical influences on modern urbanism, city planning and political theory.

Edition details

• Publisher: Bristol Classical Press
• Publication date: 2011
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0715638688
• ISBN 13: 9780715638682
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 240
• Editor: Hall Edith, Proffitt Laura, Alston Richard