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Introduction

Ida Östenberg

in Staging the World: Spoils, Captives, and Representations in the Roman Triumphal Procession

This chapter introduces the basic ideas, questions, methods, and outline of the book. It provides an overview of earlier scholarship on the Roman triumph and discusses the possibilities and problems ... More

This chapter introduces the basic ideas, questions, methods, and outline of the book. It provides an overview of earlier scholarship on the Roman triumph and discusses the possibilities and problems with our available literary and pictorial sources. It underlines the theoretical and methodological issues of looking at the triumphal procession as performance.Less

Sources 1108–1180

Jean Dunbabin

in France in the Making 843–1180

In the twelfth century, writing blossomed. It now spread to the swelling ranks of secular clerks, to servants in princely households, even to some ordinary townsmen. The men of the twelfth-century ... More

In the twelfth century, writing blossomed. It now spread to the swelling ranks of secular clerks, to servants in princely households, even to some ordinary townsmen. The men of the twelfth-century renaissance used words and literary forms derived from the main stream of the European cultural inheritance. However, it must be said that the historian's task is substantially simplified by the transformation. This chapter draws attention to some aspects of intellectual and administrative change that can be more easily observed in a discussion on sources than in a more general context. Few literary sources are more revealing of aristocratic culture than the Gesta Consulum Andegavorum and its off shoot, the Gesta Ambaziensium Dominorum, produced in the Touraine in the first six decades of the twelfth century, for the pleasure and edification of the counts of Anjou and their castellans, the lords of Amboise.Less

Setting the Frame Chronologically

Anthony Snodgrass

in Men of Bronze: Hoplite Warfare in Ancient Greece

This chapter lays out the chronological framework for the history of hoplite warfare. It discusses the impact that the studies of Homeric warfare have had on the orthodoxy. This chapter considers the ... More

This chapter lays out the chronological framework for the history of hoplite warfare. It discusses the impact that the studies of Homeric warfare have had on the orthodoxy. This chapter considers the problems posed by the evidence of iconography and archaeology, especially the dedications of actual armor in the sanctuaries at Olympia and Delphi, and the various philological and historical approaches that scholars have applied to the literary sources. It also notes the potential significance that a certain evolutionary model for the creation of the Homeric epics has when historians use the poems to understand archaic warfare and its relation to the polis. While reaffirming a gradualist position on the hoplite reform, the chapter also underscores the often overlooked common ground among scholars involved in the debate.Less

Sexual Poetry

Jonathan Bate

in Shakespeare and Ovid

This chapter discusses the influence of Ovid's Metamorphoses on William Shakespeare's poem Venus and Adonis. It suggests that the Metamorphoses may be considered the first sexual poetry ever written. ... More

This chapter discusses the influence of Ovid's Metamorphoses on William Shakespeare's poem Venus and Adonis. It suggests that the Metamorphoses may be considered the first sexual poetry ever written. The focus of both versions is on persuasion to love. This chapter argues that within Shakespeare's poem there are signals that make the Ovidian source-text much broader than the seventy or so lines of direct material. It also reveals that Ovid's version was written in less than a hundred lines while Shakespeare did it in more than a thousand.Less

In Search of the Original Image of Viṭṭhal

Ramchandra Chintaman Dhere

in Rise of a Folk God: Vitthal of Pandharpur

This chapter argues that the image of Viṭṭhal described in the Māhātmyas is most closely replicated by that in the Viṭṭhal temple at Māḍhe (Madhe Taluka, Solapur District). Dhere shows that the ... More

This chapter argues that the image of Viṭṭhal described in the Māhātmyas is most closely replicated by that in the Viṭṭhal temple at Māḍhe (Madhe Taluka, Solapur District). Dhere shows that the obscure mantra carved on the chest of that image is the mantra referred to in the oldest Māhātmya of Pandharpur. He then discusses the numerous occasions on which the image of Viṭṭhal was moved from Pandharpur, including one time (in a.d. 1659) when it was moved to Māḍhe. He argues that the image presently at Māḍhe is, in other ways too, much closer to the descriptions in literary sources than is the image presently installed in the Viṭṭhal temple at Pandharpur. Dhere concludes that the original image was returned to Pandharpur from Māḍhe, and the image presently in Māḍhe is a replica made to commemorate the original one from Pandharpur that stayed there temporarily.Less

The Frieze As History

Martin Beckmann

in The Column of Marcus Aurelius: The Genesis and Meaning of a Roman Imperial Monument

This chapter illustrates how the meager and frequently unreliable sources for the history of the reign of Marcus Aurelius make it almost impossible to reconstruct any more than a superficial account ... More

This chapter illustrates how the meager and frequently unreliable sources for the history of the reign of Marcus Aurelius make it almost impossible to reconstruct any more than a superficial account of the main events of his reign. The main literary sources for the period are two: Cassius Dio, a senator and historian who lived in the time of Septimius Severus; and the Historia Augusta, a collection of imperial biographies written in the fourth century. The Historia Augusta is notoriously unreliable, a situation made worse by the fact that its biographical focus means that historical events are normally mentioned out of order. Dio, who should be an outstanding source for this period, has suffered in transmission: his text is only preserved in fragments cobbled together into an abbreviated history in the eleventh century by a Byzantine monk named Xiphilinus.Less

Wang Guowei—From Antiquarianism to History

Shana J. Brown

in Pastimes: From Art and Antiquarianism to Modern Chinese Historiography

This chapter examines how Wang Guowei both preserved and irrevocably transformed Qing antiquarianism in the 1920s, and specifically how he harmonized jinshi with emerging scholarly discourse and ... More

This chapter examines how Wang Guowei both preserved and irrevocably transformed Qing antiquarianism in the 1920s, and specifically how he harmonized jinshi with emerging scholarly discourse and persuaded young historians that ancient artifacts were still critical to their research. The chapter first considers Wang Guowei's early interest in Western learning and his belief that scientific approaches could be fruitfully applied to a broad category of scholarship, including research on ancient Chinese history and language. It then explores Wang Guowei's use of antiquarianism to express his politics; his application of the social sciences to Chinese historiography; and his use of nonliterary sources in historical research. It also looks at Wang Guowei's use of a method known as as erchong zhengju fa, or double-proof method of judging literary sources against material artifacts, to argue for the continuing significance of ancient history. The chapter concludes by commenting on Wang Guowei's death and his legacy as a historian of antiquity.Less

Fishing

Annalisa Marzano

in Harvesting the Sea: The Exploitation of Marine Resources in the Roman Mediterranean

This chapter presents an overview of fishing in antiquity. It starts by discussing how fishing was constructed in literary works and figurative arts intended for an elite audience. Subsequently, it ... More

This chapter presents an overview of fishing in antiquity. It starts by discussing how fishing was constructed in literary works and figurative arts intended for an elite audience. Subsequently, it examines the nature of fishing gear and fishing techniques mentioned in literary texts, including peculiar techniques that had been dismissed by scholars as inventions, but that are in fact attested in modern ethnographic examples. The last part of the chapter examines the organization of labour, discussing the evidence for professional associations of fishermen and for business partnerships established for the purpose of fishing, of which a most interesting example is an inscription from Parion on the Marmara Sea.Less

Sources for the Study of Jerusalem

Jerome Murphy‐O'Connor

in Keys to Jerusalem: Collected Essays

This section of the book contains a list of sources which aim to help the reader in the study of Jerusalem. It begins with literary sources including the Old Testament and the New Testament. It then ... More

This section of the book contains a list of sources which aim to help the reader in the study of Jerusalem. It begins with literary sources including the Old Testament and the New Testament. It then covers other periods such as the Byzantine, Early Arab and Crusader periods. It then moves on to archaeological sources covering a variety of fields of study such as walls and gates, the Muslim Quarter, the Christian Quarter, the Jewish Quarter, the Mount of Olives, and the northern suburbs.Less

The Plot of Usher: Rebuilding the House of Poe

Evert Jan van Leeuwen

in House of Usher

This chapter presents a structural analysis of Edgar Allan Poe's story and Richard Matheson's script to highlight House of Usher's (1960) fidelity to Poe's original. ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’ ... More

This chapter presents a structural analysis of Edgar Allan Poe's story and Richard Matheson's script to highlight House of Usher's (1960) fidelity to Poe's original. ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’ (1839) is often classified as the story that epitomises Poe's philosophy of composition. From the outset, it hurtles towards a dreadful and inescapable catastrophe from which only the narrator escapes to tell the tale. Adapting Poe properly for the screen means following Poe's method of plotting for unity of effect as well as translating the story's atmosphere of doom, hysterical characterisation, and macabre themes of death and decay into a language understandable to actors, cinematographers, and all the various artists involved in the production design. The chapter's analysis shows that Matheson indeed followed Poe's philosophy of composition carefully, adapting the nineteenth-century writer's literary conventions to create a cinematic narrative of high fidelity to its literary source that was also very filmable and appealing to the audience of the day.Less

The Premises

G. Kratz Reinhard

in Historical and Biblical Israel: The History, Tradition, and Archives of Israel and Judah

Chapter I discusses crucial preliminary questions concerning the history of Israel and Judah, from the beginning and end of this history through the sources and setting to the origins of the people ... More

Chapter I discusses crucial preliminary questions concerning the history of Israel and Judah, from the beginning and end of this history through the sources and setting to the origins of the people of Israel. The account starts with the first extra-biblical reference to “Israel” in around 1200 BCE and concludes with the Jerusalem temple’s destruction in 70 CE and the second Jewish uprising in 132–5 CE. The sources are then carefully distinguished as non-written and written evidence (further divided into primary (epigraphic) and secondary (literary) sources). The chapter argues that the geographical setting of Palestine greatly influenced the course of history for this region. Finally, it contends that the so-called occupation of the land belongs to the mythic pre-history of Israel and Judah and that the people primarily came not from abroad but from the land itself. Israelites and Judahites were part of the autochthonous, mixed population of “Canaan.”Less

Introduction

Emily A. Hemelrijk

in Hidden Lives, Public Personae: Women and Civic Life in the Roman West

Starting from the question whether we may extrapolate from ‘women in Rome’ to ‘Roman women’, this chapter discusses the differences between Rome and the local cities and between the literary sources ... More

Starting from the question whether we may extrapolate from ‘women in Rome’ to ‘Roman women’, this chapter discusses the differences between Rome and the local cities and between the literary sources and inscriptions as regards the civic roles of women. Excluding most literary evidence (which focuses on the city of Rome and on women of the imperial family), it studies Roman women from the viewpoint of the Italian and provincial cities on the basis of honorific, dedicatory, and funerary inscriptions. The chapter surveys the advantages and limitations of the epigraphic evidence while stressing the importance of the social and material context, the purpose and wording of the inscriptions. It briefly sets out the main questions treated in this study and its geographical and chronological scope.Less

Historical Note

Walter Scott

Ainsley McIntosh (ed.)

in Marmion: A Tale of Flodden Field

This essay outlines the historical and political context for the breakdown in Anglo-Scottish relations that culminated in the Battle of Flodden and describes the unfolding and aftermath of the battle ... More

This essay outlines the historical and political context for the breakdown in Anglo-Scottish relations that culminated in the Battle of Flodden and describes the unfolding and aftermath of the battle itself. A table of dates for these events is helpfully provided. The essay then examines Scott’s fictional narrative timeline and the blend of historical characters and character prototypes presented in Marmion. It identifies the literary and historical sources that Scott drew upon most extensively when writing the poem and concludes with a brief discussion of the purpose of the verse epistles.Less

Playing Hardball?: India in International Negotiations

Amrita Narlikar and Aruna Narlikar

in Bargaining with a Rising India: Lessons from the Mahabharata

This chapter presents the intellectual puzzle that underlies the book: to what extent does India's bargaining behaviour, as a rising power, reflect cultural continuities? It offers a discussion on ... More

This chapter presents the intellectual puzzle that underlies the book: to what extent does India's bargaining behaviour, as a rising power, reflect cultural continuities? It offers a discussion on the methodology used. It highlights the importance of the culture variable as a route to understanding international negotiation, and further explains the logic that underlies our choice of the Mahabharata as a lens into India's bargaining traditions, norms, and beliefs. The chapter further provides a conceptualization of negotiation behaviour; the concepts introduced herein are used throughout the book. It presents a brief overview of the main characteristics that have come to be associated with India's negotiation style. It situates these characteristics within a debate on India's foreign policy and negotiation behaviour today that has perplexed and divided analysts. Finally, it outlines the structure of the book and discusses the contribution that this project makes to the existing literature.Less

Arguments behind Closed Doors

Kristin Swenson

in A Most Peculiar Book: The Inherent Strangeness of the Bible

This chapter addresses inconsistencies and disagreements within the Bible, the sorts of things that sometimes lead people to dismiss the Good Book out of hand. In general, there are at least four ... More

This chapter addresses inconsistencies and disagreements within the Bible, the sorts of things that sometimes lead people to dismiss the Good Book out of hand. In general, there are at least four kinds of disagreement. The first is a function of the Bible’s disparate literary sources. The second is that the Bible reflects an evolving theology or worldview. The third shows how a particular issue considered in different contexts might generate conflicting claims. Finally, in some cases, the fourth reveals late biblical texts wrestling with received texts that were simply wrong but by then immutable. Yet another kind of disagreement may not be one at all, but is more a function of modern readers' interpretations than contradictions within the texts themselves. In the process of discussing both broad differences and specific inconsistences, this chapter also tempers readers' haste to toss out the Bible altogether. By bringing background information to bear, one can, if not make sense of these oddities, then accept them for what they are.Less