To 336 : four peninsulas and a delta -- To 336 : Roman origins and institutions -- To 321 : Alexanders in Asia and Italy -- To 295 : an elusive equilibrium -- To 264 : the path of Pyrrhus -- To 238 : the three corners of Sicily -- To 201 : the expanding Roman horizon -- To 186 : Hercules and the muses -- To 164 : hostages of diplomacy -- To 133 : the price of empire -- To 101 : the "new men" of Rome and the Mediterranean -- To 79 : boundless violence -- To 63 : extraordinary commands -- To 52 : the world according to Pompey -- To 44 : Roman Alexanders -- Epilogue : not the end.
Summary:
"This book endeavors to put the historical narratives of various regions of the Mediterranean in tandem with each other for the course of the Hellenistic period--the Roman Republic, for certain, but also Greece, Asia Minor, Egypt, North Africa, and western Europe. With a task this enormous, one is reminded of the apocryphal Michelangelo and his thoughts on how to sculpt: what matters about the work is not what remains but what is chipped away. Limited space makes it impossible to go into detail about every aspect of a single civilization or culture. Rather I have favored episodes or trends that, in one way or another, have brought one realm into contact with the next, or have a bearing on multiple regional contexts. Political and diplomatic histories tend to receive emphasis, although issues of social and cultural experience are present in every case, especially as they relate to the cosmopolitanism of this world"-- Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.