A Companion to the Hellenistic and Roman Near East (Blackwell Companions to the Ancient World)

**Discover a comprehensive and cross-disciplinary handbook exploring several sub-regions and key themes perfect for a new generation of students** __A Companion to the Hellenistic and Roman Near East__ delivers the first complete handbook in the area of Hellenistic and Roman Near Eastern history. The book is divided into sections dealing with interdisciplinary source material, each with a great deal of regional variety and engaging with several key themes. It integrates discussions of the classical Near East with the typical undergraduate teaching syllabus in the Anglo-Saxon world. All contributors in this edited volume are leading scholars in their field, with a combination of established researchers and academics, and emerging voices. Contributors hail from countries across several continents, and work in various disciplines, including Ancient History, Archaeology, Art History, Epigraphy, Numismatics, and Oriental Studies. In addition to furthering the integration of the Levantine lands in the classical periods into the teaching canon, the book offers readers: * The first comprehensively structured Companion and edited handbook on the Hellenistic and Roman Near East * Extensive regional and sub-regional variety in the cross-disciplinary source material * A way to compensate for the recent destruction of monuments in the region and the new generation of researchers’ inability to examine these historical stages in person * An integration of the study of the Hellenistic and Roman Near East with traditional undergraduate teaching syllabi in the Anglo-Saxon world Perfect for undergraduate history and classics students studying the Near East, __A Companion to the Hellenistic and Roman Near East__ will also earn a place in the libraries of graduate students and scholars working within Near Eastern studies, as well as interested members of the public with a passion for history. A Companion to the Hellenistic and Roman Near East Contents Preface List of Figures List of Maps Contributor Biographies Abbreviations Maps 1 Introduction 2 Historical Narrative Part I Sources 3 Geographical Sources and Documents 4 Berossos between Greek and Babylonian Culture 5 Lucian, Philo of Byblos, and Ps.-Meliton 6 Jewish Sources 7 Josephus 8 Syriac Sources 9 Greek and Latin Inscriptions 10 Ancient North Arabian 11 Parchments and Papyri 12 Statues, Reliefs, and Paintings: Hellenism versus Local Culture 13 Archaeology and Architecture 14 Numismatics 15 Air-Photography 16 Mosaics Part II Regions, Places, and Peoples 17 The Tetrapolis and Other City Foundations 18 The Decapolis 19 Commagene 20 Hellenistic and Roman Phoenicia 21 Lebanon 22 Judaea, the Palestinian Coast, the Galilee, Idumaea, and Samaria 23 The Nabataeans 24 Palmyra 25 Dura-Europos 26 The Middle Euphrates 27 The Parthian and Sasanian Near East (including Hatra, Edessa, and the Characene) 28 The Desert and its Peoples Part III Themes 29 The Roman Armies in the Near East 30 Roads and Harbors 31 Kingdoms and Principalities 32 Trade 33 Local and Regional Economies 34 The Arabs 35 Indigenous Law 36 Funerary Traditions 37 Religious Life 38 Early Christianity in the Near East Bibliography Index EULA "The origins of this volume go back to a time before the civil wars in the Middle East led to unprecedented destruction of the heritage from the Hellenistic and Roman periods in the Levantine lands. In the meantime, our field of research will probably have been changed for ever. It is to be hoped that a lasting peace will eventually be there to enjoy for the long-suffering population of the region. At the outset, I must thank Al Bertrand, then Editorial Director for Social Science and Humanities Books at Wiley-Blackwell, for commissioning this Companion. Had I known at the time the mammoth task which editing a project of this size involved, I would surely have turned down his invitation ... In the years since then, I have dealt with various members from the team at Wiley-Blackwell, and am grateful for the support of Kelley Baylis, Janani Govindankutty, Haze Humbert, Allison Kostka, Ajith Kumar, Jennifer Manias, Roshna Mohan, Elizabeth Saucier, Niranjana Vallavan, and Galen Young-Smith. In particular, I should like to acknowledge the guidance, patience and kindness of Todd Green, Andrew Minton and Skyler Van Valkenburgh, who together oversaw the final stage of the process"-- Provided by publisher A Companion to the Hellenistic and Roman Near East delivers the first complete handbook in the area of Hellenistic and Roman Near Eastern history. The book is divided into sections dealing with interdisciplinary source material, each with a great deal of regional variety and engaging with several key themes. It integrates discussions of the classical Near East with the typical undergraduate teaching syllabus in the Anglo-Saxon world. 0All contributors in this edited volume are leading scholars in their field, with a combination of established researchers and academics, and emerging voices. Contributors hail from countries across several continents, and work in various disciplines, including Ancient History, Archaeology, Art History, Epigraphy, Numismatics, and Oriental Studies