A Companion to the Hellenistic World - (Blackwell Companions to the Ancient World) by Andrew Erskine (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Covering the period from the death of Alexander the Great to the celebrated defeat of Antony and Cleopatra at the hands of Augustus, this authoritative Companion explores the world that Alexander created but did not live to see.

• Comprises 29 original essays by leading international scholars.
• Essential reading for courses on Hellenistic history.
• Combines narrative and thematic approaches to the period.
• Draws on the very latest research.
• Covers a broad range of topics, spanning political, religious, social, economic and cultural history.

From the Back Cover

Covering the period from the death of Alexander the Great to the celebrated defeat of Antony and Cleopatra at the hands of Augustus, this authoritative Companion explores the world that Alexander created but did not live to see. Drawing on the very latest research, a team of international scholars creates a picture of the Hellenistic realm in all its complexity and diversity.

The Companion examines the impact of Alexander's conquest of the Persian empire, the emergence of the successor kingdoms in Macedon, Egypt and Syria, and the later development of Roman rule in the east. In such eventful times questions of change and continuity loom large. Narrative chapters give readers a sense of the sweep of Hellenistic history, while thematic chapters range widely, exploring the relationship between Greeks and non-Greeks, religious developments, social and economic change, medicine, literature and art.

This volume will be welcomed by students and professional historians alike as a personal reference source and will form the ideal basis for university courses on Hellenistic history.

Review Quotes

--"This extremely appealing collection pulls off that hardest of tricks: it is simultaneously authoritative and exciting, its findings new as well as true. The Hellenistic age was an age of marvels and this impeccably edited work is itself a Hellenistic marvel. Scholars, students and interested non-professionals will devour it with pleasure and go away nourished, as I did." --Professor Simon Hornblower, University College London

"Blackwell and Erskine have done a splendid job with the Hellenistic Companion and I'm extremely pleased to have a copy, both as a guide for my own contributions and for future reference. It is, I think, the best comprehensive book on the Hellenistic world available and a "must have" for everyone working in this field." --Professor Waldemar Heckel, University of Calgary

"I've found Erskine's Hellenistic World to be an excellent volume." --Professor Michael Whitby, University of Warwick

"The Companion to the Hellenistic World is very impressive indeed both in its breadth and its depth, and sets an exhilaratingly high standard for the new series." --Professor Justina Gregory, Smith College

"This Companion, which I recommend without reservation, is extremely well edited and referenced, with comprehensive lists of abbreviations of both ancient authors and reference works, and a good bibliography and index. The choice of cover illustration (a basalt Egyptian-style statue of Ptolemy I) is inspired, illustrating pictorially what the book conveys in erudite scholarship: a fusion of themes and cultures in a politically- and socially-diverse but unified world, which provided continuity for its distinct heritages whilst evolving an individuality of its own." --Bryn Mawr Classical Review

"A Companion to the Hellenistic World provides a comprehensive and enlightening survey of the current state of Hellenistic scholarship and will be required reading for students and teachers for years to come." --Stanley Burstein, Classical Review

"A Companion to the Hellenistic World is admirable and very enjoyable, and shows clearly how progress has been made in this subject in recent years. Andrew Erskine has brought together some of the very best historians now working on the period and they have produced as exciting a collection of essays as he could possibly have hoped for." --Times Literary Supplement

"Massive and multifaceted like the Seleukid kingdom itself, the Companion is nevertheless a compelling read for the scholar, and an accessible reference for the student ... Clear, learned and a joy to read; it is warmly recommended to students, scholars looking for an authoritative general survey and an up-to-date and handy bibliography, and indeed to anyone wishing to broaden his or her horizons." --Journal of Hellenic Studies

"Lucid and stimulating writing...a first-rate research-tool for the specialist and a rich mine for the thesis writer. It is also a "good read", and anyone who is interested in imperialism, propaganda, the mechanics of power and resistance, and the political manipulation of culture will be intrigued by the contemporary resonance of many of the issues discussed." --Mouseion

About the Author

Andrew Erskine is Head of Classics at the University of Edinburgh. He is the author of The Hellenistic Stoa: Political Thought and Action (1990) and Troy between Greece and Rome: Local Tradition and Imperial Power (2001). He has held an Alexander von Humboldt fellowship at the University of Munich.