A Companion to Ancient Epic [Hardcover]

• A Companion to the Near Eastern, Greek, and Roman epic traditions
• Considers the interrelation between these different traditions
• Provides a balanced overview of longstanding ideas and newer perspectives in the study of epic
• Shows how scholarship over the last forty years has transformed the ways that we conceive of and understand the genre
• Covers recently introduced topics, such as the role of women, the history of reception, and comparison with living analogues from oral tradition
• The editor and contributors are leading scholars in the field
• Includes a detailed index of poems, poets, technical terms, and important figures and events

List of Illustrations ix

Notes on Contributors xi

Abbreviated Source Editions and Lexica xvii

Maps xx

Introduction: A Prolegomenon to Ancient Greek Government 1
Hans Beck

PART I Greek Government in History 7

1 The Rise of State Action in the Archaic Age 9
Jonathan M. Hall

2 The Classical Greek Polis and Its Government 22
Barry Strauss

3 Dynastic Courts of the Hellenistic Empires 38
Rolf Strootman

4 Hellenistic Cities: The End of Greek Democracy? 54
Hans-Ulrich Wiemer