Wishing to ingratiate himself with Rome, Herod the Great built theaters, amphitheaters, and hippodromes to bring pagan entertainments of all sorts to Palestine. Zeev Weiss explores how the indigenous Jewish and Christian populations responded, as both spectators and performers, to these cultural imports, which left a lasting imprint on the region.

"Conceived as a companion volume to Porphyrius the Charioteer, this study traces the history and significance of what are generally known as 'circus factions' from the principate of Augustus to the eve of the Crusades, dealing mainly with the late Roman to early Byzantine periods. Other historians have analysed the activities of the factions, particularly the urban riots, in social, political, and religious terms, ignoring their sporting allegiances. Cameron offers a thorough-going criticism of the 'traditional' presupposition 'that racing was a thin façade for social and religious conflict'. In its place he presents what is essentially the history of chariot racing, its organization, participants, and spectator supporters. He shows how circus entertainments developed from privately mounted games to publicly funded entertainments; he examines the role of the hippodrome and theatre within political life; and he studies the changing nature of factions--from sporting rivalry, through 'partisan' gangs and hooliganism, to their incorporation in the games' imperial ceremonial and consequent decline." -- Provided by publisher

This valuable collection of thirteen studies provides an overview of recent research on central issues concerning the history of late antique Gaza. Several essays address various aspects of the continuity of pagan culture in Christian Gaza, festivals, spectacles, and the classical legacy of the fifth and sixth centuries, thus highlighting the public life of the city as a unique synthesis of the new and old worlds. Several articles deal with central topics pertaining to the monastic life developed in the region of Gaza and its vicinity between the fourth and seventh centuries. More specifically, they explore the rich Correspondence of Barsanuphius and John, the spiritual leaders of this monastic community. Two papers furnish an archeological survey of the monasteries of Gaza, and a discussion on the geographical and administrative aspects of its territory. Certain articles focus on the anti-Chalcedonian resistance of this monastic center in the wake of the council of Chalcedon, while others tackle the change of its stance in the time of Emperor Justin (518-527). In sum, this book covers a relatively neglected chapter in the complex and fascinating Christian history of the Holy Land.