This book focuses on oath-making narratives in the Iliad, through which it articulates a theory of ritualized violence.

"An introductory survey of the whole field of study of religion and violence. It includes overviews of major religious traditions, and it analyzes patterns and themes relating to religious violence. It also explores major analytic approaches, and forges new directions in the study of this important emerging field"--

Sociable Man, which celebrates the work of Nick Fisher, Emeritus Professor of Ancient History at Cardiff University, contains essays by leading classicists, ancient historians and archaeologists on the theme of ancient Greek social behaviour. Fifteen original papers reflect the diversity and the unities in the honorand's interests: politics and law (Hans van Wees on Solon's law of hybris, John K. Davies on the biography of a fourth-century Athenian politician); social values, including honour, dishonour and hybris (Stephen Lambert on honorific inscriptions, Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones on domestic violence, Louis Rawlings on a dog named Hybris, James Whitley on victory dedications, Douglas Cairns on ransom and revenge in Homer); social relations in the Athenian navy (Sam Potts); gender and power (Janett Morgan on gendering of domestic space, Sian Lewis on women and tyranny, Ruth Westgate on animal imagery in mosaics); citizen identity, Athenian (Robin Osborne on the influence of Attic local environments on citizen formation) and Arcadian (James Roy on the Arcadian reputation for backwardness); and sexuality (David Konstan on Alciphron and the invention of pornography, Emma Stafford on masturbation). The papers will be essential reading for researchers and students of ancient Greek literature, history and archaeology. The book also includes tributes by Paul Cartledge and P. J. Shaw, respectively, on Fisher's place in research and teaching of ancient Greek social history.

Ritualized violence is by definition not haphazard or random, but seemingly intentional and often ceremonial. It has a long history in religious practice, as attested in texts and artifacts from the earliest civilizations. It is equally evident in the behaviors of some contemporary religious activists and within initiatory practices ongoing in many regions of the world. Given its longevity and cultural expanse, ritualized violence presumably exerts a pull deeply into the sociology, psychology, anthropology, theology, perhaps even ontology of its practitioners, but this is not transparent. This short volume will sketch the subject of ritualized violence, that is, it will summarize some established theories about ritual and about violence, and will ponder a handful of striking instantiations of their link.

Cassius Dio: The Impact of Violence, War, and Civil War is part of a renewed interest in the Roman historian Cassius Dio. This volume focuses on Dio’s approaches to foreign war and stasis as well as civil war. The impact of war on Rome as well as on the history of Rome has long be recognised by scholars, and adding to that, recent years have seen an increasing interest in the impact of civil war on Roman society. Dio’s views on violence, war, and civil war are an inter-related part of his overall project, which sought to understand Roman history on its own historical and historiographical terms and within a long-range view of the Roman past that investigated the realities of power.

An anthology that examines the historical and contemporary relationship between religion and violence This groundbreaking anthology provides the most comprehensive overview for understanding the fascinating relationship between religion and violence—historically, culturally, and in the contemporary world. Bringing together writings from scholarly and religious traditions, it is the first volume to unite primary sources—justifications for violence from religious texts, theologians, and activists—with invaluable essays by authoritative scholars. The first half of the collection includes original source materials justifying violence from various religious perspectives: Hindu, Chinese, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and Buddhist. Showing that religious violence is found in every tradition, these sources include ancient texts and scriptures along with thoughtful essays from theologians wrestling with such issues as military protection and pacifism. The collection also includes the writings of modern-day activists involved in suicide bombings, attacks on abortion clinics, and nerve gas assaults. The book's second half features well-known thinkers reflecting on why religion and violence are so intimately related and includes excerpts from early social theorists such as Durkheim, Marx, and Freud, as well as contemporary thinkers who view the issue of religious violence from literary, anthropological, postcolonial, and feminist perspectives. The editors' brief introductions to each essay provide important historical and conceptual contexts and relate the readings to one another. The diversity of selections and their accessible length make this volume ideal for both students and general readers.

This handbook offers both students and teachers of ancient Greek religion a comprehensive overview of the current state of scholarship in the subject, from the Archaic to the Hellenistic periods. It not only presents key information, but also explores the ways in which such information is gathered and the different approaches that have shaped the area. In doing so, the volume provides a crucial research and orientation tool for students of the ancient world, and also makes a vital contribution to the key debates surrounding the conceptualization of ancient Greek religion. The handbook's initial chapters lay out the key dimensions of ancient Greek religion, approaches to evidence, and the representations of myths. The following chapters discuss the continuities and differences between religious practices in different cultures, including Egypt, the Near East, the Black Sea, and Bactria and India. The range of contributions emphasizes the diversity of relationships between mortals and the supernatural - in all their manifestations, across, between, and beyond ancient Greek cultures - and draws attention to religious activities as dynamic, highlighting how they changed over time, place, and context.