The legacy of ancient Greece and Rome has been imitated, resisted, misunderstood, and reworked by every culture that followed. In this volume, some five hundred articles by a wide range of scholars investigate the afterlife of this rich heritage in the fields of literature, philosophy, art, architecture, history, politics, religion, and science.

Ancient authorities from the Western classical tradition offer opinions on these and other burning questions. The advice is often astonishing-for its wisdom, its entertainment value, or its complete lack of concern for modern sensibilities. The author, who collected these fascinating tidbits as she worked her way through many of the extant classical sources, can't help but enter the discussion with her own thoughts as well.