10. ‘Et in Arcadia Ego’
Mary Beard and John Henderson
in Classics: A Very Short Introduction
‘Et in Arcadia Ego’ is based on the term coined by Pope Clement IX in the 17th century, who found inspiration from Virgil's ‘Arcadian’ Eclogues. Its story tells of death and paradise and ...
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5. Beneath the Surface
Mary Beard and John Henderson
in Classics: A Very Short Introduction
‘Beneath the Surface’ considers more detailed thoughts on the construction of such monuments as the Apollo Temple at Bassae and the various society conditions that made the building ...
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4. The Akkadian Empire, 2334–2193 bce
Amanda H. Podany
in The Ancient Near East: A Very Short Introduction
‘The Akkadian Empire, 2334–2193 bce’ describes how in the mid-twenty-fourth century bce the leader Sargon was able to conquer many of the little city states of Mesopotamia to create a new ...
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4. The calendar and festivals
Norman Solomon
in Judaism: A Very Short Introduction (2nd edn)
The key to the Jewish calendar is Nature and the pattern of sunrise and sunset. Temple procedures were scheduled into a day that began at dawn and for other purposes the day began at ...
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Literary compositions of the scrolls collections
Timothy H. Lim
in The Dead Sea Scrolls: A Very Short Introduction (2nd edn)
‘Literary compositions of the scrolls collections’ shows that the literary nature of the scroll collections would suggest that they originally belonged to one or more libraries rather than ...
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1. Introducing Assyria
Karen Radner
in Ancient Assyria: A Very Short Introduction
Ancient Assyria was one of many states flourishing in the Middle East in the millennia before the beginning of the common era, but the long-lived kingdom was one of the most influential. ...
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3. Aztec expansion through conquest and trade
Davíd Carrasco
in The Aztecs: A Very Short Introduction
‘Aztec expansion through conquest and trade’ examines the Codex Mendoza. The Codex Mendoza is a rare example of Spanish and Aztec cooperation, and tells the story of the Aztec people. ...
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3. Jesus in his 1st-century context
Richard Bauckham
in Jesus: A Very Short Introduction
What do the Gospel accounts tell us about ‘Jesus in his 1st-century context ’? Jewish Palestine is under the rule of the Roman Empire. Whilst Roman rule is fairly tolerant of local customs ...
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Jewish sectarianism in the Second Temple period
Timothy H. Lim
in The Dead Sea Scrolls: A Very Short Introduction (2nd edn)
‘Jewish sectarianism in the Second Temple period’ contextualizes the Dead Sea Scrolls within the history of Second Temple Judaism and discusses the origins and history of the Qumran ...
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The Dead Sea Scrolls: A Very Short Introduction (2nd edn)
Timothy H. Lim
The Dead Sea Scrolls: A Very Short introduction discusses the cultural significance of the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the religious, political, and legal ...
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2. On Site
Mary Beard and John Henderson
in Classics: A Very Short Introduction
‘On Site’ describes the nineteenth-century exploration of Greece and the connections to Rome. The rediscovery of Greece was, in a way, the rediscovery of the origins of western culture as a ...
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3. Being There
Mary Beard and John Henderson
in Classics: A Very Short Introduction
‘Being There’ experience Classics in the light of what previous generations have said, thought, and written about the ancient world. But the differences lie, even more strikingly, in the ...
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7. The Art of Reconstruction
Mary Beard and John Henderson
in Classics: A Very Short Introduction
‘The Art of Reconstruction’ shows that part of Classics is the piecing together of scattered fragments to give an idea of what the whole once was like and what it meant. It is largely ...
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2. The beginning of cities, 3600–2900 bce
Amanda H. Podany
in The Ancient Near East: A Very Short Introduction
‘The beginning of cities, 3600–2900 bce’ starts this history of the ancient Near East by looking at the beginning of the period of prosperity in Mesopotamia, focusing in particular on the ...
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3. The Early Dynastic period, 2900–2334 bce
Amanda H. Podany
in The Ancient Near East: A Very Short Introduction
‘The Early Dynastic period, 2900–2334 bce’ shows how the birth of the long-lasting tradition of hereditary kingship came from Mesopotamia and examines what we have learnt about this period ...
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7. The Old Babylonian period, 2004–1595 bce
Amanda H. Podany
in The Ancient Near East: A Very Short Introduction
‘The Old Babylonian period, 2004–1595 bce’ looks at a kingdom that dominated a large area of land in what is now Iraq and part of Syria, the kingdom of Hammurabi of Babylon. Hammurabi of ...
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4. Politics
David N. Myers
in Jewish History: A Very Short Introduction
Jews have been political animals throughout their history, using their powers of discernment to frame a strong sense of communal identity. They also have demonstrated the ability to ...
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1. The Dead Sea Scrolls as cultural icon
Timothy H. Lim
in The Dead Sea Scrolls: A Very Short Introduction (2nd edn)
‘The Dead Sea Scrolls as cultural icon’ asks: how did the Dead Sea Scrolls become so popular? Discovered in 1947 and published fully in 1991, the term ‘Dead Sea Scrolls’ has become a ...
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The canon, authoritative scriptures, and the scrolls
Timothy H. Lim
in The Dead Sea Scrolls: A Very Short Introduction (2nd edn)
The Dead Sea Scrolls have shed light on the canonization of the Old Testament or Hebrew Bible in the Second Temple period. They provide us with exemplars of their biblical texts and how ...
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1. The Bible in the Modern World: Classic or Sacred Text?
John Riches
in The Bible: A Very Short Introduction
The Bible is still one of the most widely read and influential books in the world. ‘The Bible in the Modern World’ introduces a series of examples of Bible readers to illustrate how people ...
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