You have no items in your shopping cart.
Close
Search
Filters

Homer and the Bronze Age

The Reflection of Humanistic Ideals in Diplomatic Practices


Peter Karavites presents a revisionist overview of Homeric scholarship, whose purpose is to bridge the gap between the “positivist” and “negativist” theories dominant in the greater part of the twentieth century. His investigation derives new insights from Homer’s text and solves the age old question of the relationship between Homer and the Mycenaean age.
Publisher: Gorgias Press LLC
Availability: In stock
SKU (ISBN): 978-1-59333-985-2
  • *
Publication Status: In Print
Publication Date: Jun 18,2013
Interior Color: Black
Trim Size: 6 x 9
Page Count: 260
Language: English
ISBN: 978-1-59333-985-2
$148.00

Peter Karavites presents a revisionist overview of Homeric scholarship, bridging the gap between the “positivist” and “negativist” theories dominant in the greater part of the twentieth century. His investigation derives new insights from Homer’s text and solves the age-old question of the relationship between Homer and the Mycenaean age.

He boldly provides a new interpretation of the diplomatic relations of the Mycenaean and Homeric times based on fresh textual examination of old archaeological material, new archaeological discoveries, and a much broader analytical focus, emphasizing social, economic, political, and cultural approaches that have transformed our understanding of ancient interstate relations contained in the Homeric Corpus. The author underscores the similarities between the Near Eastern diplomatic practices as well as practices analyzed in Homeric texts to highlight the relationship between Homeric times and the Mycenaean Age.

Bronze Age and Homeric diplomatic envoy customs are treated in a series of chapters pertaining to Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, the littoral of the Eastern Mediterranean area, and the Aegean world. They treat practices such as envoy escorts, envoy protection and hospitality, symbolism of gift exchanges, royal marriages alliances, envoy credentials, and various other practices, and will be of interest to scholars and students of history, political science, diplomacy, archaeology and social relations.

Peter Karavites is Professor Emeritus of Greek and Roman History from Bridgewater State College in Massachusetts. His books include Capitulations and Greek Interstate Relations; Promise Giving and Treaty-Making, Homer and the Near East and Evil and Freedom, and the Road to Perfection in Clement of Alexandria. He holds an M.A. from the University of Chicago and a Ph.D from Loyola University of Chicago and has studied at the Universities of Munich and Heidelberg.

Peter Karavites presents a revisionist overview of Homeric scholarship, bridging the gap between the “positivist” and “negativist” theories dominant in the greater part of the twentieth century. His investigation derives new insights from Homer’s text and solves the age-old question of the relationship between Homer and the Mycenaean age.

He boldly provides a new interpretation of the diplomatic relations of the Mycenaean and Homeric times based on fresh textual examination of old archaeological material, new archaeological discoveries, and a much broader analytical focus, emphasizing social, economic, political, and cultural approaches that have transformed our understanding of ancient interstate relations contained in the Homeric Corpus. The author underscores the similarities between the Near Eastern diplomatic practices as well as practices analyzed in Homeric texts to highlight the relationship between Homeric times and the Mycenaean Age.

Bronze Age and Homeric diplomatic envoy customs are treated in a series of chapters pertaining to Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, the littoral of the Eastern Mediterranean area, and the Aegean world. They treat practices such as envoy escorts, envoy protection and hospitality, symbolism of gift exchanges, royal marriages alliances, envoy credentials, and various other practices, and will be of interest to scholars and students of history, political science, diplomacy, archaeology and social relations.

Peter Karavites is Professor Emeritus of Greek and Roman History from Bridgewater State College in Massachusetts. His books include Capitulations and Greek Interstate Relations; Promise Giving and Treaty-Making, Homer and the Near East and Evil and Freedom, and the Road to Perfection in Clement of Alexandria. He holds an M.A. from the University of Chicago and a Ph.D from Loyola University of Chicago and has studied at the Universities of Munich and Heidelberg.

Write your own review
  • Only registered users can write reviews
*
*
Bad
Excellent
*
*
*
*
ContributorBiography

Peter Karavites

PETER KARAVITES is Professor Emeritus of Greek and Roman History from Bridgewater State College in Massachusetts. His books include Capitulations and Greek Interstate Relations; Promise Giving and Treaty-Making, Homer and the Near East and Evil, Freedom, and the Road to Perfection in Clement of Alexandria. He holds an M.A. from the University of Chicago and a Ph.D from Loyola University of Chicago and has studied at the Universities of Munich and Heidelberg.

  • Dedication (page 5)
  • Table of Contents (page 7)
  • Preface (page 11)
  • Abbreviations (page 15)
  • 1. Introduction (page 19)
  • 2. Diplomacy during the Egyptian Imperium (page 37)
  • 3. Messengers in Western Asia (page 71)
  • 4. Homeric Messengers (page 105)
  • 5. Homeric and Near Eastern Analogies (page 163)
  • 6. Concluding Remarks (page 187)
  • Afterword (page 203)
  • The Diachronic Endurance of Messenger Practices (page 205)
  • Bibliography (page 233)
  • Index (page 253)
Customers who bought this item also bought

A Comparison of Ancient Near Eastern Law Collections Prior to the First Millennium BC

ISBN: 978-1-59333-221-1
This book highlights and explains consistent differences in both the framing and content of the various pre-first millennium BC law collections of Mesopotamia, Egypt and Hatti. The differences between collections are placed in the broader background of the worldview and political make-up of the societies and individuals that created them, and their historical context.
$156.00

A Vulgate Old Testament Reader

ISBN: 1-59333-232-7
This introduction to Jerome's Vulgate Old Testament is useful for students with a limited background in Latin. Several familiar and interesting selections are included, such as the stories of Joseph, Moses, David and Goliath, Job, Daniel, and Jonah. The book also contains several Psalms as well as selections from wisdom and prophetic literature.
$51.00

Clavis Syriaca

A Key to the Ancient Syriac Version Called “Peshitto” of the Four Holy Gospels (Study Edition)
ISBN: 1-59333-178-9
Clavis Syriaca furnishes a complete analysis of the text of the Gospels of the Peshitta New Testament and is an excellent study tool for students who wish to study it. The Clavis begins with the Gospel of St. John, as its language is the simplest, and ends with that of St. Luke. It is an indispensable tool for any student of the New Testament or the Syriac language. Words are analyzed according to text placement, translation, grammar, and Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic cognates. This is a very useful Victorian book for any student of Syriac.
$124.00

The Bible in the Syriac Tradition (English Version)

ISBN: 1-59333-300-5
This is a basic introduction to the various Syriac translations of the Bible and the ways in which they were used in the Syriac tradition. After an initial discussion of the general problems of biblical translation, the different surviving Syriac translations are outlined, as well as biblical manuscripts, lectionaires, printed editions, and translations. A reception history of the Syriac Bible covers the ways in which it has been interpreted, the commentary tradition, its use in preaching, in liturgy, and in spirituality. An appendix offers some comparative samples (in translation) to illustrate some of the differences between the different Syriac translations.
$53.00