This study posits that the distinction of Hellenistic Rhodes, exemplified by economic prosperity, internal stability, military might and high political esteem among foreign powers, can be directly linked to the naval aristocracy. The book contends that a constantly publicised pride in naval experience was paramount to the self-perception of the upper class. It was the basis of their role in the military, political and commercial infrastructure. By analysing the role of the wealthy, who personally owned the ships used both for warfare and commerce, their financial responsibility for personnel, and the ramifications of this power, Gabrielson explains the organisation of the society as a whole. By providing economic security, the aristocracy promoted domestic peace that, in turn, allowed for expansion overseas, thereby re-securing their own power and labour forces. The navy safeguarded mercantile routes.

This study posits that the distinction of Hellenistic Rhodes, exemplified by economic prosperity, internal stability, military might and high political esteem among foreign powers, can be directly linked to the naval aristocracy. The book contends that a constantly publicised pride in naval experience was paramount to the self-perception of the upper class. It was the basis of their role in the military, political and commercial infrastructure. By analysing the role of the wealthy, who personally owned the ships used both for warfare and commerce, their financial responsibility for personnel, and the ramifications of this power, Gabrielson explains the organisation of the society as a whole. By providing economic security, the aristocracy promoted domestic peace that, in turn, allowed for expansion overseas, thereby re-securing their own power and labour forces. The navy safeguarded mercantile routes.

How useful is the concept of "network" for historical studies and the ancient world in particular? Using theoretical models of social network analysis, this book illuminates aspects of the economic, social, religious, and political history of the ancient Greek and Roman worlds. Bringing together some of the most active and prominent researchers in ancient history, this book moves beyond political institutions, ethnic, and geographical boundaries in order to observe the ancient Mediterranean through a perspective of network interaction. It employs a wide range of approaches, and to examine relationships and interactions among various social entities in the Mediterranean. Chronologically, the book extends from the early Iron Age to the late Antique world, covering the Mediterranean between Antioch in the east to Massalia (Marseilles) in the west. This book was published as two special issues in Mediterranean Historical Review.

This book breaks new ground by distilling and presenting new and newly-reinterpreted evidence for the Hellenistic era and offering a compelling new set of interpretative ideas to the debate on the ancient economy.

What was ancient democracy like? Why did it spread in ancient Greece? An astonishing number of volumes have been devoted to the well-attested Athenian case, while non-Athenian democracy - for which evidence is harder to come by - has received only fleeting attention. Nevertheless, there exists a scattered body of ancient material regarding democracy beyond Athens, from ancient literary authors and epigraphic documents to archaeological evidence, out of which one can build an understanding of the phenomenon. This book presents a detailed study of ancient Greek democracy in the Classical period (480–323 BC), focusing on examples outside Athens. It has three main goals: to identify where and when democratic governments established themselves in ancient Greek city-states; to explain why democracy spread to many parts of Greece in this period; and to further our understanding of the nature of ancient democracy by studying its practices beyond Athens.

Hellenism is the living culture of the Greek-speaking peoples and has a continuing history of more than 3,500 years. The Encyclopedia of Greece and the Hellenic Tradition contains approximately 900 entries devoted to people, places, periods, events, and themes, examining every aspect of that culture from the Bronze Age to the present day. The focus throughout is on the Greeks themselves, and the continuities within their own cultural tradition. Language and religion are perhaps the most obvious vehicles of continuity; but there have been many others--law, taxation, gardens, music, magic, education, shipping, and countless other elements have all played their part in maintaining this unique culture. Today, Greek arts have blossomed again; Greece has taken its place in the European Union; Greeks control a substantial proportion of the world's merchant marine; and Greek communities in the United States, Australia, and South Africa have carried the Hellenic tradition throughout the world. This is the first reference work to embrace all aspects of that tradition in every period of its existence.

This ebook is a selective guide designed to help scholars and students of the ancient world find reliable sources of information by directing them to the best available scholarly materials in whatever form or format they appear from books, chapters, and journal articles to online archives, electronic data sets, and blogs. Written by a leading international authority on the subject, the ebook provides bibliographic information supported by direct recommendations about which sources to consult and editorial commentary to make it clear how the cited sources are interrelated. A reader will discover, for instance, the most reliable introductions and overviews to the topic, and the most important publications on various areas of scholarly interest within this topic. In classics, as in other disciplines, researchers at all levels are drowning in potentially useful scholarly information, and this guide has been created as a tool for cutting through that material to find the exact source you need. This ebook is just one of many articles from Oxford Bibliographies Online: Classics, a continuously updated and growing online resource designed to provide authoritative guidance through the scholarship and other materials relevant to the study of classics. Oxford Bibliographies Online covers most subject disciplines within the social science and humanities, for more information visit www.aboutobo.com.