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owner-bmcr-l | 3 Jun 2004 01:36
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BMCR 2004.06.01, BMCR Books Received (May)

BMCR Books Received (May).
--------------------------

Titles marked by an asterisk are available for review. Qualified
volunteers should indicate their interest by REPLY to this message,
stating their qualifications (both in the sense of degrees held and in
the sense of experience in the field concerned) and explaining any
previous relationship with the author.

*Angeli Bernardini, Paola (ed.), La citta\ di Argo. Mito, storia,
tradizioni poetiche. Atti del Convegno internazionale, Urbino, 13-15
giugno 2002. Roma: Edizioni dell'Ateneo, 2004. Pp. 344; ills. EUR 70.00
(pb). ISBN 88-8476-033-X.

*Balbo, Andrea (ed.), I frammenti degli oratori romani dell'eta\
augustea e tiberiana. Parte prima: Eta\ augustea. Minima philologicca,
1. Alessandria: Edizioni dell'Orso, 2004. Pp. 295. EUR 20.00 (pb). ISBN
88-7694-743-4.

*Bouquet, Monique and Franc,oise Morzadec, La sibylle. Parole et
repre/sentation. Collection "Interfe/rence". Rennes: Presses
Universitaires de Rennes, 2004. Pp. 301. EUR 23.00 (pb). ISBN
2-86847-879-4.

*Bruni, Stefano, Teresa Caruso and Morella Massa (edd.), Archaeologica
pisana. Scritti per Orlanda Pancrazzi. Pisa: Giardini Editori e
Stampatori in Pisa, 2004. Pp. xxiv, 424; ills. EUR 200.00 (pb). ISBN
88-427-0301-X.

*Celluprica, Vincenza and Cristina d'Ancona (edd.), Aristotele e i suoi
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owner-bmcr-l | 5 Jun 2004 20:53
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BMCR 2004.06.03, Andrea Cucchiarelli, La veglia di Venere

Andrea Cucchiarelli (trans.), La veglia di Venere. Pervigilium Veneris.
BUR Classici Greci e Latini.  Milano:  Biblioteca Universale Rizzoli,
2003.  Pp. 167.  ISBN 88-17-10635-6. EUR 10.00.

Reviewed by Tiziana Privitera, Universita\ di Roma Tor Vergata
(tiziana.privitera <at> uniroma2.it)
Word count:  1525 words
-------------------------------

The fascination that the Pervigilium Veneris has exerted on the reading
public and in scholarship, attested by the many editions published
during the XX century, shows no signs of abating. This is confirmed by
a new edition by Andrea Cucchiarelli, recently published in Italy in
the 'Biblioteca Universale Rizzoli' (BUR) series, a few years after the
last Italian edition.[[1]] There are two reasons for expressing
satisfaction with this new production: on the one hand, we cannot but
welcome the very fact that a series of much scholarly value but
nevertheless aimed at a wider readership than the specialist scholar,
such as the BUR Classici Greci e Latini, has decided to include among
its offerings an anonymous work, surely not very well known to the wide
reading public, that dates back to a less-than-popular period such as
Late Antiquity (even if the exact chronology of it is very
controversial, see below); and, on the other, it is a pleasure to
acknowledge the seriousness and the completeness of Cucchiarelli's
work, which on the whole stands well above the average level of the
series.

The book opens with an interesting introduction, La dea, il poeta, la
citta\ muta (pp. 7-17), in which the author focuses on some of the main
themes of the Pervigilium: the nature of the poem, its intended
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owner-bmcr-l | 5 Jun 2004 20:53
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BMCR 2004.06.02, Response to BMCR 2004.05.01 by Reichardt

Reichardt on Asper on Reichardt.   Response to BMCR 2004.05.01

Response by Tobias Reichardt
-------------------------------

I would like to make some remarks on the review of my book ("Recht und
Rationalitaet im fruehen Griechenland") written by Markus Asper. In
this study, I try to show various connections between Greek law and the
origins of philosophy. I find these connections, in different forms,
mainly in the poet, political thinker, and lawgiver Solon, in the
presocratics, and in the sophists. Although A. partly agrees with my
fundamental arguments, he utters aggressive criticisms which need
clarification.

1) According to A., I should have made more use of inscriptions, which
would have opened the view to areas of Greece other than Athens. This
could certainly be a useful task, but I would consider it as a
complement to my work, not an essential ingredient. As I am interested
in the birth of philosophy and its social background, it is very
reasonable to examine the Attic sources (Solon, the sophists) and the
presocratic texts. I doubt that the inscriptions mentioned by A. have
much direct significance for philosophy, the centre of which Athens
soon became. The "comparisons with other cultures" which A. wanted me
to undertake (while at the same time being more thorough regarding the
Greeks themselves) do not strike me as necessary, either.

2) One major objection, often repeated, is my use of allegedly
"unnecessarily anachronistic" concepts (like "reason", "individualism",
"enlightenment"). In contrast to A., I think that these concepts are
not always anachronistic. As scholars, we cannot avoid using general,
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owner-bmcr-l | 10 Jun 2004 01:23
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BMCR 2004.06.07, Franziska Egli, Euripides im Kontext

Franziska Egli, Euripides im Kontext zeitgeno+ssischer intellektueller
Stro+mungen: Analyse der Funktion philosophischer Themen in den
Trago+dien und Fragmenten. Beitra+ge zur Altertumskunde 189.  Mu+nchen
and Leipzig:  K.G. Saur, 2003.  Pp. 334.  ISBN 3-598-77801-5. EUR 86.00.

Reviewed by John Given, East Carolina University (givenj <at> mail.ecu.edu)
Word count:  1991 words
-------------------------------

Egli's study, a publication of her 2002 dissertation from the
University of Zurich, argues that it is best to analyze intellectual
themes in Euripides as the influence of contemporary philosophical
"currents" rather than to pursue the traditional search for the
influence of individual philosophers and sophists. To this end, Egli
catalogs hundreds of passages from the Euripidean corpus, including the
fragments, according to the intellectual trends underlying them. She
also offers longer interpretations of three entire plays, Electra,
Heracles and Orestes. Although the abandonment of the search for
individual philosophers' influence is to be applauded, Egli's
continuing emphasis on discovering Euripides' influences consistently
detracts from the many insightful interpretations that are present.

In a brief introduction (15-35), Egli distinguishes her work from
predecessors such as Nestle (1901 and 1902), Verrall (1895) and Dodds
(1929),[[1]] who represent the tradition of personal influence. She
also introduces a theoretical framework of intertextuality, drawn
primarily from the works of Genette and Helbig.[[2]] The intertextual
models serve as a method for recognizing and interpreting the
relationship between a text and a "Pra+text," keeping in mind always
that the various Pra+texte for Euripides are not particular texts but
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owner-bmcr-l | 10 Jun 2004 01:23
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BMCR 2004.06.06, Baird/Ehrman, The Letters of Hildegard

Joseph L. Baird, Radd K. Ehrman (trans.), The Letters of Hildegard of 
Bingen. Vol. III.  Oxford:  Oxford University Press, 2004.  Pp. 240.  ISBN
0-19-516837-2.  $55.00.

Reviewed by Stephen D'Evelyn, Brown University
(Stephen_DEvelyn <at> brown.edu)
Word count:  1792 words
-------------------------------

Hildegard of Bingen wrote letters to an astonishing number of people.
She was no respecter of persons, answering queries from common people
as well as admonishing popes and kings. The translations by Joseph L.
Baird and Radd K. Ehrman make all this available to a much wider
audience in clear and readable translations. The first two volumes
appeared in 1994 and 1998. The third and final volume of English
renderings of the letters has now appeared. This third volume shows the
widest range of correspondents, containing letters between Hildegard
and Church officials, kings and nobles, and regular lay people.

People wrote to Hildegard for many reasons. Abbots and abbesses often
sought advice about governing their communities or asked whether
Hildegard thought they ought to resign. People both in monasteries and
in the secular world wrote to her asking for words of encouragement or
exhortation. Sometimes people wrote to ask about the condition of their
souls or of the souls of those close to them. Parents wrote to ask
about their children. One person wrote asking for help finding
treasure, and, although Hildegard had to respond that God had revealed
nothing to her about treasure, because He was concerned with souls
rather than with transitory wealth, Hildegard nonetheless does close
with a benediction; "Yet may He help you according to His will and your
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owner-bmcr-l | 10 Jun 2004 01:21
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BMCR 2004.06.04, A. Willi, The Languages of Aristophanes

Andreas Willi, The Languages of Aristophanes. Aspects of Linguistic
Variation in Classical Attic Greek. Oxford Classical Monographs.
Oxford:  Oxford University Press, 2003.  Pp. xiv, 361.  ISBN
0-19-926264-0.  $74.00.

Reviewed by Jerker Blomqvist, Lund University
(jerker.blomqvist <at> klass.lu.se)
Word count:  2647 words
-------------------------------

The language of Greek comedy was the theme of a recent collection of
essays under the editorship of Andreas Willi, the author of the book
under review here.[[1]] Willi's new book is in one respect more limited
in scope than the previous collection, since it concentrates on
Aristophanes and says little about the other comedians. On the other
hand, it takes up one of the themes of the previous book and develops
it with the amplification it deserves, viz., Aristophanic comedy as a
reflection of the sociolinguistic situation in contemporary
Athens.[[2]] Consequently, as the author himself points out (pp. 1-2),
the work has some affinities with Victor Ehrenberg's classic The People
of Aristophanes of 1962; it is a book, not in the first place about
Aristophanes, but about Athens as mirrored in the more or less
distorting looking-glass of Aristophanic comedy. Ehrenberg's target was
social and economic life in general, Willi's is the linguistic
situation, i.e., what different varieties of Attic Greek existed in the
last decades of the fifth century BC, what (groups of) people used
them, in what socio-cultural contexts they were used, the existence of
specialized terminologies in certain lines of trade, and the
characteristic features of women's and foreigners' talk.
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owner-bmcr-l | 10 Jun 2004 01:22
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BMCR 2004.06.05, U. Heidmann, Poe/tiques compare/es des

U. Heidmann (ed.), Poe/tiques compare/es des mythes. De l'Antiquite/ a\
la Modernite/, En hommage a\ Claude Calame.  Lausanne:  Payot, 2003.
Pp. 264.  ISBN 2-601-03329-0. EUR 20.00.

Contributors:  Jean-Michel Adam, David Bouvier, Claude Calame, Sylviane
Dupuis, Jacqueline Fabre-Serris, Neil Forsyth, Ute Heidmann, Mondher
Kilani, Olivier The/venaz

Reviewed by Charles Delattre, Universite/ de Paris X Nanterre
(cadelattre <at> free.fr)
Word count:  1261 words
-------------------------------

Poe/tiques compare/es des mythes is a product of the Groupe de
Recherche interdisciplinaire en Analyse compare/e des discours, whose
seminar has been held at the University of Lausanne in recent years.
Ute Heidmann's Pre/face (pp. 5-12) outlines the heterogeneous fabric of
this volume: most of the papers are related to the world of Antiquity,
whereas others (by N. Forsyth, by J.-M. Adam and U. Heidmann) deal with
nineteenth- and twentieth-century literature. General anthropology is
the subject of the last paper (by M. Kilani). However, unity is
achieved thanks to the prominent figure of Claude Calame, who initiated
and directed the Lausanne seminar, and whose works[[1]] are repeatedly
referred to throughout the volume. The book is quite understandably
dedicated to him. The Preface gives clear and short resumes of the
different papers and also defines the originality of the team's work.
Even if the final papers have only a remote connection to the world of
Antiquity, reading them could be of value for everybody invested in
this field. Interdisciplinary approaches have once again provided rich
and interesting analysis.
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owner-bmcr-l | 11 Jun 2004 00:29
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BMCR 2004.06.10, Richard King, Aristotle on Life and Death

Richard King, Aristotle on Life and Death.  London:  Duckworth, 2001.
Pp. ix, 214.  ISBN 0-7156-2982-4.  $23.00.

Reviewed by Michael Pakaluk, Philosophy, Clark University
(mpakaluk <at> clarku.edu)
Word count:  1557 words
-------------------------------

Why do we die? Is death a punishment or a liberation? Is it something
that in some sense should not happen to us, or is it natural? Is the
death of a human being entirely of a piece with the death of any living
thing and to be explained in the same way? Should we look for a moral
explanation of death, or is it better to understand it
naturalistically, as something inevitable or understandable, given our
composition and structure? It is striking that Platonic answers easily
come to mind for such questions, but Aristotle's position is by no
means as obvious. R.A.H. King in Aristotle on Life and Death aims to
give us the Aristotelian view on ultimate matters through the
methodological device of attending carefully to, in effect, Aristotle's
account of digestion. Some people today think that good nutrition is
the key to avoiding death; King's view is that a good account of
nutrition in Aristotle holds the key to confronting what death meant to
him.

King's central idea is that of the life-cycle: every living thing is
meant by nature to go through a cycle of growth, activity in its prime,
and decay leading to death. The teleological, cosmological explanation
of this is that everything aims to imitate the Prime Mover in its
eternal felicity insofar as it is able; but no composite, and therefore
nothing composed of body and soul, can remain in existence as an
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owner-bmcr-l | 11 Jun 2004 00:29
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BMCR 2004.06.09, Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones, Aphrodite's Tortoise

Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones, Aphrodite's Tortoise: The Veiled Woman of
Ancient Greece.  Swansea:  The Classical Press of Wales, 2003.  Pp. x,
358.  ISBN 0-9543845-3-9.  $69.50.

Reviewed by Ellen G. Millender, Reed College 
(ellen.millender <at> reed.edu)
Word count:  2862 words
-------------------------------

In what will become a standard work in the field of Greek dress,
Llewellyn-Jones (hereafter L-J) offers the first full-length
examination of the veiling of women in the ancient Greek world from c.
900 BCE to 200 CE. His study covers the entirety of the ancient Greek
world and argues that veiling was routine for women of varying social
strata, especially when they appeared in public or before unrelated
males. L-J further concludes that female use of the veil, which he
defines as "any garment that covers the head or the face" (p. 8), was
part of a prevailing male ideology that endorsed female silence and
invisibility. While L-J asserts that the women who veiled their heads
subscribed to this male ideology, he argues that veiling did not simply
entail female powerlessness in the face of male authority. To the
contrary, veiling allowed women a certain degree of freedom of movement
and provided them with opportunities to comment on their social
standing, their sexuality, and their emotional state.

The book's structure is relatively straightforward. In the first five
chapters L-J uses textual and iconographic evidence to formulate a
vocabulary of veiling, to catalogue veil styles adopted by ancient
Greek women, and to gauge how widespread veiling practices were in
different periods of Greek history. In the final five chapters, L-J
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owner-bmcr-l | 11 Jun 2004 00:28
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BMCR 2004.06.08, M. Koiv, Ancient Tradition & Early Greek History

Mait Koiv, Ancient Tradition and Early Greek History: The Origins of
States in Early-Archaic Sparta, Argos and Corinth.  Tallinn:  Avita
Publishers, 2003.  Pp. 427.  ISBN 9985-2-0807-2.

Reviewed by Stephanie Larson, Bucknell University (slarson <at> bucknell.edu)
Word count:  2288 words
-------------------------------

Mait Koiv's recent work on the early archaic period takes on the
daunting task of evaluating Classical and post-Classical sources for
the earlier Greek history of Sparta, Argos and Corinth, territories for
which we have relatively abundant archaeological and literary evidence.
For each community K analyzes and compares literary traditions in an
attempt to distinguish the historical from the mythical; he sets the
traditions in their own historical context when possible, and he
carefully compares the accounts to the archaeological record.

K's work may prove useful for advanced graduate students and ancient
Greek historians but is too specialized for an undergraduate audience.
The exhaustive footnotes are particularly noteworthy and will be of
value to those reviewing or first encountering the details of early
archaic Sparta, Argos and Corinth.

After assessing the variety of approaches to the eighth century,[[1]]
by way of an introduction K quickly rehearses problems in using later
evidence in reconstructing these three communities' early history. He
pays close attention to Classical and post-Classical historians'
sources, particularly to stories transmitted through oral tradition and
their attendant problems of interpretation for modern scholars. Despite
the prevailing skepticism toward the validity of such stories for an
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