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Bryn Mawr Reviews | 1 Feb 2008 02:44

BMCR 2008.01.59, Isabelle Torrance , Aeschylus: Seven Against Thebes

Isabelle Torrance, Aeschylus: Seven Against Thebes. Duckworth
Companions to Greek and Roman Tragedy.  London:  Duckworth, 2007.  Pp.
174.  ISBN 978-0-7156-3466-0.  $22.00 (pb).

Reviewed by Caroline Trieschnigg, Radboud University Nijmegen
(C.Trieschnigg <at> let.ru.nl)
Word count:  1608 words
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To read a print-formatted version of this review, see
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Of the Athenian tragedies, the Aeschylean are still the least
accessible for students: Aeschylus' language is often considered more
difficult than that of Sophocles and Euripides and, in spite of or
perhaps as a result of this, readable commentaries or introductions to
his plays for people who are less adept at Greek philology, do not
abound. Isabelle Torrance (T.) has provided Aeschylus' Seven against
Thebes with an introduction that is accessible for non-specialists of
Greek tragedy and useful for more experienced scholars as well. The
introduction may also be helpful for students (and teachers) as a
starting point for a course on this play. T.'s book belongs to the
Duckworth Companions to Greek and Roman Tragedy series. Until now,
introductions to seventeen tragedies have been published, some of which
have been reviewed for BMCR.[[1]]

T.'s book contains six chapters, each divided into sections. The first
chapter, 'Play and Trilogy' (9-22), begins with an overview of the
context of Athenian drama. Next T. reconstructs the other two tragedies
of the trilogy in which the Seven was the final play, and the
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Bryn Mawr Reviews | 1 Feb 2008 02:44

BMCR 2008.01.58, Enrico Medda , "Sed nullus editorum vidit".

Enrico Medda, "Sed nullus editorum vidit". La filologia di Gottfried
Hermann e l'Agamennone di Eschilo. Amsterdam: Supplementi di Lexis
XXXI.  Amsterdam:  Adolf M. Hakkert Editore, 2006.  Pp. 250.  ISBN
90-256-1213-X.  EUR 60.00.

Reviewed by Massimo Magnani, Universita' degli Studi di Parma
(massimo.magnani <at> unipr.it)
Word count:  1780 words
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To read a print-formatted version of this review, see
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The book of Enrico Medda (M.) is not an evaluation of Gottfried
Hermann's conjectural skills or a celebration of the leading figure of
Wortphilologie. Its aim is to study the basis and the development of
the textual criticism of Hermann (1772-1848), and perhaps no other
topic could be a better representative of the great German scholar than
Aeschylus and the Agamemnon.

After the Introduzione (pp. 5-9),[[1]] the first chapter ("Metrica e
testo (1796-1799)", pp. 11-39) deals with the beginning of Hermann's
studies. M. highlights with notable clarity the influence on him not
only of Friederich Wolfgang Reiz and (via Reiz) of Richard Bentley but
also of Immanuel Kant, above all for the establishment of metrical
theory.[[2]] The first book of De metris poetarum Graecorum et
Romanorum libri III (Lipsiae 1796), involved with the a priori
definition of numerus, is modelled on the trascendental analytics of
the Kritik der reinen Vernunft (Riga 1781, first ed.). Hermann tried to
define the basic concepts of metre, prosody and rhythm within Kant's
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Bryn Mawr Reviews | 1 Feb 2008 02:45

BMCR 2008.01.60, Nicola Hoemke et al., Fremde Wirklichkeiten

Nicola Hoemke, Manuel Baumbach, Fremde Wirklichkeiten: Literarische
Phantastik und antike Literatur. Kalliope. Studien zur griechischen und
lateinischen Poesie, 6.  Heidelberg:  Universitaetsverlag Winter, 2006.
Pp. x, 437.  ISBN 10: 3-8253-5266-8.  ISBN 13: 978-3-8253-5266-0.
EUR 45.00.

Reviewed by Victoria Jennings, University of Adelaide
(victoriajennings <at> hotmail.com)
Word count:  2207 words
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To read a print-formatted version of this review, see
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This volume, developed from a conference at the University of Rostock
in 2004, contains seventeen papers on 'the fantastic', extending in
scope from ancient Egypt to modern times, from archaic Greek monsters
to The Legend of Zelda. The editors do not force connections in their
brief foreword, but two common elements are highlighted: the
application of critical theory and modern perceptions of the fantastic
to the ancient world (for example, to determine whether one may speak
of a 'genre' of the fantastic); and the influence of an ancient
'fantastic' tradition on the modern, particularly Romantic world. The
prioritizing of these elements lends coherence to this absorbing
volume.

Papers fall into four thematic groups. Sections II, III, IV are most
relevant to the ancient world, but it would be a mistake to overlook
the themes and theories explored in Section I.
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Bryn Mawr Reviews | 3 Feb 2008 00:23

BMCR 2008.01.61, P.J. Rhodes , The Greek City States: A Source Book

P.J. Rhodes, The Greek City States: A Source Book. Second edition.
Cambridge:  Cambridge University Press, 2007.  Pp. xiii, 339.  ISBN
978-0-521-85049-0.  $85.00 (hb).  ISBN 978-0-521-61556-3.  $29.99 (pb).

Reviewed by Jonathan Strang, Trent University (jonathanstrang <at> trentu.ca)
Word count:  819 words
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To read a print-formatted version of this review, see
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One of the greatest challenges for the instructor of Greek social
history courses is to distill and present the disparate primary sources
to the novice undergraduate student. And so a new edition of The Greek
City States: A Source Book is welcome indeed. An eminent scholar of
Greek social history, Rhodes has culled and organized the most
pertinent sources from Greek literature and various corpora of
inscriptions. The texts are accompanied with Rhodes' own useful and
lucid commentary.

The book begins with a historical overview and an introduction to the
nature of the primary sources. The main part of the book is divided
into eleven chapters. The first two chapters survey the Homeric and
Archaic states. These are followed by a third chapter on economic and
political development during the Archaic period. Appropriately, there
are chapters devoted to political and social organization at Sparta and
Athens.

Rhodes has added three new sections to The Greek City States. The first
is a brief chapter on "Women and Children." An interesting collection
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Bryn Mawr Reviews | 3 Feb 2008 00:22

BMCR 2008.01.62, Oliver Dickinson , The Aegean from Bronze to Iron Age

Oliver Dickinson, The Aegean from Bronze Age to Iron Age.  London and
New York:  Routledge, 2006.  Pp. xvi, 298.  ISBN 0-415-13590-7.
$34.95.

Reviewed by Paul D. Scotton, California State University, Long Beach
(pscotton <at> csulb.edu)
Word count:  1286 words
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To read a print-formatted version of this review, see
http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/bmcr/2008/2008-01-62.html
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Table of Contents
(http://catdir.loc.gov/catdir/toc/ecip0613/2006014271.html)

This book is a discussion of the Greek Dark Age, a period running from
Late Helladic IIIC through Late Geometric. It is, however, just as much
a discussion of what is still a limited archaeological record, a record
that remains so in spite of great interest, efforts, and minds at work.
Dickinson presents an overview of what we know and what we theorize
from that knowledge but it is striking how limited the data continue to
be and how reliant we are upon theory to extrapolate more than
site-specific conclusions. An accurate portrayal of the current state
of affairs combined with the stated purpose of providing "a short
introductory survey" is an ambitious goal, but within the parameters
Dickinson circumscribes, one that he meets.

Once issues of procedure, terminology and chronology are delimited in
the Introduction and Chapter 1, Dickinson moves to a discussion of the
collapse of Bronze Age civilization, Chapter 2. But, before he does so,
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Bryn Mawr Reviews | 3 Feb 2008 10:53

BMCR 2008.01.64: M. Melotti, Mediterraneo tra miti e turismo

Marxiano Melotti, Mediterraneo tra miti e turismo. Per una sociologia
del turismo archeologico.  Milano:  CUEM Universita\ degli Studi di
Milano, Dipartimento di Scienze dell'Antichita\, 2007.  Pp. 208.  ISBN
978-88-6001-1138.  EUR 15.00.

Reviewed by Katariina Mustakallio, History and Philosophy, University
of Tampere (katariina.mustakallio <at> uta.fi)
Word count:  695 words
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To read a print-formatted version of this review, see
http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/bmcr/2008/2008-01-64.html
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Marxiano Melotti's book is an important contribution to discussion
concerning a well-known social phenomenon, archaeological tourism,
which has been a neglected topic in the research on Antiquity until
recently. This volume is aimed at a readership interested in cultural
heritage, archaeological tourism, exploitation of archaeological sites
like Pompeii, and new virtual technology. Melotti teaches methodology
of archaeology and submarine archaeology at the University of Milano,
Bicocca.

The book is divided into nine main sections. The author starts by
discussing the role of tourism in the ancient world and the themes of
identity and otherness ('Mito e viaggi' and 'Tra identita\ e
l'alterita\'); then he considers the challenges and threats to
submarine tourism especially in Italy and the rest of the Mediterranean
world ('Il turismo archeologico subacqueo in Italia'). After that he
amplifies his theme by bringing together classical myth, cinema and
literature concerning the Mediterranean sea. He takes into account one
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Bryn Mawr Reviews | 3 Feb 2008 10:54

BMCR 2008.01.65, Nicolas Flessa , Corpus Papyrorum Raineri XXVII

Nicolas Flessa (ed.), Corpus Papyrorum Raineri, XXVII. "(Gott) schuetze
das Fleisch des Pharao": Untersuchungen zum Magischen Handbuch pWien
Aeg 8426.  Muenchen:  K. G. Saur, 2006.  Pp. 156; pls. 4.  ISBN
978-3-598-77952-7.  EUR 58.00.

Reviewed by Peter C. Nadig, Seminar fuer Alte Geschichte, Universitaet
Mannheim (pnadig <at> mail.uni-mannheim.de)
Word count:  817 words
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To read a print-formatted version of this review, see
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Students of Egyptology in German-speaking countries are often
encouraged to publish their master's thesis, a step which in contrast,
is rather uncommon, if not discouraged among ancient historians.
Nevertheless, many of these Egyptology graduates edit Egyptian texts
hitherto unpublished or in need of a new edition or publish
archaeological finds or analyze philological topics. This is the case
with Nicolas Flessa's publication of pWien Aeg 8426, a late hieratic
papyrus of the Roman Period now in the Austrian National Library in
Vienna. This fragmentary papyrus is from a temple handbook containing
magic spells and rituals for the protection of the king. Its text has
not been published in its entirety before, but the papyrus has been
consulted in part by scholars since 1974.

This monograph has been structured in five major parts. Chapter One
brings an introduction (8-16) about the origin, purchase and storage of
pWien Aeg 8426. Flessa points out that there is no clear record of its
acquisition, which can best be dated to the 1880s. A brief summary of
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Bryn Mawr Reviews | 3 Feb 2008 10:51

BMCR 2008.01.63, Rodney A. Whitacre , A Patristic Greek Reader

Rodney A. Whitacre, A Patristic Greek Reader.  Peabody, MA:
Hendrickson Publishers, 2007.  Pp. 300.  ISBN 978-1-59856043-5.
$29.95.

Reviewed by Oleh Kindiy, Ukrainian Catholic University
(okindiy <at> ucu.edu.ua)
Word count:  1224 words
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To read a print-formatted version of this review, see
http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/bmcr/2008/2008-01-63.html
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Table of Contents
(http://catdir.loc.gov/catdir/toc/ecip0717/2007014984.html)

The reader produced by Rodney A. Whitacre is a helpful and
well-organized tool for those who wish to study patristic texts. As the
author announces in the introduction, the two goals of the book are to
provide an introduction to the rich legacy of the fathers and to offer
further reading to those who have studied biblical Greek and wish to
continue their exercise in the language (p. xv). Both goals are
successfully achieved.

Those who regularly read BMCR reviews are familiar with several recent
books of similar purpose in other fields of Classical Studies, such as
a reader on Pre-Socratic authors by Patricia Curd,[[1]] selected
sources on Alexander the Great by Ian Worthington,[[2]] texts of
Catullus by Ronnie Ancona,[[3]] and the Legamus reader by Thomas J.
Sienkewicz and LeaAnn A. Osburn.[[4]] This reader stands in the same
category of the instrumenta studiorum with those on Classical,
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Bryn Mawr Reviews | 3 Feb 2008 10:55

BMCR 2008.02.01, , BMCR Books Received (January, 2008)

BMCR Books Received (January, 2008).
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Titles marked by an asterisk are available for review. Qualified
volunteers should indicate their interest by a message to
classrev <at> brynmawr.edu, with their last name and requested author in the
subject line. (PLEASE DO *NOT* REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE.) They should
state their qualifications (both in the sense of degrees held and in
the sense of experience in the field concerned) and explain any
previous relationship with the author.

*Andrisano, Angela Maria (ed.), Biblioteche del mondo antico. Dalla
tradizione orale alla cultura dell'Impero. Lingue e letterature
Carocci, 75. Roma: Carocci editore, 2007. Pp. 206. EUR 19.30 (pb). ISBN
978-88-430-4236-4.

Batty, Roger, Rome and the Nomads. The Pontic-Danubian Realm in
Antiquity. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008. Pp. xxiv, 652; figs.
59, tables 10, pls. 32. $190.00. ISBN 978-0-19-814936-1.

*Bearzot, Cinzia, Franca Landucci, and Giuseppe Zecchini (edd.),
L'Onamasticon di Giulio Polluce. Tra lessicografia e antiquaria.
Contributi di storia antica, 5. Milano: Vita e Pensiero, 2007. Pp.
viii, 173. EUR 16.00 (pb). ISBN 978-88-343-1496-8.

*Betancourt, Philip P., Michael C. Nelson, and Hector Williams (edd.),
Krinoi kai Limenes. Studies in Honor of Joseph and Maria Shaw.
Prehistory Monographs, 22. Philadelphia: INSTAP Academic Press, 2007.
Pp. xxxvi, 314; tables 4, figs. 194, pls. 43. $80.00. ISBN
978-1-931534-22-2.
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Bryn Mawr Reviews | 4 Feb 2008 00:55

BMCR 2008.02.02, J-C Couvenhes et al., Transferts culturels et politique

Jean-Christophe Couvenhes, Bernard Legras, Transferts culturels et
politique dans le monde helle/nistique. Actes de la table ronde sur les
identite/s collectives (Sorbonne, 7 fe/vrier 2004). Historie ancienne
et me/die/vale - 86.  Paris:  Publications de la Sorbonne, 2006.  Pp.
188; 188; ills. 5, maps 2.  ISBN 2-85944-554-4.  EUR 19.00.

Reviewed by Luca Asmonti, University of Reading (l.a.asmonti <at> rdg.ac.uk)
Word count:  1642 words
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To read a print-formatted version of this review, see
http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/bmcr/2008/2008-02-02.html
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[A Table of Contents is given at the end of the review.]

In an important paper published in 1985 and in other subsequent
studies,[[1]] the historians Michel Espagne and Michael Werner used the
term "transfer" to indicate intercultural dialogue between France and
Germany in the 18th and 19th centuries. This concept, stemming from
psychoanalysis, primarily refers to the cultural changes brought about
by the introduction of material objects belonging to a given culture
into another. Taken in a broader sense, the notion of cultural transfer
has been usefully employed by medieval and modern historians to analyze
the movement of cultural, political and social ideas across different
human civilizations. The volume under review collects the papers
delivered at a "table ronde" held at Paris' Sorbonne University in
2004, where for the first time a number of eminent scholars of
Graeco-Roman antiquity were invited to apply the concept of cultural
transfer to their field of study. The ancient Mediterranean might
easily stand out as the scene of major and vital cultural transfers,
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