Reviews
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Worshippers of the Gods
14–22 minutesMattias P. Gassman, Worshippers of the Gods: Debating Paganism in the Fourth-Century Roman West, Oxford Studies in Late Antiquity (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2020). 9780190082444. Reviewed by Colin M. Whiting, Dumbarton Oaks, whitingc01@doaks.org Mattias Gassman’s Worshippers of the Gods is an engaging reappraisal of the fourth-century discourse about paganism and Christianity in the West. It offers incisive new readings of individual texts and historical moments as well as a compelling overarching narrative about the ways…
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Solo Dance in Archaic and Classical Greek Literature
15–23 minutesSarah Olsen, Solo Dance in Archaic and Classical Greek Literature: Representing the Unruly Body (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2021). 9781108485036. Reviewed by Jennifer Starkey, Unaffiliated, acerito@protonmail.com. Though dance has long been on the scholarly agenda, the focus is nearly always on choruses of various kinds. Olsen builds on this essential groundwork to explore the rare solo dancer, especially in Greek drama, though there are also chapters on Homer, Herodotus, and Xenophon. These “solo” dancers may…
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Reset in Stone: Memory and Reuse in Ancient Athens
18–27 minutesSarah A. Rous, Reset in Stone: Memory and Reuse in Ancient Athens (Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 2019). 9780299322809. Reviewed by Chelsea A.M. Gardner, Acadia University, chelsea.gardner@acadiau.ca. This volume, available in both hardcover and paperback, is 218 pages of text divided into an introduction, four chapters of content, and an epilogue. There are a further 74 pages of notes, in addition to the front matter, bibliography, and index; what at first appears to be quite…
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Lyric Poetry and Social Identity in Archaic Greece
17–25 minutesJessica M. Romney, Lyric Poetry and Social Identity in Archaic Greece (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2020). 9780472131853. Reviewed by Benjamin Jasnow, William Jewell College, jasnowb@william.jewell.edu. Jessica M. Romney proposes a novel approach to the study of identity in Greek lyric poetry in this attentive and productive series of close readings. The topic of identity in Greek literature has been widely studied in the past several decades, so investigations of Greek and Roman constructions…
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Dionysus after Nietzsche: The Birth of Tragedy in Twentieth-Century Literature and Thought
17–25 minutesAdam Lecznar, Dionysus after Nietzsche: The Birth of Tragedy in Twentieth-Century Literature and Thought (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2020). 9781108482561. Reviewed by Samuel Agbamu, Independent Researcher, samuel.agbamu@gmail.com. Italo Calvino asked “Why read the classics?” in a posthumous collection of essays published under this title in 1991.1 Although it was not specifically the texts of Greek and Roman antiquity that Calvino had in mind, the conclusions he drew in response ought to give classicists pause. A…
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An Educator’s Handbook for Teaching about the Ancient World
16–24 minutesPınar Durgun, ed., An Educator’s Handbook for Teaching about the Ancient World (Oxford: Archaeopress, 2020). 9781789697605; 9781789697612. Reviewed by Erika M. Jeck, Collegiate School, ejeck@collegiateschool.org. An Educator’s Handbook for Teaching about the Ancient World is an exciting gift to ancient history teachers of all age groups (primary through post-secondary) looking for new ideas for hands-on, curiosity-sparking lessons. This handbook contains two parts: Section One comprises pedagogical essays, which together create a compelling dialogue on the educational value…
Rhea Classical Reviews 