Reviews
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Ciceros emanzipatorische Leserführung
17–25 minutesChristopher Diez, Ciceros emanzipatorische Leserführung: Studien zum Verhältnis von dialogisch-rhetorischer Inszenierung und skeptischer Philosophie in De natura deorum, Palingenesia 128 (Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag, 2021). 9783515130264. Reviewed by Peter Osorio, University of Toronto, peter.osorio@utoronto.ca. Cicero’s De natura deorum (ND) dramatizes its author’s lifelong interest in understanding and even reforming norms of Roman life in the
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Lucretius On Disease: The Poetics of Morbidity
7–10 minutesGeorge Kazantzidis, Lucretius On Disease: The Poetics of Morbidity in De Rerum Natura (Berlin: De Gruyter, 2021). Reviewed by Anastasiia Starovoitova, University of Southern California, starovoi@usc.edu. In Lucretius on Disease: The Poetics of Morbidity in De Rerum Natura, George Kazantzidis takes an innovative approach to the topic of morbidity by focusing on disease as playing
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Nectar of the Gods: From Hera’s Hurricane to the Appletini of Discord. 75 Mythical Cocktails to Drink Like a Deity
7–10 minutesLiv Albert and Thea Engst, Nectar of the Gods: From Hera’s Hurricane to the Appletini of Discord. 75 Mythical Cocktails to Drink Like a Deity (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2022). 9781507217993. Reviewed by Brooke Kolhagen, University of North Texas, brookekolhagen@gmail.com. Nectar of the Gods, far from the average cookbook, is a collection of cocktail
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Abused Bodies in Roman Epic
13–19 minutesAndrew M. McClellan, Abused Bodies in Roman Epic (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2019). Reviewed by Courtney Evans, Duke University, courtney.evans@duke.edu. This project, originating from McClellan’s dissertation, seeks to offer a “fundamental re-evaluation of violence and warfare in Latin epic” (17) by shifting our interpretive lens onto the corpses of epic, viewing them as “characters” which
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Ritual in Deuteronomy: The Performance of Doom
8–12 minutesMelissa D. Ramos, Ritual in Deuteronomy: The Performance of Doom (London: Routledge, 2021). 9781138570986. Reviewed by Joseph Scales, independent scholar, josephdscales@gmail.com. Ritual in Deuteronomy is a fascinating yet broad topic. Previous studies have examined various elements of Deuteronomy and ritual practice or theory. Ramos adds to this body of work through an examination of chapters 27–30 in this
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Archaeology in the Smallest Realm: Micro Analyses and Methods for the Reconstruction of Early Societies on Cyprus
16–25 minutesMarialucia Amadio, ed., Archaeology in the Smallest Realm: Micro Analyses and Methods for the Reconstruction of Early Societies on Cyprus (Rome: Artemide Edizioni, 2021). 9788875753795. Reviewed by Christine L. Johnston, Western Washington University, Christine.johnston@wwu.edu. This slim volume (166 pp.) presents ten studies of archaeological microanalysis, focusing in particular on the enhanced benefits of integrating macro-
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Acta Martyrum Scillitanorum: A Literary Commentary
8–12 minutesVincent Hunink, Acta Martyrum Scillitanorum: A Literary Commentary. Giornale Italiano di Filologia Bibliotheca 24 (Turnhout: Brepols, 2021). 9782503590950. Reviewed by Jared Secord, University of Calgary, jaredjohn.secord@ucalgary.ca The Acts of the Scilitan Martyrs (henceforth ASM) has traditionally been regarded as one of the earliest works of Christian Latin literature. It narrates the encounter between a group
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Freewomen, Patriarchal Authority, and the Accusation of Prostitution
12–17 minutesStephanie Lynn Budin, Freewomen, Patriarchal Authority, and the Accusation of Prostitution (London: Routledge, 2021). 9780367198299. Reviewed by Mali Skotheim, Ashoka University, mali.skotheim@ashoka.edu.in Stephanie Lynn Budin’s Freewomen, Patriarchal Authority, and the Accusation of Prostitution, published in the Routledge series Interdisciplinary Research in Gender, is a comparative study of women who have been called prostitutes in ancient
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Aspects of Death and the Afterlife in Greek Literature
10–15 minutesGeorge Alexander Gazis and Anthony Hooper, eds., Aspects of Death and the Afterlife in Greek Literature (Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 2021). 9781789621495. Reviewed by Amy K. Vandervelde, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, amykv2@illinois.edu In their edited volume, Gazis and Hooper bring together a variety of scholars from across disciplines to examine questions pertaining to death
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Uncovering Jewish Creativity in Book III of the Sibylline Oracles: Gender, Intertextuality, and Politics
10–15 minutesAshley L. Bacchi, Uncovering Jewish Creativity in Book III of the Sibylline Oracles: Gender, Intertextuality, and Politics (Leiden: Brill, 2020). 9789004424340. Reviewed by Gillian Glass, University of British Columbia, rgglass@student.ubc.ca In Uncovering Jewish Creativity, Bacchi articulates the significance of Jewish literature for the field of Hellenistic literature generally, in addition to contributing to the ever-growing