Approaching the ancient world

"Since its first publication in 1995, Reading Papyri, Writing Ancient History has proved to be an invaluable resource to students of the ancient world looking to integrate papyrological evidence into their research. In the quarter century since its publication, changes in the research environment have affected papyrology like other fields. Although the core philological methods of the field remain in place, the field has increasingly embraced languages other than Greek and Latin, with considerable impact on the Hellenistic and Late Antique periods. Digital tools have increased the ease and speed of access, with profound effects on research choices, and digital imaging and materiality studies have brought questions about the physical form of written materials to the fore."--

Epigraphic Evidence is an accessible guide to the responsible use of Greek and Latin inscriptions as sources for ancient history. It introduces the types of historical information supplied by inscriptional texts and the methods with which they can be used. It outlines the limitations as well as the advantages of the different types of evidence covered. Epigraphic Evidence includes a general introduction, a guide to the arrangement of the standard corpora inscriptions and individual chapters on local languages and native cultures, epitaphs and the ancient economy amongst others. -- Publisher.

Literary Texts and the Roman Historian focuses on the problems and methods involved in reconstructing the history of the ancient world. David Potter examines the different kinds of text from which Roman history is reconstructed by modern students, and he explores how ancient participants in the literary culture of the Roman empire constructed their own history. In contrast, he also discusses alternative forms of historical narrative, suggesting that those texts were produced to provide alternative paradigms to those offered in the traditional historical narratives. Literary Texts and the Roman Historian provides an accessible and concise introduction to the complexities of Roman historiography which will be invaluable to students of all periods of history.