A Social and Cultural History of the Hellenistic World

Book excerpt: Uncovers historical significance and meaning in stories of real people living in the Hellenistic world A Social and Cultural History of the Hellenistic World offers a rich and vivid account of the real people who lived in the Hellenistic period, their communities, and their experiences of life. Bringing together diverse sources of ancient evidence, this unique textbook considers everyday Hellenistic people in their own context, rather than focusing on the elites, royals, and other significant figures of the period. Gillian Ramsey Neugebauer covers both well-studied areas of ancient Greek culture and rarely discussed aspects of daily life in the Hellenistic world. Reader-friendly chapters explore topics such as food, clothing, daily technology, housing, travel, working life, slavery, education, temple economies, and more. Detailed and personal stories offer fresh insights into the fascinating circumstances faced by the diverse populations living in the Mediterranean region, the Balkans, around the Black Sea, across North Africa, and into the Near East throughout classical antiquity. Assuming only minimal background knowledge of the subject, A Social and Cultural History of the Hellenistic World: Brings places, overlooked people, and aspects of ancient life into the foreground Revisits traditional topics from an original perspective Draws from a wide range of ancient sources, including untranslated textual evidence Explores the history of Hellenistic women in each chapter Describes the different interpretive methods historians use to analyze various types of evidence Contains numerous figures and photographs, full references, definitions of key terms, and further readings A Social and Cultural History of the Hellenistic World is an excellent textbook for undergraduate and graduate courses in Ancient History or Classical Studies programs, particularly those dedicated to Hellenistic history.