Valerie M. Hope

Anastasia Bakogianni

War as Spectacle examines the display of armed conflict in classical antiquity and its impact in the modern world. The contributors address the following questions: how and why was war conceptualized as a spectacle in our surviving ancient Greek and Latin sources? How has this view of war been adapted in post-classical contexts and to what purpose? This collection of essays engages with the motif of war as spectacle through a variety of theoretical and methodological pathways and frameworks. They include the investigation of the portrayal of armed conflict in ancient Greek and Latin Literature, History and Material Culture, as well as the reception of these ancient narratives and models in later periods in a variety of media. The collection also investigates how classical models contribute to contemporary debates about modern wars, including the interrogation of propaganda and news coverage. Embracing an interdisciplinary approach to the study of ancient warfare and its impact, the volume looks at a variety of angles and perspectives, including visual display and its exploitation for political capital, the function of internal and external audiences, ideology and propaganda and the commentary on war made possible by modern media. The reception of the theme in other cultures and eras demonstrates its continued relevance and the way antiquity is used to justify as well as to critique later conflicts.

Ancient and Modern Perspectives on the Display of Armed Conflict

War as Spectacle

"The sources include literary evidence such as poetry, letters and philosophy, as well as epitaphs and other inscriptions, along with visual material of, in particular, funerary monuments and cemeteries." "This varied evidence collectively builds a vivid picture of how people died, were buried, commemorated and remembered, and what the living believed happened to the dead after they were gone." "Topics covered include the deathbed, making a will, memory promotion, the funeral, the cemetery, funerary monuments, mourning rituals, expressions of grief and afterlife beliefs."--BOOK JACKET.

A Source Book

Death in Ancient Rome

An original study of the role and rituals of death in Roman civilization. >

The Dying and the Dead in Ancient Rome

Roman Death

Eireann Marshall

First Published in 2004. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Death and Disease in the Ancient City

Janet Huskinson

Death is a life crisis; a time of change and transformation, for the dead and the bereaved. Thus how dying, death and death rituals are used, described, presented and interpreted is fundamental to any society. This volume includes ten chapters, from expert contributors, which explore funerary rituals and commemoration in the Roman world, focusing upon the themes of memory and mourning. How were the memories of the dead constructed and contested; what role did funerals, oratory-and history, writing play in the names of the dead; how Were the dead mourned and commemorated? This volume challenges boundaries between traditional academic disciplines and utilizes current approaches in Scholarship. It-highlights how death was interwoven with Roman life and brings together diverse evidence such is poetry, oratory, portraiture, epigraphy, and funerary monuments. These chapters individually and collectively demonstrate the significance of studying the evidence for Roman death and death rituals, and how concerns for memory and mourning both shaped and were reflected in that evidence.

Valerie M. Hope

Books

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