Myth, History and Culture in Republican Rome

Reviews / Votes

Some of these essays are . . . quite radical in their implications. Many are provocative. All are valuable. It is good to be reminded that so many different roads can lead us back to the Romans. * Bryn Mawr Classical Review * The quality of these essays, . . . eloquent testimony to what TPW has done to enliven and invigorate Roman studies over the last thirty years. * Scripta Classica Israelica, Vol. XXII * A striking feature of this collection is the extent to which all the contributions demonstrate an indebtedness to the person in whose honour they were presented. Professor T.P. Wiseman's 'presence' permeates these essays and gives them a coherence which is usually impossible to achieve in the case of most Festschriften... This is indeed a rich collection of scholarly articles, many of which employ instances of the bold - yet plausible - conjecture that is exemplified by much of Wiseman's work. * Scholia Reviews, Vol. 13 * An all-star team has gathered to pay tribute to the work of Peter Wiseman in this impressive collection of papers... the various contributions come together for a result that is much like Wiseman's scholarship: a blend of historiography, literature and thought practised in excellent fashion which does much to advance our knowledge of Roman culture... In sum, these papers are a fitting tribute to Peter Wiseman's work. Many of the authors have interacted directly with his scholarship, some in opposition to well known theories. Yet even those who have not done so owe a clear debt to the dedicatee, for they all support and attempt to emulate the kind of interdisciplinarity which marks Wiseman's publications. This should not be taken for granted. There was far greater specialization and patrolling of the disciplinary boundaries at the commencement of Wiseman's academic career. Points were at times scored rather easily against (say) a historian who strayed leaden-footed into the world of literature, or into the world of a particular writer, and failed to appreciate the nuances of extract lifted clumsily out of context. It needed scholars of Wiseman's learning and personality to break this mould and inspire others to emulate them. There can be little doubt that he is a pioneer and that the study of Roman culture is much the better for his example and leadership. In fact, we have to think in broad holistic terms of 'culture' when we read him. * Prudentia * We have here thirteen solid and stimulating papers from some of the brightest stars in the firmament of Roman studies, as well as an informative introduction by the editors... The editors, both highly respected scholars at Exeter, have done their work carefully, and the book is handsomely produced, with a striking reproduction of a detail from a fourth century B.C. bronze cista on its cover, clear illustrations and maps, and helpful indices. The content, however, is the most important thing; the individual essays run the gamut of Roman studies from the beginning to the end of the republican period... Every college and university library should own it, and everyone interested in Roman history, myth, and culture would profit from reading it. * New England Classical Journal, Vol. 31, No. 2 * This is a delightful and important book... The book is handsomely produced and bound. The editors have done a splendid job... It should, therefore, be read by any JACT member who genuinely cares about Roman studies. Another ideal gift.
Joint Association of Classical Teachers, (JACT), Issue 34 * (JACT), Issue 34 *