The Many Faces of War in the Ancient World

The Many Faces of War in the Ancient World PDF

Author: Graham Wrightson

Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing

Published: 2015-09-10

Total Pages: 340

ISBN-13: 1443882402

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This volume on different aspects of warfare and its political implications in the ancient world brings together the works of both established and younger scholars working on a historical period that stretches from the archaic period of Greece to the late Roman Empire. With its focus on cultural and social history, it presents an overview of several current issues concerning the “new” military history. The book contains papers that can be conveniently divided into three parts. Part I is composed of three papers primarily concerned with archaic and classical Greece, though the third covers a wide range and relates the experience of the ancient Greeks to that of soldiers in the modern world – one might even argue that the comparison works in reverse. Part II comprises five papers on warfare in the age of Alexander the Great and on its reception early in the Hellenistic period. These demonstrate that the study of Alexander as a military figure is hardly a well-worn theme, but rather in its relative infancy, whether the approach is the tried and true (and wrongly disparaged) method of Quellenforschung or that of “experiencing war,” something that has recently come into fashion. Part III offers three papers on war in the time of Imperial Rome, particularly on the fringes of the Empire. Covering a wide chronological span, Greek, Macedonian and Roman cultures and various topics, this volume shows the importance and actuality of research on the history of war and the diversity of the approaches to this task, as well as the different angles from which it can be analysed.

The Many Faces of Christ

The Many Faces of Christ PDF

Author: Michele Bacci

Publisher: Reaktion Books

Published: 2014-03-15

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 1780233205

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Thanks to current portrayals of Jesus of Nazareth, we are apt to think of him as having long hair and a short beard. But, the holy scriptures do not describe Christ’s physiognomy, and his representations are inconsistent in early Christian and medieval arts. How did this long-haired archetype come to be accepted in the late ninth century as the standard iconography of the Son of God? To answer this question, The Many Faces of Christ examines the complex historical and cultural dynamics underlying the making and final establishment of Christ’s image between late antiquity and the early Renaissance. Taking into account a broad spectrum of iconographic and textual sources, Michele Bacci describes the process of creating Christ’s image against the backdrop of ancient and biblical conceptions of beauty and physicality as indicators of moral, ascetic, or messianic qualities. He investigates the increasingly dominant role played by visual experience in Christian religious practice, which promoted belief in the existence of ancient documents depicting Christ’s appearance, and he shows how this resulted in the shaping of portrait-like images that were said to be true to life. With glances at analogous progressions in the Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Jain, and Taoist traditions, this beautifully illustrated book will be of interest to specialists of Late Antique, Byzantine, and medieval studies, as well as anyone interested in the shifting, controversial conceptions of the historical figure of Jesus Christ.

The Many Faces of Herod the Great

The Many Faces of Herod the Great PDF

Author: Adam Kolman Marshak

Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing

Published: 2015-04-22

Total Pages: 432

ISBN-13: 0802866050

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An old, bloodthirsty tyrant hears from a group of Magi about the birth of the Messiah, king of the Jews. He vengefully sends his soldiers to Bethlehem with orders to kill all of the baby boys in the town in order to preserve his own throne. For most of the Western world, this is Herod the Great -- an icon of cruelty and evil, the epitome of a tyrant. Adam Kolman Marshak portrays Herod the Great quite differently, however, carefully drawing on historical, archaeological, and literary sources. Marshak shows how Herod successfully ruled over his turbulent kingdom by skillfully interacting with his various audiences -- Roman, Hellenistic, and Judaean -- in myriad ways. Herod was indeed a master in political self-presentation. Marshak's fascinating account chronicles how Herod moved from the bankrupt usurper he was at the beginning of his reign to a wealthy and powerful king who founded a dynasty and brought ancient Judaea to its greatest prominence and prosperity.

Faith in the Face of Empire

Faith in the Face of Empire PDF

Author: RAHEB

Publisher: Orbis Books

Published: 2014-02-10

Total Pages: 128

ISBN-13: 1608334333

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A Palestinian Christian theologian shows how the reality of empire shapes the context of the biblical story, and the ongoing experience of Middle East conflict.

Ukraine's Many Faces

Ukraine's Many Faces PDF

Author: Olena Palko

Publisher: transcript Verlag

Published: 2023-07-31

Total Pages: 403

ISBN-13: 3839466644

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Russia's large-scale invasion on the 24th of February 2022 once again made Ukraine the focus of world media. Behind those headlines remain the complex developments in Ukraine's history, national identity, culture and society. Addressing readers from diverse backgrounds, this volume approaches the history of Ukraine and its people through primary sources, from the early modern period to the present. Each document is followed by an essay written by an expert on the period, and a conversational piece touching on the ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine. In this ground-breaking collection, Ukraine's history is sensitively accounted for by scholars inviting the readers to revisit the country's history and culture. With a foreword by Olesya Khromeychuk.

The Other Faces of the Empire

The Other Faces of the Empire PDF

Author: Firat Yasa

Publisher: Koc University Press

Published: 2022-05-27

Total Pages: 320

ISBN-13: 9786057685681

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Essays illuminate the lives of ordinary people who lived in the Ottoman era. Drawing from centuries-old court records, The Other Faces of Empire traces the lives of "outstage" people in vast empire lands. Each essay in the collection tells the story of an ordinary person navigating the Ottoman Empire. On this journey, we meet colorful and quite extraordinary figures: Deli Şaban, "naughty and haramzade" with his unsuccessful suicide attempts; Divane Hamza, who harassed the people in the village of Evciler in Bursa; Mâryem of Konya, who killed her husbands and buried them in the floor of a room of her house; Alaeddin from Skopje, who was captured by pirates; Nicolò Algarotti, a Venetian broker; and many others. The volume's micro-historical perspective strengthens its place in historiography, and moreover, it updates the historical record by sharing the overlooked stories of "ordinary" people and recording their names in the Ottoman historical literature one by one.

The Many Faces of Political Islam

The Many Faces of Political Islam PDF

Author: Mohammed Ayoob

Publisher: University of Michigan Press

Published: 2009-12-21

Total Pages: 228

ISBN-13: 0472025384

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Analysts and pundits from across the American political spectrum describe Islamic fundamentalism as one of the greatest threats to modern, Western-style democracy. Yet very few non-Muslims would be able to venture an accurate definition of political Islam. Mohammed Ayoob's The Many Faces of Political Islam thoroughly describes the myriad manifestations of this rising ideology and analyzes its impact on global relations. "In this beautifully crafted and utterly compelling book, Mohammed Ayoob accomplishes admirably the difficult task of offering a readily accessible yet nuanced and comprehensive analysis of an issue of enormous political importance. Both students and specialists will learn a great deal from this absolutely first-rate book." ---Peter J. Katzenstein, Walter S. Carpenter, Jr. Professor of International Studies and Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Teaching Fellow, Cornell University "Dr. Ayoob addresses the nuances and complexities of political Islam---be it mainstream, radical, or militant---and offers a road map of the pivotal players and issues that define the movement. There is no one as qualified as Mohammed Ayoob to write a synthesis of various manifestations of political Islam. His complex narrative highlights the changes and shifts that have taken place within the Islamist universe and their implications for internal Muslim politics and relations between the world of Islam and the Christian world." ---Fawaz A. Gerges, Carnegie Scholar, and holds the Christian A. Johnson Chair in International Affairs and Middle Eastern Studies, Sarah Lawrence College "Let's hope that many readers---not only academics but policymakers as well---will use this invaluable book." ---François Burgat, Director, French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and the Institute for Research and Study on the Arab and Muslim World (IREMAM), Aix-en-Provence, France "This is a wonderful, concise book by an accomplished and sophisticated political scientist who nonetheless manages to convey his interpretation of complex issues and movements to even those who have little background on the subject. It is impressive in its clarity, providing a badly needed text on political Islam that's accessible to college students and the general public alike." ---Shibley Telhami, Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development, University of Maryland, and Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution Mohammed Ayoob is University Distinguished Professor of International Relations with a joint appointment in James Madison College and the Department of Political Science at Michigan State University. He is also Coordinator of the Muslim Studies Program at Michigan State University.

America's Many Faces

America's Many Faces PDF

Author: Dario Lisiero

Publisher: Lulu.com

Published: 2014-09-21

Total Pages: 230

ISBN-13: 1312323655

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America is an awesome reality that deserves to be studied in depth in order to discover its most relevant aspects whether they might be thrilling or chilling, energizing or depressing, inspiring or horrifying. Like any other reality under the sky, America is a very complex, intriguing and contradictory entity that cannot be easily encapsulate in a simple definition or seen through common stereotypes. More often than not, the core essence of a nation does not coincide exactly with the perception of its citizens and much less with the image foreigners have formed in their minds. One thing is what a nation proclaims to be and stand for, and another how it operates at home and abroad. One thing is how a nation is depicted and perceived by observers, foreign or domestic, and another how it is in its laws, government and justice system.