The Oxford Handbook of Pre-Roman Italy-nurbook

The Oxford Handbook of Pre-Roman Italy book cover

The Oxford Handbook of Pre-Roman Italy

Author(s): Jane Botsford Johnson Marco Maiuro (Editor), Marco Maiuro

Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication Date: February 27, 2024
Language: English
Print length: 882 pages
ISBN-10: 0199987890
ISBN-13: 9780199987894

Book Description

The Oxford Handbook of Pre-Roman Italy gives a comprehensive account of the peoples who lived on the Italian peninsula during the last millennium BCE. Most people have heard of the Etruscans, but there were many other fascinating civilizations, including the Celts and the Samnites, who inhabited the region at this time. This was an age that began with the rise of urbanism, was marked by the flourishing of diverse and politically sophisticated communities, and ended with the political and cultural unification of the peninsula under Roman rule. The region did not have a single overarching identity, but rather was characterized by a constantly changing pattern of intercultural exchange and communication.

Written by more than fifty authors, this book describes the diversity of these indigenous cultures, their languages, interactions, and reciprocal influences. It gives special emphasis to Greek colonization, the rise of aristocracies, technological innovations, and the spread of literacy, which provided the urban texture that shaped the history of the peninsula in this period. In addition to offering in-depth treatments of the peoples and cultures, it also focuses on the events and factors that played a mediating role in Italy’s history.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“The volume offers an excellent overview of pre-Roman Italy, both for the less experienced reader who wishes to approach the subject and for the more expert one who will find in the various contributions an up-to-date treatment and extensive bibliographical references.” — Bryn Mawr Classical Review

“The authors, all experts in their subject, offer valuable information regardless of the reader. That makes this a successful handbook.” — Emma Blake, The Classical Review

“The volume edited by Maiuro and Johnson stands as a major scholarly achievement. It can be read as a cohesive and structured manual, offering accessible entry points into the complex history of Italy in the first millennium BCE. At the same time, it provides a dynamic and innovative synthesis, rooted in up-to-date research and framed by a long-term perspective that traces the deep local roots of Italic cultures.” — Marco Bettelli, GNOMON

About the Author

Marco Maiuro is Professor of Roman History at Sapienza, University of Rome, and an Ordinary Member of the Academia Europea; he specializes in and has published extensively on the social and economic history of the Mediterranean.

Jane Botsford Johnson is a professional editor and translator, specializing in ancient Mediterranean history. She is a general trustee of the Archaeological Institute of America.

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