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In The Ancient World, Letter-writing Not Only Forged Connections Between Individuals, But Also Helped To Construct And Cultivate Group-identities And Communities. This Volume Explores The Interrelation Of Epistolary Communication And Socio-political Practice Across Four Key Cultural Configurations: Greece, Rome, Judaism, And Christianity. Introduction / Paola Ceccarelli, Lutz Doering, Thorsten Fögen, And Ingo Gildenhard -- Part A: Theory And Practice Of Epistolary Communication. 1. Ancient Approaches To Letter-writing And The Configuration Of Communities Through Epistles / Thorsten Fögen -- 2. Couriers And Conventions In Cicero's Epostolary Network / Bianca-jeanette Schröder -- Part B: Configurations Of Power And Epistolary Communication: From Greece To Rome. 3. Tyrants, Letters, And Legitimacy / Sian Lewis -- 4. Powers In Dialogue: The Letters And Diagrammata Of Macedonian Kings To Local Communities / Manuela Mari -- 5. Letters And Decrees: Diplomatic Protocols In The Hellenistic Period / Paola Ceccarelli -- 6. Letters, Diplomacy, And The Roman Conquest Of Greece / Robin Osborne -- 7. A Republic In Letters: Epistolary Communities In Cicero's Correspondence, 49-44 Bce / Ingo Gildenhard -- Part C: Letters And Communities In Ancient Judaism And Early Christianity. 8. The Literacy And Ideological Character Of The Letters In Ezra 4-7 / Sebastian Grätz -- 9. 'from Me, Jerusalem, The Holy City, To You Alexandria In Egypt, My Sister...' (bavli Sanhedrin 107b): The Role Of Letters In Power Relations Between 'centre' And 'periphery' In Judaism In The Hellenistic, Roman, And Early Islamic Periods / Philip Alexander -- 10. Configuring Addressee Communities In Ancient Jewish Letters: The Case Of The Epistle Of Baruch (2 Baruch 78-86) / Lutz Doering -- 11. The Letters Of Paul And The Construction Of Early Christian Networks / John M. G. Barclay -- 12. The Communities Configured In The Letter Of James / Karl-wilhelm Niebuhr -- Part D: Envoi. 13. Conversing With The Absent, Co
This volume investigates how the practice of ancient letter-writing functioned as a critical mechanism for constructing and maintaining socio-political identities and community structures. The editors, a team of scholars including Ingo Gildenhard and Lutz Doering, curate a collection of essays that analyze the intersection of communication technology and power dynamics. By examining primary source correspondence across Greek, Roman, Jewish, and Christian contexts, the contributors argue that letters were not merely personal exchanges but strategic tools for political legitimacy and network formation.
What You Will Find
Scope Limits
Scholars in the field of classics and ancient history recognize this work as a significant contribution to the study of ancient communication networks. The text is noted for its academic rigor and its ability to synthesize complex socio-political theories with detailed historical analysis.
Page Count:
384
Publication Date:
2018-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press,
ISBN-10:
0192526227
ISBN-13:
9780192526229
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