Blackwell-Bristol Lectures on Greece, Rome and the Classical Tradition

Why Plato Wrote argues that Plato was not only the world's first systematic political philosopher, but also the western world's first think-tank activist and message man. • Shows that Plato wrote to change Athenian society and thereby transform Athenian politics • Offers accessible discussions of Plato's philosophy of language and political theory • Selected by Choice as an Outstanding Academic Title for 2011

“Tales of the Barbarians” traces the creation of new mythologies in the wake of Roman expansion westward to the Atlantic, and offers the first application of modern ethnographic theory to ancient material. • Investigates the connections between empire and knowledge at the turn of the millennia, and the creation of new histories in the Roman West • Explores how ancient geography, local histories and the stories of wandering heroes were woven together by Greek scholars and local experts • Offers a fresh perspective by examining passages from ancient writers in a new light

“Dionysus Resurrected” analyzes the global resurgence since the late 1960s of Euripides' The Bacchae. By analyzing and contextualizing these modern day performances, the author reveals striking parallels between transformational events taking place during the era of the play's revival and events within the play itself. • Puts forward a lively discussion of the parallels between transformational events during the era of the play's revival and events within the play itself • The first comparative study to analyse and contextualize performances of The Bacchae that took place between 1968 and 2009 from the United States, Africa, Latin America, Europe and Asia • Argues that presentations of the play not only represent liminal states but also transfer the spectators into such states • Contends that the play's reflection on various stages of globalization render the tragedy a contemporary play • Establishes the importance of The Bacchae within Euripides' work as the only extant tragedy in which the god Dionysus himself appears, not just as a character but as the protagonist