The Oxford Handbook of the Hellenistic and Roman Near East

The Near East during the Hellenistic and Roman periods has been studied for centuries. This Handbook includes fifty chapters written by experts from a variety of disciplines: archaeology (including classical, near eastern, and Islamic), ancient history, anthropology, art history, data and network science, epigraphy, and historiography. Together, these chapters shed a fresh light on the vast regions that made up Hellenistic and later Roman Syria and the Near East. The material and written evidence from the region is considered side-by-side with historical sources as well as scientific data coming out of archaeological science and network science, and shows how new knowledge about the region can be brought to the forefront of current literature on the subject. The dynamic, volatile, diverse, and culturally rich regions that this volume focuses on have left an abundant cultural heritage--and in many places these regions are under constant threat. In this Handbook, knowledge about the newest research on a myriad of these regions, sites, and locations is highlighted together with overviews of the centuries-long history of research. The Handbook is essential for students, scholars, and the archaeologically-inclined reader, and constitutes the definitive collection of current research in the field.