Encyclopedia of society and culture in the ancient world ( PDFDrive ) 24

Preface Welcome to the Encyclopedia of Society and Culture in the Ancient World, a four-volume set that provides comprehensive coverage of the ancient world from prehistory through the fall of Rome in 476 c.e For coverage after that point, readers are urged to consult our companion set, the Encyclopedia of Society and Culture in the Medieval World, which covers the period from the fall of Rome to the start of the Renaissance SCOPE AND ARRANGEMENT OF THE SET The Encyclopedia of Society and Culture in the Ancient World contains 69 separate entries, each devoted to a specific cultural or societal topic Of these 69 entries, 14 comprise “major” topics with longer, more in-depth coverage than the standard entries The entries are arranged in alphabetical order by topic; readers may consult the Contents page for a listing of these topics Each entry includes a discussion of the topic from the perspective of the following centers of civilization: • • • • • • • • In addition, we understand that the term Middle East has not traditionally been used to refer to the ancient regions of the Levant (Israel, Jordan, parts of Syria, the Palestinian Authority, and Lebanon), Anatolia (Turkey), Armenia, Persia (Iran), and Mesopotamia (Iraq and parts of Syria) However, some educators and scholars, especially those involved in comparative history, are beginning to adopt the term when discussing this region We decided to use the term Middle East for this encyclopedia in light of that increasing usage ENTRY DETAILS Each entry begins with an introductory essay that outlines the major developments on a given topic in the ancient world Following that introduction are separate essays on the topic from the perspective of the named centers of civilization At the end of the main text of each entry is a list of “see also” references to related entries, followed by a further reading list of books, articles, and Web sites on the topic OTHER ELEMENTS Africa Egypt The Middle East Asia and the Pacific Europe Greece Rome The Americas Readers will note that there is some overlap in this list: Egypt is part of Africa, of course, just as Greece and Rome are part of Europe However, because the civilizations of ancient Egypt, Rome, and Greece are so often studied separately, we decided to treat them as such in this encyclopedia Entries devoted to Europe will thus not discuss Rome and Greece, while those devoted to Africa will not discuss Egypt In addition to the main text, the encyclopedia incorporates sidebars on topics that not fit neatly into the central discussion as well key primary source excerpts scattered throughout the set These primary source documents appear at the end of many entries Our goal in identifying and including these primary sources is to facilitate additional comparative study between cultures on a given topic Readers may consult the List of Primary Source Documents in the front matter for a guide to the individual sources found in the encyclopedia The set also features more than 250 maps and illustrations The front matter lists these maps and illustrations Aside from detailing the maps, illustrations, and primary source documents, the front matter includes a section about the set’s advisers and contributors and a general introduction xxiii