Ancient Cultures of Civil War

This academic volume delves into the complex cultural dynamics of civil war in the ancient world, examining the polarising factors, violent disintegration, and potential for reconciliation that shaped Mediterranean cultures in Greek and Roman antiquity. With an interdisciplinary approach, the book explores the social, political, economic, and ideological determinants of civil war, and its long-term reverberations on ancient societies. Through investigation of civil wars, the book reveals the cohesive forces and disintegrative potentials of societies, promoting a deeper understanding of the preconditions, processes, and implications of internal conflict and conflict resolution in antiquity. This joint effort by an international team of scholars builds on recent trends in scholarship, taking an integrated approach to examine ancient civil war from cross-cultural and inter-epochal perspectives. As a result, the book offers a fresh survey of violent inner conflict in the Greek and Roman world, providing an invaluable resource for comprehending the complexities and profound effects of civil war on ancient societies.

Johannes Wienand, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany; Henning Börm, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany; Carsten Hjort Lange, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark.