The Science of Roman History: Biology, Climate, and the Future of the Past

Description

How the latest cutting-edge science offers a fuller picture of life in Rome and antiquity This groundbreaking book provides the first comprehensive look at how the latest advances in the sciences are transforming our understanding of ancient Roman history. Walter Scheidel brings together leading historians, anthropologists, and geneticists at th

Walter Scheidel is the Dickason Professor in the Humanities, Professor of Classics and History, and a Kennedy-Grossman Fellow in Human Biology at Stanford University. He is the author or editor of seventeen previous books, including The Great Leveler: Violence and the History of Inequality from the Stone Age to the Twenty-First Century (Princeton).

"This is a fabulous introduction to a wide range of techniques, and provides numerous fascinating insights into life in the Roman period."---Hella Eckardt, Current World Archaeology "This book shows that the study of the ancient Roman world is no exception to the enormous contribution that science has long been making to our understanding of the ancient past." * New Testament Abstracts * "This book makes a superb introduction to the subject."---Peter Jones, Classics for All Reviews "[This] is a volume not just useful but capable of simultaneous entertainment and inspiration."---James Corke Webster, Greece and Rome "[This] volume is an important contribution not only to the historiography of the Roman Empire but also to the broad spectrum of scientific disciplines attempting to understand the past in general."---Tomas Glomb, Journal of Cognitive Historiography "This volume brings together many of the key players in these various fields. The writing is uniformly excellent and it is sufficiently well illustrated. It represents a good overview of the state of the field and provides a clear explanation of the various techniques and disciplines covered and their potential."---Ben Russell, Journal of Greek Archaeology "[The Science of Roman History] captivates the reader with its monumentality and ambition."---Csaba Szabo, Journal of Ancient History and Archaeology