From Hellenism to Islam Cultural and Linguistic Change in the Roman Near East [Hardcover]

This book considers how languages, peoples and cultures in the Near East interacted over the millennium between Alexander and Muhammad.The eight hundred years between the Roman and Islamic conquests witnessed a rich, constantly evolving blend of linguistic, legal and religious systems in the Near East. This volume considers the relationships among the diverse cultures of the region, and how they affected each other during this period.The eight hundred years between the Roman and Islamic conquests witnessed a rich, constantly evolving blend of linguistic, legal and religious systems in the Near East. This volume considers the relationships among the diverse cultures of the region, and how they affected each other during this period.The eight hundred years between the first Roman conquests and the conquest of Islam saw a rich, constantly shifting blend of languages and writing systems, legal structures, religious practices and beliefs in the Near East. While the different ethnic groups and cultural forms often clashed with each other, adaptation was as much a characteristic of the region as conflict. This volume, emphasizing the inscriptions in many languages from the Near East, brings together mutually informative studies by scholars in diverse fields. Together, they reveal how the different languages, peoples and cultures interacted, competed with, tried to ignore or were influenced by each other, and how their relationships evolved over time. It will be of great value to those interested in Greek and Roman history, Jewish history and Near Eastern studies.Introduction Fergus Millar; Part I. The Language of Power: Latin in the Roman Near East: 1. The presence, role and significance of Latin in the epigraphy and culture of the Roman Near East Werner Eck; 2. Latin in cities of the Roman Near East Benjamin Isaac; Part II. Social and Legal Institutions as Reflected in the Documentary Evidence: 3. Euergetism in Josephus and the epigraphic culture of first-century Jerusalel“'