Maiuro Marco, Johnson Jane B. (eds.) The Oxford Handbook of Pre-Roman Italy (1000-49 BCE)

Oxford University Press, 2024. — 880 p.- Gives a rare account of the many centers of civilization that flourished in Italy in the last millennium BCE
- Provides an in-depth description of the cultures, languages, and reciprocal influences of the diverse peoples living on the Italian peninsula before the Roman Empire
- An invaluable resource for those studying Iron Age history, classical studies, archaeology, comparative linguistics, and philologyThe Oxford Handbook of Pre-Roman Italy gives a comprehensive account of the peoples who lived on the Italian peninsula during the last millennium BCE. Most people have heard of the Etruscans, but there were many other fascinating civilizations, including the Celts and the Samnites, who inhabited the region at this time. This was an age that began with the rise of urbanism, was marked by the flourishing of diverse and politically sophisticated communities, and ended with the political and cultural unification of the peninsula under Roman rule. The region did not have a single overarching identity, but rather was characterized by a constantly changing pattern of intercultural exchange and communication.Written by more than fifty authors, this book describes the diversity of these indigenous cultures, their languages, interactions, and reciprocal influences. It gives special emphasis to Greek colonization, the rise of aristocracies, technological innovations, and the spread of literacy, which provided the urban texture that shaped the history of the peninsula in this period. In addition to offering in-depth treatments of the peoples and cultures, it also focuses on the events and factors that played a mediating role in Italy's history.Contributors: Paula Piana Agostinetti, Petra Amann, Peter Attema, Enrico Benelli, Maria Cristina Biella, Anna Maria Bietti Sestieri, Larissa Bonfante, Stéphane Bourdin, Loredana Capuis, Gabriele Cifani, Francesco De Angelis, Olivier de Cazanove, Nancy T. de Grummond, Stefania De Vio, Emmanuel Dupraz, Ingrid Edlund-Berry, Carmen Esposito, Giuseppe Garbati, Bianca Maria Giannattasio, Claudio Giardino, Maurizio Gualtieri, Maurizio Harari, William V. Harries, Cornelia Isler-Kerényi, Adriano La Regina, Enzo Lippolis, Elio Lo Cascio, Adriano Maggiani, Gesine Manuwald, Clemente Marconi, Daniele Federico Maras, Franco Marzatico, Mauro Menichetti, Daniele Miano, Alessandro Naso, Massimiliano Papini, Paolo Poccetti, Annalisa Polosa, Gary Reger, Nathan Rosenstein, Roman Roth, Federico Santangelo, Shirley J. Schwarz, Jan Sevink, Christopher Smith, Simon Stoddart, Gianluca Tagliamonte, Elena Tassi Scandone, Athena Tsingarida, Anthony Tuck, Gilles van Heems, Rex Wallace.Marco Maiuro is Professor of Roman History at Sapienza, University of Rome, and an Ordinary Member of the Academia Europea; he specializes in and has published extensively on the social and economic history of the Mediterranean.Jane Botsford Johnson is a professional editor and translator, specializing in ancient Mediterranean history. She is a general trustee of the Archaeological Institute of America.