Lived Realities of Ancient History

Edited by Ryan Denson and Charlotte Spence

(University of Exeter)

As with all human societies, the peoples of the ancient Mediterranean were enmeshed in a multiplicity of cultural ideas and historically contingent beliefs. Such ideological constructs (whether religious, folkloric, philosophical, or other beliefs) fundamentally moulded how the individuals of antiquity perceived the reality of the world around them.

This series aims to advance our knowledge of the lives of individuals in the ancient Mediterranean (broadly conceived) by exploring the cultural and historical factors that shaped their perception of reality. We used ‘lived’ in this sense to refer to the common phenomenon that one’s personal beliefs are deemed to comport to reality itself, being felt to be as ‘real’ as the natural world. This builds upon recent trends in the field of ancient history to emphasize the plurality of lived experiences within ancient societies, frequently resulting in contradictory visions of reality. This series primarily focuses on the ancient Greek and Roman worlds, but also welcomes submissions on ancient societies from across the globe to encourage a comparative study of ancient lives. 

How to submit a proposal

We invite proposals for edited collections or monographs on topics related to the lived experiences of individuals in the ancient world. Topics may include but are not limited to: 

• Lived realities influenced by religious, mythological, or folkloric ideas, such as the Gnostic belief in the flawed nature of the material world
• Perceptions of the world shaped by personal religion and magic, such as apocalyptic convictions, or the power of curses and counter-curses to influence reality
• Lived realities as evidenced by material culture, such as personalized amulets, apotropaic objects, or objects with political resonance such as coinage
• Influences of environment, be that architecture, urban, or rural settings, upon the lives of ancient individuals 
• Influences of philosophical ideologies, such as Pliny the Elder’s Stoic belief that Nature exists as a divine force
• Perceptions and projections of lived realities through the creation of sculpture
• Interactions with and reactions to literature

To send us a proposal, please email the series editors at R.Denson@exeter.ac.uk and C.Spence2@exeter.ac.uk and CC publishing@trivent-publishing.eu.

See the webpage of the series here: https://trivent-publishing.eu/103-lived-realities-in-ancient-history 

We are looking forward to talking about your book ideas!