De Gruyter Brill Ancient Studies

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De Gruyter Brill Ancient Studies

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We focus on the study of the history, art, archaeology, language, literature, science, philosophy and religion of the civilizations of the ancient Mediterranean, especially the Graeco-Roman world, and its neighbors including Ancient Near East and Egypt.

21/09/2026

📚 Recently published!

"Argo Crossing: Studies in Apollonius Rhodius' Argonautica and Its Reception", edited by Alastair Daly, Lisa Doyle, and Jeremy Lam.

This volume takes Apollonius' Hellenistic epic as its focal point, exploring the poem's rich afterlife in other literary traditions, offering both fresh reconsiderations of established topics—such as the characterisation of Medea and the alleged quarrel with Callimachus—as well as new interpretations, informed by the latest scholarship in the field. The final part of the book takes us beyond antiquity to explore the reception of the poem in early modern European literature.

A wide-ranging overview of current scholarship on the Argonautica and its reception, with an eye to future trends in the field.

📗 https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783111386041/html

14/09/2026

Themistius (317–389), orator and philosopher, is a key figure in the collection and reworking of classical philosophical sources for a non-specialist yet cultivated audience, and a central figure in the transmission of Ancient Philosophy to later eras. He set himself the goal of presenting Aristotle’s doctrines in a simplified manner, helping to shape the way Greek philosophy could be received across different linguistic and religious contexts.

📗 The recently published Themistius and the Power of Words, edited by Elisa Coda, brings together studies on his thought as well as on the impact of his ideas in Arabic- and Latin-speaking areas. Particular attention is given to his work as both an orator and an Aristotelian scholar, as well as to his philosophical interpretations and ‘original’ developments, considered against the background of the intellectual transformations of Late Antiquity.

Learn more about the book:
https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783111653853/html

02/09/2026

Last Wednesday we had the great pleasure of attending the presentation of Sergio Basso’s "Dynamics of Transmission of ›Barlaam and Ioasaph‹" at the 25th International Congress of Byzantine Studies in Vienna.

As Charis Messis beautifully highlighted in his introduction, one of the book’s most important methodological insights lies in the exploration of how stories travel across cultures: how they are reshaped, adapted, and reinvented along the way. The main interest of this study goes far beyond the history of a single narrative. Barlaam et Ioasaph becomes a striking example of medieval globalisation, bringing together India, Persia, the Arab world, Syria, Georgia and Byzantium in a single narrative continuum.

Warmest congratulations to Sergio Basso on this remarkable book and on a wonderful presentation!

21/08/2026

If you are in Vienna for the 25th International Congress of Byzantine Studies next week, join our author Sergio Basso for the presentation of "Dynamics of Transmission of Barlaam and Ioasaph – Along the Silk Road to Byzantium".

He will be joined in the conversation by Paolo Cesaretti and Charis Messis.

📅 26 August, 2:15–3:15 pm

📍 University of Vienna, Main Building, SR 4

See you there!

https://www.degruyterbrill.com/de/document/doi/10.1515/9783112243169/html

Universität Wien

20/08/2026

Good news for Augustinian scholars! The latest volume of the Corpus Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum Latinorum (CSEL 94/3) has just been published. This fourth volume of the "media quinquagena" of Augustine’s "Enarrationes in Psalmos", edited by Lukas J. Dorfbauer, contains his expositions of Psalms 81–90.

The introduction offers an account of the manuscript tradition and examines Augustine’s use of the Psalter. Each Enarratio is accompanied by information on its dating and location, the scriptural readings associated with it, and a reconstruction of the text of the psalm on which Augustine was commenting.

https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783112226346/html

14/08/2026

“A book is a loaded gun in the house next door. Burn it.”
Can a book be dangerous? Judging from the words of Captain Beatty in Fahrenheit 451, one would say yes. And of course, the danger lies not in the object itself, but in its content. Yet in what sense? Dangerous to whom, when, and why?

The papers collected in this volume shed further light on the dangers posed by books and on the reactions they elicited by focusing on Latin texts from antiquity to the Modern Age.
Taken together, they broaden horizons by going beyond official notions of canons, expurgation, and book-burning, and taking the notion of danger and the use of the Latin language as their only necessary criteria.

You can read this Open Acess publication for free... at your own risk! 😉

https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783112225837/html

12/08/2026

This evening, across Europe, the sun will disappear for a moment. Astronomy tells us why, yet Ovid gives us another reason: Apollo has fallen in love with Leucothoe, and love makes him turn pale:

« deficis interdum, vitiumque in lumina mentis
transit, et obscurus mortalia pectora terres.
nec tibi quod lunae terris propioris imago
obstiterit, palles; facit hunc amor iste colorem. »

— Ovid, Metamorphoses IV.200-203.

We certainly prefer Ovid’s explanation, and perhaps this is the perfect occasion to dust off your copy of the "Metamorphoses" and rediscover this extraordinary masterpiece:

https://www.degruyterbrill.com/de/document/doi/10.1515/9783110470291/html

Either way, we hope you enjoy the spectacle this evening... and don’t forget to protect your eyes!

06/08/2026

We are pleased to announce the publication of "Brill’s Companion to the Reception of Dido: The Queen of Carthage before, in, and after Vergil", edited by Zara M. Torlone and Giampiero Scafoglio.

The volume brings together contributions from senior and junior scholars to examine the figure of Dido within and beyond Vergil’s "Aeneid". The collection offers new perspectives on Dido’s historicity, her reception and continuing significance in Western literature.

This volume represents an important contribution to Classical Reception scholarship, while also offering an engaging introduction to one of antiquity’s most influential literary figures.

https://brill.com/display/title/74739

05/08/2026

Every year, the Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften invites the public to vote for the Latin Word of the Year. In 2024, the title went to 'retotatototato', an onomatopoeic word imitating the sound of a wind instrument. Last year's winner was 'rhonchissātor', a snorer.

Curious, like us, to find out what the Latin Word of 2026 will be? Will the "trumpet trend" continue?
Place your bets! The next winner is already hiding among the entries of the newly published fascicles of the Thesaurus Linguae Latinae, Vol. XI:

• Fascicle XIII: robustus – rugio
https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/isbn/9783111625065/html
• Fascicle XIV: rugio – ryt-
https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/isbn/9783112222867/html

🎺The fascicles are already available in print paperback edition, with 40% off during the Summer Sale!

04/08/2026

🪲 A Bug's Life... in the past.
📗 "Microhistories Retold: Insects in the Premodern World", edited by Przemysław Marciniak, examines how insects were observed, interpreted and represented in the literature, thought, and cultural practices of Classical Antiquity and the Middle Ages, while also expanding beyond the Western tradition to explore other cultural spheres, such as China and Egypt.

The book is available Open Access, read it here for free! ⬇
https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783111426112/html

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https://www.degruyterbrill.com/publishing/subjects/classical-ancient-near-eastern-egyptian-studies

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