"Sophocles and the Language of Tragedy" by Simon Goldhill, Oxford University Press 2012

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Ancient Greek tragedy recreated throughout the modern world has captured audiences repeatedly. Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides works survived intact to be studied by a multitude of scholars over the years. Sophocles was one of the great Ancient Greek Tragedians who has been examined by scholars. Simon Goldhill’s Sophocles and the Language of Tragedy does not just add to the abundance of monographs written about Sophocles, it stands in the upper echelon of scholarly work on tragedy by one of the foremost experts.

Simon Goldhill is part of the Classics department at Cambridge University, where he is the Director of Studies in Classics at Kings College. Dr. Goldhill’s work is part of Oxford University Press’ Onassis Series in Hellenic Culture. The Onassis Foundation sponsors the Onassis Series in Hellenic Culture by  Oxford University Press. The Onassis Foundation helps spread knowledge through the United States and Canada about Hellenic culture.

“Princes and Territories in Medieval Germany” by Benjamin Arnold, Cambridge University Press 2003

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Medieval Germany, more commonly referred to as the Holy Roman Empire,  is an exciting region during the Middle Ages. The Holy Roman Empire first received its name from the time Charlemagne, also known as Charles the Great or Karl der Gross, was crowned Holy Roman Emperor from the Church. Medieval Germany consisted of an extravagant  number of nobles ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Medieval Germany scholarly works are hard to come by since most, understandably, are published in German not English. 

Princes and Territories in Medieval Germany by Benjamin Arnold is an interesting and fundamental work for any enthusiastic party yearning to learn about Medieval Germany. Dr. Arnold is emeritus professor of history at The University of Reading. Dr. Arnold's fantastic work on medieval Germany illustrates a major question about pre-modern Germany's political history: why did a plethora of states and territories emerge at the close of the Middle Ages instead of a “nation state” under a crown? Modern day neighbors of Germany emerged from the Middle Ages as nation states under their respective crowns including Spain, France, England and the Dutch. Dr. Arnold explains Germany's detour to its present day state with a look at the different German nobles and relationships each noble class had with their king and the Church. Do not be misled by the title of this monograph. The book dives into Medieval Germany and it does not list the princes and their respected territories. 

“Roman Women” by Eve D’Ambra, Cambridge University Press 2007

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Ancient Rome engulfs any person interested in learning about one of the greatest civilizations in antiquity. One specialized area of study includes how women in ancient Rome lived. Studying women in Ancient Rome is an unwieldy subject from the plethora of sources and examples from multiple classes including aristocratic, lower and servant classes. The most accessible studies that are undertaken examine women of noble or aristocratic status in Rome. Finding interesting and engaging studies on everyday life of Roman women can be hard to find, though the subject is increasing with more published works.

The Cambridge University Press series about the Introduction to Roman Civilization has some of the best introductory work on the market for any enthused reader on Ancient Rome.  The published work titled Roman Women  brings an unwieldy subject to fit into anyone's hands by studying the mundane and less exciting aspects of life for women in Ancient Rome.