A companion to late Antiquity /

Companions and handbooks on all manner of subjects in classical studies are in style nowadays, and there must be a market for them, for their numbers continue to increase. This one edited by Rousseau, who is well known in late antiquity studies, follows the usual pattern. It presents 39 essays covering various aspects of the field. The ghost of Edward Gibbon lurks in the background: Clifford Ando's "Narrating Decline and Fall" owes much to his work, and so does Kate Cooper's "Gender and the Fall of Rome." Mark Vessey's outstanding essay on Renaissance views of the end of the ancient world is not the usual sort of contribution to books of this type. Also noteworthy are S. T. Loseby on Mediterranean cities, Eric Rebillard on the rites of death and dying, Malcolm Choat on Egypt in late antiquity, John Vanderspoel on the barbarian kingdoms that occupied the western Empire, Richard Lim on the sacred and the secular in public life, and Neil McLynn on the death of paganism. This companion digests the latest research, and is a worthwhile addition to any reference library. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students/faculty/reference collections. J. A. S. Evans emeritus, University of British Columbia