"Universal History" is a type of history that attempts to explain the world beyond the immediate surroundings of the author. It reflects a desire to synthesise the mass of written and oral knowledge about the past and to introduce a systematic interpretation. The purpose of this collection is to re-examine the notion of Universal Historiography with a focus on its appearance in the Greek and Roman world and on the legacy that ancient authors offered to later generations. Fifteen new essays by a diverse set of international scholars tackle questions of definition, and illustrate the diversity of its forms, structures, themes and analyses. The collection explores the historical and intellectual contexts which gave rise to universalist thought, and its reputation and reception in antiquity and beyond. This book will appeal to those interested in Graeco-Roman historiography, and those with an interest in the Arabic, Early Christian and modern reception of ancient historiography.

Author Biography

Contributors: Errietta Bissa (University of Wales, Lampeter); Tim Cornell (University of Manchester); Allegra de Laurentiis (State University of New York at Stony Brook); Marco Di Branco (University of Basilicata); Jackie Elliott (University of Colorado at Boulder); Johannes Engels (University of Cologne), John Farrenkopf (Wofford College, Spartanburg, South Carolina), Andrew Fear (University of Manchester); Marta Garcia Morcillo (University of Leicester); Francois Hartog (Aecole des hautes etudes en sciences sociales, Paris); Peter Liddel (University of Manchester); Clemence Schultze (University of Durham); Brian Sheridan (National University of Ireland, Maynooth), Peter Van Nuffelen (University of Exeter); Liv Yarrow (Brooklyn College, City University of New York).