Turning, Telling Moments in the Classical Political World examines developments in the classical political world which are both turning and telling moments. All the moments_from Theseus's founding of Athens to Augustus's establishment of the Principate_possess the double character of being turning points and revealing fundamental aspects of the ancient political world. While most books on ancient history are chiefly concerned with questions of literary sources and historical accuracy, this book deals with the significance of the facts and reports themselves. Blits treats the ancient histories as works of reflection rather than works of research. Instead of focusing on whether, or how, the ancient historians meet the professional standards of present-day historiography, Blits reveals the way they themselves understand-and intend us to understand-the ancient world.

Jan H. Blits is professor of political science and international relations at the University of Delaware and author of New Heaven, New Earth: Shakespeare's Antony and CleopatraI, Spirit, Soul, and City: Shakespeare's Coriolanus, The Soul of Athens: Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Deadly Thought: Hamlet and the Human Soul, The Insufficiency of Virtue: Macbeth and the Natural Order, The End of the Ancient Republic: Essays on Julius Caesar, and The American University: Problems, Prospects, and Trends.

1 Foreword2 1. Athens and Rome: Plutarch's Theseus and Romulus3 2. Redeeming Lost Honor: Shakespeare's Rape of Lucrece4 3. The End of the Noble5 4. No Middle Way, No Second Way: Rome and the Caudine Forks6 5. The Politics of Authority and Rhetoric in Republican Rome7 6. Political Murder in Rome8 7. Power without Office, Office without Power: Augustus's Principate9 Afterword: Greece versus Rome10 Appendix: Greece and Rome Timeline11 About the Author