This book was originally conceived as a monograph. But I quickly realized that, despite my best ambitions, I would need help to cover this topic to its fullest extent. Therefore, when Lee Brice and Jessica Clark approached me with the possibility of contributing a volume to the Warfare in the Ancient Mediterranean World series, I quickly jumped at the chance to provide my big idea with a home. We have been programmed as a society to speak about “courage and cowardice” as a standard dichotomy of values: one can either possess one or the other, but not both. However, it seemed to me that this dialogue had become too simplistic. Not only did the topic deserve reconsideration in its Greco-Roman context (including myth, philosophy, historiography, poetry, and material culture), but also in the context of Ancient Near Eastern societies and cultures. My collaborators – many of whom are dear friends – agreed, and this volume, first conceived in 2021, became a reality.
I am indebted to many people, not least of all the brilliant contributors to this volume, who all worked tirelessly to bring this piece to fruition. I am very grateful for the international conversations that took place while writing and editing this book, including those at Brill’s first annual WAMW conference in Amsterdam in the Fall of 2024, and in the process of editorial and peer review. Loyola University Chicago’s book subvention grant generously provided monetary aid for the indexing of this work; furthermore, the introduction also benefited greatly from discussion with colleagues in the Premodern Working Group at Loyola. I would also like to thank my former student and friend, Brooke McArdle, without whose aid (in indexing, editing, and moral support) much of my work – not least, this volume – would be impossible. My husband Jason deserves a dedicated panegyric for supporting me through yet another difficult project; unfortunately, I lack the poetic facility to do him any proper justice. Finally, without Lee Brice’s incredible patience and mentorship, this book would never have come to fruition. I am eternally grateful to him for the opportunities that his mentorship and friendship have opened for me in the last several years.
May 2025