Examination of Plutarch’s usages, especially in the biography of Alexander, shows that he qualifies some matters as “reported” (λέγεται, “is said...”) not in order to cast doubt on the information but to assure the reader that he found it in…

The history of the Greek and Arabic tracts of Theodore (died ca 820) concerning Islam and the contributions of his purported student John are clarified by study of the manuscript tradition and of Georgian witnesses: a number of the Greek…

Episodes of destruction of crops by armies in classical Greece suggest that this was a more effective weapon, and used more systematically, than has been thought.

An Anatolian background to the story of Alexander and the Gordian knot can be seen in the role played in Hittite myths and rituals by colored threads, called mit(t)a, a word which also evokes the Phrygian dynastic name Midas/Mita.

The description of the decorated bowl, and the shepherd’s song that follows, invite imaginative participation on the part of the poem's audience, with the effect of emphasizing the fictive qualities of both works of art.

The “beneficial tales” contained in various Christian tracts of the IV-VII centuries offer a number of scenes of magical practices, suggesting the ways in which these were perceived in the popular culture of late antiquity.

The chorus of women in Lysistrata exploit both myth and rhetoric in their cause when they invoke Timon, whom other sources show to be not a misanthrope but an outsider and rule-breaker.

Comparison of how Paul and Justin Martyr invoke miracle-working in their appeals to authority suggests their divergent goals, reflecting a shift in emphasis from support of personal authority to support of the larger Christian apologetic mission.

Philostratus’ account of Apollonius’ journey to India can be shown, especially from its geographical details, to contain a mixture of historical fact and literary fiction, with the fictional elements increasing when Apollonius passes beyond Roman territory.

At the Sixth Ecumenical Council (A.D. 680), conflicting assessments of texts were argued, and these debates, documented in the acts of the council, illuminate theories of authenticity and authorship in late antique Christianity.