This book considers how languages, peoples and cultures in the Near East interacted over the millennium between Alexander and Muhammad.

Introduction Fergus Millar; Part I. The Language of Power: Latin in the Roman Near East: 1. The presence, role and significance of Latin in the epigraphy and culture of the Roman Near East Werner Eck; 2. Latin in cities of the Roman Near East Benjamin Isaac; Part II. Social and Legal Institutions as Reflected in the Documentary Evidence: 3. Euergetism in Josephus and the epigraphic culture of first-century Jerusalem Seth Schwartz; 4. Legal and social status of threptoi and related categories in narrative and documentary sources Marijana Ricl; 5. Ritual performances of divine justice: the epigraphy of confession, atonement, and exaltation in Roman Asia Minor Angelos Chaniotis; 6. Continuity of Nabataean law in the Petra papyri: a methodological exercise Hannah M. Cotton; Part III. The Epigraphic Language of Religion: 7. 'Languages' and religion in second-fourth century Palestine. In search of the impact of Rome Nicole Belayche; 8. The epigraphic habit and the Jewish diasporas of Asia Minor and Syria Walter Ameling; 9. Religion and language in Dura-Europos Ted Kaizer; Part IV. Linguistic Metamorphoses and Continuity of Cultures: 10. On the margins of culture: the practice of transcription in the ancient world Jonathan Price and Shlomo Naeh; 11. Edessene Syriac inscriptions in late antique Syria Sebastian Brock; 12. Samaritan writing and writings Dan Barag; 13. The Jewish magical tradition from late antique Palestine to the Cairo Geniza Gideon Bohak; Part V. Greek into Arabic: 14. The Nabataean connection of the Benei Hezir Axel Knauf; 15. Greek inscriptions in transition from the Byzantine to the early Islamic period Leah Di Segni; 16. Arab kings, Arab tribes and the beginnings of Arab historical memory in late Roman epigraphy Robert Hoyland; 17. Greek, Coptic, and the 'language of the Hijra': rise and decline of the Coptic language in late antique and medieval Egypt Sebastian Richter; 18. 'What remains behind': Hellenism and Romanitas in Christian Egypt after the Arab conquest Arietta Papaconstantinou.