Steve Mason

My general field of research is the Eastern Mediterranean under Hellenistic and Roman rule. Within this area my special interests are in Judaea, its relations with its immediate neighbours in Syria, points east, and Egypt, its uniquely large and widespread expatriate [diaspora] communities, and Jewish-Christian-Roman relations until late antiquity. I have written books and articles on understanding Flavius Josephus' works (our principal source for much of this) and on aspects of Judaean (e.g., Pharisees, Essenes) and ancient life (elite social-political discourse, historiography, rhetoric, 'publication'). My most recent book, A History of the Jewish-Roman War, 66 to 74, should appear with Cambridge University Press in early 2016. I continue to edit the international project, in an expected 16 volumes, Flavius Josephus: Translation and Commentary (Brill, 2000-), of which seven volumes have appeared, and to write volumes for the series (so far Life of Josephus and Judean War 2; planning War 4). My online database called the Project on Ancient Cultural Interaction (pace-ancient.mcmaster.ca) is still in Canada, though I hope to bring it to Groningen soon.

As a member of the budding Flavian Literature Network, my interests include central Roman history and especially the Flavian period. More broadly, work on ancient inter-ethnic relations and conflicts is leading me to put together a research project on Human Rights, Realism, and Religion in Antiquity.