Ancient views on the unity of humankind have usually been studied from the perspective of philosophy, most notably the Stoic idea of the cosmopolis. In this refreshing volume, R. opens up new perspectives on ancient cosmopolitanism by examining some of its incarnations not only in philosophical thought but also in texts more readily identified with historiography (Herodotus and Philostratus' Life of Apollonius) and rhetoric (Isocrates, Dio Chrysostom, Aelius Aristides and Lucian). The work's coverage of times and contexts is extensive but finds unity by focussing first and foremost on Greek literature written in the early imperial era and by approaching it from the angle of Classical Reception Studies: authors from this era are shown to use and reinterpret late classical Athenian texts and ideas on community to build new definitions of the human community in a time of empire. The book's argument proceeds in two steps: Chapters 1–3 examine attempts by Athenian intellectuals of the late-fifth and fourth centuries to redefine the Greek community in the wake of changing political and social realities, while Chapters 4–6 address the efforts of various representatives of the Second Sophistic to negotiate a new cosmopolitan cultural space based on late classical models.

R.'s broad coverage of authors and texts across two periods brings forth a number of interesting insights. First among them is the continual concern of late classical and early imperial cosmopolitanism with notions of kinship. While intellectuals such as Zeno reacted against definitions of communities based on ties of kinship, others were more enterprising in adapting the language of kinship and ethnicity to the cosmopolitan discourse. In this respect, R.'s close reading of Isocrates' vision of Hellenic unity in Pan. 50 (pp. 105–6) is particularly instructive and reveals a definition of Greekness much narrower than is usually thought, being dependent on non-Athenians adopting Athenian paideia and on Athenians keeping their ethnicity intact. Centuries later, Aristides also used kin ties between Athens and Ionia to construe Ionians (and himself) as part of Greece, a cultural community given cohesion by the ethnic purity of its centre, Athens.

Also insightful is R.'s examination of the rise and function of Atticism as a marker of identity during the Second Sophistic, and as a model for the unity of the world (Chapter 4). Atticism is so familiar to anyone reading Greek imperial literature that we tend to forget, as R. rightly points out, that there was no consensus about what pure Attic speech was, which opened many opportunities for authors to position themselves in relation to Hellenism and indeed to define Hellenism itself. Particularly welcome is R.'s reading of Lucian's texts featuring Syrians, which have too often been used by scholars as clues to Lucian's self-identity, but which R. more helpfully approaches as literary creations undermining concepts of ethnicity and showcasing literary and linguistic Atticism as markers of true Greekness.

Thanks to its double focus on late classical Athens and the early Roman empire, this study vividly documents Greek efforts to work out ideas of cosmopolitanism and community through a close reading of late classical texts. Unfortunately, this clarity of argument comes at the price of coverage, and two major strands of cosmopolitan thought are left unexamined, albeit intentionally: Hellenistic authors after Zeno and Latin authors (aside from the Roman Stoics). This downplays the Second Sophistic's indebtedness to ideas and models developed by Hellenistic authors, from Apollonius' pan-Hellenic poetic world to the universalising scholarship of Dionysius of Halicarnassus and Strabo. A closer examination of Latin authors may offer interesting points of contact with the authors discussed by R. and would also reveal meaningful appropriations and reformulations of classical ecumenical ideas.

One of the great virtues of R.'s book is to examine together literary, philosophical, social and political developments, all phenomena that have traditionally been considered separately. While keeping his focus on the texts themselves, R. draws new connections between ideas of community and their wider political and philosophical contexts. This is particularly true of R.'s re-evaluation of Zeno's cosmopolitan ideas which now appear as a continuation and elaboration of earlier philosophical considerations on the Athenian community rather than a fresh departure. However, given that half of this study focusses on Greek intellectuals writing at a time of empire, the ideology, actions and impact of the Roman government and senatorial elites is strangely absent from R.'s considerations (aside from remarks on Aristides). The power structures created by the Roman administration and the ongoing competition for prestige and patronage in the early centuries a.d. had more impact on intellectuals' quest for identity and community than this literary analysis suggests.

This complex and stimulating book breathes life into old questions and sheds new light on deceptively familiar texts. R.'s study will be of interest to a wide range of scholars, from those interested in classical and Hellenistic philosophy to readers of Greek imperial literature and theorists of ancient identities. Even those working in fields such as Latin literature or Christian studies should find plenty of methodological and contextual inspiration.