ABSTRACT
Cognitive theory or cognitive science is the interdisciplinary investigation of the human mind and human behaviour that encompasses several fields of study including psychology, philosophy, linguistics, anthropology, archaeology, neuroscience, artificial intelligence, and robotics. In the past two decades many scholars in the humanities have begun to profitably apply cognitive theories to their work in a diverse range of subject areas such as literature, performance, theatre studies, visual arts, music, history, and cultural studies. Cognitive theories are now being applied to the study of the ancient Greek and Roman worlds and the time is ripe for a collected volume that seeks to offer a snapshot of current work being undertaken in this relatively new sub-field in classical studies. This book, the first of its kind in this area, is not intended to be exhaustive, nor can it include all those currently working with cognitive theory and ancient material. Rather it is intended to offer something of a cross-section of this emerging field as it develops, as well as to act as a basic introduction to the subject, and to encourage further dissemination and development of what we consider an exciting new way to examine antiquity.
