Pantomime -- dances which told stories -- fired the imagination of the ancient world. In the Roman Empire, dancers were superstar entertainers who wildly excited the audience with their brilliantly expressive and worryingly sexy performances. And as the Roman Empire moved into the Christian Empire, the full force of moral disapproval was brought to bear on the physical display of the dancing body. Demons and Dancers is a superb introduction to this extraordinary story.
   --Simon Goldhill, author of Jerusalem: City of Longing

Ruth Webb is Honorary Research Fellow, Birkbeck College London, and Professeur Associée, Université Paris 10.