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According to its nature, Blackwell’s Companion to the Hellenistic and Roman Near East will function as a reference work which cannot of course claim comprehensiveness. Neither does it aim at definitiveness; it rather makes clear the state of knowledge at present, pays attention to the imbalance in spread of evidence in general and to the nature of the sources bearing on specific questions and issues in particular, and points toward possible directions for further exploration. No doubt other editors would have chosen to lay accents slightly differently in their choice of chapters, but the current division of this volume adheres to general usefulness and accessibility in terms of the teaching of the subject matter, while also responding to some of the most exciting developments in the study of the Hellenistic and Roman Near East. Following this introduction and a historical overview (ssss1), there are three parts, subdivided into thirty-six chapters: part I treats the main textual and a variety of non-textual sources; part II deals with selected regions, places, and peoples; part III is thematically subdivided. Some overlap has, quite naturally, been unavoidable, but rather than being mere repetitiveness this takes the form of variegated approaches to the relevant sources, places, and themes. Some chapters focus more on the earlier period, others more on the later centuries. Some places (e.g. Hierapolis) or regions (e.g. the Hauran) will be touched upon in chapters in parts I or III rather than having a chapter devoted to them in part II.