The papers assembled in this volume, which were originally presented at a conference at the University of Wrocław, Poland, in October 2015, all face the challenge of defining the Alexander Romance. Some focus on quite specific topics while others address more overarching themes. They form a cohesive set of approaches to the delicate positioning of the text between history and literature.

This book deals with the early development of Śaivism in ancient Dakṣiṇa Kosala. The following research questions were formulated: what circumstances fostered the rise and development of Śaivism in this area, and did the Skandapurāṇa, an important and contemporaneous religious scripture, play any role in that development?

Recent discussions about food safety and an awareness of vanishing traditions have resulted in an increasing interest in traditional foods and food heritage. The Digital atlas of traditional food made from cereals and milk explores the traditional food products that could have been made by transitional hunter-gatherers and the early farmers in south-west Asia by examining the traditional foods still being made today.