Need help choosing Greek/Roman authors

[Mudhammam]

So I have two more books ready for brief review. The first is James B. Pritchard's Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament with Supplement. For a long time this book has been the definitive compilation of ancient near eastern texts such as those by the Sumerians, Egyptians, Akkadians, Hittites, etc., and it's very easy to understand why. This volume is like walking through a museum with a tour guide, the commentary is typically brisk but crucially helpful. There are hundreds of ancient documents from epics and myths, to law, to wisdom literature, letters, histories, proverbs---and much more. It's a great reference book as well, including an index of biblical verses that either find parallel or in some way relate to the (usually) older texts. However, out of sheer curiosity I had to read every single one from start to finish---a monumental task that you will feel proud to have accomplished. Most of the material comes from the second millennium though there are a number of documents both older and younger, mostly up until the New Babylonian empire under the Medes and then the Persians. Creation myths that predate Genesis and involve many of the same plot elements: there. Numerous Flood stories: there. The predecessors to the Cain-Able fable: there. Job-motifs? Done. Egyptian and Babylonian psalms and proverbs that read like the best in the Bible? You'll find it here. The Code of Hammurabi and other barbaric laws that read exactly like the Torah? There (btw, the Hittite code was by far the most pacifistic, seemingly with an aversion to the death penalty and handling most criminal matters with financial restitution, contrary to the claim that the Old Testament law was an improvement over their neighbors, though many of them are certainly just as cruel). The oldest mention of Israel---and the only one found in ancient Egyptian documents---the so-called "Israel Stela," which dates to approximately 1206 B.C.E. is also here. There's also a memorable siege of Jerusalem written by the Babylonians that is also chronicled in the Old Testament, and watching both sides believe their God has victory in store is amusing. This book literally has everything...well that's where we come to the downside:

This book was originally published in the 50s, and then updated in the 70s, which is the latest version. Apparently there are newer books on the market as there undoubtedly have been important finds in the past 40 years. I haven't looked at them or their prices, but you might want to, as this Pritchard version---considered a classic by scholars---is $75 used on Amazon. I paid about $120 for it. Still, it was worth every penny and is an essential text to the student of religion, history, theology, and even, I might suggest philosophy.
5/5

The other book I just completed about an hour ago contains Aristophane's plays Clouds, Wasps, and Peace, and is translated by Jeffry Henderson. Other people online apparently thought highly of Henderson's version, and though I only compared it to one other translation, it seemed superior...like edgier. And I get the sense that the spirit of Aristophanes' work was edgy in a way that this translation preserves. All the plays are enjoyable, and laugh-out-loud hilarious, but I think my favorite was Clouds, if only because I got to witness a portrayal of Socrates in stark contrast to the one in Plato's work, which at one point (in the Apology) refers to Aristophane's play as one of the reasons public perception turned against Socrates. I think I am able to see how Socrates was viewed by the public versus his own student, and yet there is undoubtedly convergence: Socrates is still a figure that employs "The Better Argument" and "The Worse Argument" in ways that "corrupt the youth" by making them question essential traditional values, on top of his irreverence for the gods by questioning "What is the beautiful, the just, the good?" Of course, Socrates is made to be a star-gazing philosopher in the mold of a Thales or a Democritus, which is not at all his concern in Plato's dialogues. I'm convinced that I will have to read Xenophon's Memoirs of Socrates now.

Aristophane's also makes quite a lot of use of vulgar (note: potty) humor but it works here. I have to recommend it to anyone who's interest likes in classic literature.
4/5

Next I'm going on to Thucydides' The Peloponnesian War, translated by Steven Lattimore. After that I have about 500 more pages in Plato: Complete Works and then I'd like to wrap this era up. That means I need to order more books. This is what I plan to order next week:

Xenophon - Memorabilia. What translation?
Aristotle - Nicomachian Ethics. What translation?
2 other works by Aristotle. Metaphysics? Politics? What else? Translations?

Thanks guys! You've been a big help already!