Product Description

'offers not only that breakfast for the mind we keep hearing about, but lunch, tea, dinner, supper and non-stop snacks' Peter Green, Washington Times (reviewing the third edition). For almost half a century The Oxford Classical Dictionary has been regarded as the unrivalled one-volume reference work on all aspects of the Graeco-Roman world. As an authoritative reference to all there is to know about the ancients, the third edition of the Dictionary, published in 1996, has firmly maintained that position, taking into account the huge expansion in the scholarship and scope of classical studies. The value of the Dictionary in terms of factual detail is immense. It provides both scholars and non-specialists with a comprehensive source of reference which aims to answer all their questions about the classical world. In over 6,200 entries written by the very best of classical scholars from all over the world the Dictionary provides coverage of Greek and Roman history, literature, myth, religion, linguistics, philosophy, law, science, art and archaeology, and topics in near eastern studies, and late antiquity. The approach is interdisciplinary: all areas, regions, and cultures are represented beyond the core areas of Greece and Rome. As well as providing factual information the Dictionary contains many thematic entries, on subjects relevant to the 21st century such as nationalism, race, and ecology. The text is written in an accessible style and all Latin and Greek words have been translated. For this revised edition, the two editors Simon Hornblower and Antony Spawforth have made numerous small corrections and updates throughout, to make an outstanding work even better. The Dictionary covers: politics, government, economy - from political figures to political systems, terms and practices, histories of major states and empires, economic theory, agriculture, artisans and industry, trade and markets religion and mythology - deities and mythological creatures, beliefs and rituals, sanctuaries and sacred buildings, astrology and magic law and philosophy - from biographies of lawgivers and lawyers to legal terms and procedures, from major and minor philosophers to philosophical schools, terms, and concepts science and geography - scientists and scientific theory and practice, doctors and medicine, climate and landscape, natural disasters, regions and islands, cities and settlements, communications languages, literature, art, and architecture - languages and dialects, writers and literary terms and genres, orators and rhetorical theory and practice, drama and performance, art, painters and sculptors, architects, buildings and materials archaeology and historical writing - amphorae and pottery, shipwrecks and cemeteries, historians, and Greek and Roman historiography military history - generals, arms and armour, famous battles, attitudes to warfare social history, sex, and gender - women and the family, kinship, peasants and slaves, attitudes to sexuality

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #30121 in Books
• Published on: 2003-03-27
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 1704 pages

About the Author
Simon Hornblower is Professor of Classics and Ancient History, University College London. He is the author and editor of many books (see books by the same author).

Customer Reviews

Essential but flawed
Browsing this book is an excellent experience. Articles vary in length, but provide a good overview in most cases; they also provide further reading on each individual topic.

The price is hefty, but worth it - collecting a series a books covering the breadth of information covered here would be far more expensive. It is not limited to the 'Golden Age', but covers developments in late antiquity - most articles take a historical overview of their topic, not just a snapshot. As an example: the article on the mythical figure of Oedipus does not review the well-known story as given by Sophocles' "Oedipous Tyrannos", but ealier and later versions of the story too.

The fault lies less in the content than in the organisation. If you are looking up a historical or literary figure, then it is fine, but working out what heading a particular topic can be found is an extremely frustrating process. Trying to second-guess an editor seems a pointless exercise; when even a "Thomson Directory" provides a cross-referencing index, how can omitting one here be justified?

In conclusion, this is an excellent resource; but at this price, it feels a little too skimped on production values.

A Must for Classics Students
I've been interested in Ancient Greece and Rome ever since I was a child (Which wasn't that long ago), but I have never done a formal degree in the Classics. If I had studied the subject then I would have found this book invaluable.

It's basically a series of very short essays that cover every aspect of the Classical World, from politics and biography to literature; military; science and philosophy; art; food and drink; economy; law; geography; mythology; religion and social history. It also provides information on archaeological topics.

The book mentions virtually everything about the Classical period. For instance, if you were to pick the book up and look through the 'C' section, you'd find on the first few pages topics such as Cabiri, Cacus, Cadmus, Caecilia Attica, Caecilia Metella (1), Caecilia Metella(2) and so on.

Every topic is written by an expert on the subject, and a short bibliography is given at the end of every entry so that you can check up on their sources.

Some entries have more space dedicated to them than others. For instance Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar and Plato will often have biographies that run for several pages. A lot of space is also dedicated to language, literature and science.

The only fault I find with the book is that the Late Antique period is not given as much attention as Classical Greece and Rome. I tried to find information on the Scholae Palatina but I couldn't find an entry. Oddly, the Comitatenses do get an entry though, but the Scholae aren't mentioned under that section.

The newest version of the book now comes with a list of new entries, a guide to the area advisors and an index to the intials of the contributors.

At 1,640 pages long, this a very large and heavy tome. The entries are written in very small print, so it could be a strain on your eyes if you have bad eye-sight. No illustrations or photographs are provided in the book.

Overall, if you are serious about the Classical World, you will find this book an absolute treasure. It might be expensive but I think it is worth every penny. Highly Recommended!

Excellent
Excellent, simply excellent. I'm an undergraduate, and I use it every single day. It is the best starting point for research into most topics in ancient history.
Oh, Dr. Mark Taylor: this is not the Oxford Dictionary of the Classical World. That is a different book. And Alkaios is just as important as Sappho, albeit from from a political perspective rather than a social one.