Posidonius: Volume 3, The Translation of the Fragments

A translation of the fragmentary writings of the Hellenistic polymath, Posidonius.

Posidonius (Author), I. G. Kidd (Edited by)

9780521622585, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 4 March 1999

432 pages
22.3 x 14.7 x 3 cm, 0.62 kg

"Kidd, academia's preeminent authority on Posidonius, advances his reputation still further with this translation...The introduction alone makes the book worth owning, but this volume delivers much more...The translation is a valuable tool to anyone interested in Posidonius, Stoicism, and the intellectual life of the first century.

Posidonius was a major intellectual figure of the Hellenistic world whose interests and contribution spread over the whole intellectual field: philosophy, history, the sciences. His writings are of interest not only to philosophers and classicists, but also to historians and history of science. His work survives only in fragments. The text of these fragments, collected and edited by L. Edelstein and I. G. Kidd, was published in 1972 (Vol. I The Fragments), with a second edition in 1989. This collection, along with Vol. II The Commentary by I.G. Kidd (1988), has become established as the definitive modern edition. However, many of the fragments are extremely difficult to translate, and this volume of translations has been compiled to make this interesting material more easily accessible to scholars and students. The translations are accompanied by contextual introductions and explanatory notes where necessary. An Introduction summarises the importance of Posidonius and his work.

Part I. Testimonia: Life and influence
Characteristics of Posidonius' philosophy
Doubtful testimonies
Part II. Fragments and Titles of Named Books: Physics
Ethics
Logic
Sciences and history
Doubtful fragments
Part III. Fragments Not Assigned to Books: Divisions and Content of Philosophy
Physics
Ethics
Logic
Sciences
History
History of philosophy
Miscellaneous
Indices.

Subject Areas: History of science [PDX], Mathematics & science [P], Western philosophy: Ancient, to c 500 [HPCA]