The Colloquia of the Hermeneumata Pseudodositheana

New edition, first ever translation and ground-breaking study of three ancient depictions of daily life in the Roman Empire.

Eleanor Dickey (Edited by)

9781107020108, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 1 November 2012

285 pages, 23 b/w illus. 12 tables
28.6 x 21.5 x 1.9 cm, 1 kg

'This will surely be the definitive edition of these texts for the foreseeable future.' The Times Literary Supplement

The Colloquia are manuals written to help ancient Greeks and Romans get around in each other's languages; they contain examples of how to conduct activities like shopping, banking, visiting friends, hosting parties, taking oaths, winning lawsuits, using the public baths, having fights, making excuses and going to school. They thus offer a unique glimpse of daily life in the Early Roman Empire and are an important resource for understanding ancient culture. They have, however, been unjustly neglected because until now there has not been any modern editions of the texts, no translations into any modern language, and little understanding of what the Colloquia are and where they come from. This book makes the Colloquia accessible for the first time by combining a new edition, translation and commentary with a ground-breaking, comprehensive study of their origins. It is clearly written and will interest students, non-specialists and professional scholars alike.

1. Introduction
2. Colloquia Monacensia-Einsidlensia (ME)
3. Colloquium Leidense-Stephani (LS)
4. Colloquium Stephani (S)
5. Appendix: comparison of capitula sections
Bibliography
Concordance with earlier editions
Index.

Subject Areas: Classical history / classical civilisation [HBLA1], Ancient history: to c 500 CE [HBLA], Literary studies: classical, early & medieval [DSBB], Historical & comparative linguistics [CFF]