Dictionary of Ancient History

Book Overview

This major dictionary provides a comprehensive, yet concise, guide to all features of the ancient world, including campaigns and battles; personalities and institutions; Greek and Latin authors, and the themes of their work; major deities and religious practices and festivals; philosophers, scientists and mathematicians. Beginning in 776 BC - when the first Olympic Games were held - and ending with the fall of the Roman Empire in the West in AD 476, the Dictionary is a compendium of current knowledge of the Greco-Roman world, containing entries on the people and events the cradle of Western civilization. Greek and Roman history; literature; art and architecture; philosophy, science and mathematics; society and economics - all are included and described in accessible detail by the team of specialist contributors. Designed to complement Pierre Grimal's Concise Dictionary of Classical Mythology (Blackwell, 1990), the Dictionary is an essential companion for all those interested in classical studies, whether as students or general readers.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0631180699
• ISBN13: 9780631180692
• Release Date: March 1994
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
• Length: 768 Pages
• Weight: 2.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.5" x 2.5" x 6.5"

Customer Reviews

Great quick, simple guide

When I just want to quickly check a fact or double check my spelling or even give my students a simple explanation, I find this dictionary to be very very useful. It needs to be updated to reflect the most current research but since it is really just a "quick reference guide" I think it serves its purpose well. It includes lists of ancient sources that mention each entry, the works connected to the mentioned person, and brief reference to some of the scholars' whose research was used in writing this guide. Some basic institutions and terms attempt to balance out the names of people and places. There are several good maps in the Appendices but these aren't very big so you'll want a much better altas. As I said, a glance at the bibliography shows that newer research needs to be included. For the price though it is a good buy.