BRAUND, D., and J. WILKINS, (ed.),
Athenaeus and his World. Reading Greek Culture in the Roman Empire.
University of Exeter Press, Exeter, 2000. XXII,625p. Hard bound.
'It would perhaps be facile to compare this volume's size and wide-ranging contents to the encyclopaedic nature of its subject, but the conference which gave rise to it (at Exeter in 1998) must indeed have been a great gathering of scholars with an impressive array of specialisms. The editors' main aim is 'to encourage a more sympathetic approach to Athenaeus and his works' (p. 2) in their own right rather than merely as a source to be mined (a frequently employed metaphor in this volume) for fragments. They highlight two particular claims which emerge as important for the whole collection: first, that Athenaeus can inform us about his own period as well as the past; second, that the 'Deipnosophistae' is the work of an author of some artistic intention and skill, not just a haphazard compiler (p. 2). Many of the contributors make a good case for one of these claims either explicitly or through the diverse Athenaean interests they communicate here. Other chapters appropriately pursue more individual aims, including (rightly) some more traditional mining. The resulting collection is bound to contain items of interest and relevance to all classicists and ancient historians.
The volume's forty-one chapters are divided into seven sections, based broadly on their methods and approaches to Athenaeus; those interested in particular themes in the 'Deipnosophistae' will therefore want to browse the contents of several sections. Fortunately this is made easy by the editors' introductory remarks to each section, which summarise each chapter's main arguments as well as defining its place within the section and in Athenaean scholarship. These remarks provide valuable orientation in a collection of this scope. (...) This volume's many and diverse papers refer to every aspect of Athenaean scholarship and collectively take it to new levels: as such it must be the starting-point for anyone new to the Deipnosophistae and is likewise essential to those familiar with it. Individually, the contributions fulfil their respective roles - challenging old views and suggesting new approaches, or creating and analysing useful collections of quotations or parallels.' (OWEN HODKINSON in Scholia Reviews, 13 (2004), 35). From the library of the late Prof. W. Geoffrey Arnott.
€ 59.50
(Antiquarian)