Bücher der Reihe Cambridge Greek and Latin Classics

Introduction and commentary designed for advanced students. Written for the most part after the success of the Thebaid, the Silvae present a dialogue between the life of court politics and that of cultured withdrawal, delicately and allusively exploring the competing values of courtly service and private life.

Cicero's De Oratore is one of the masterpieces of Latin prose. A literary dialogue in the Greek tradition, it was written in 55 BCE in the midst of political turmoil at Rome, but reports a discussion 'concerning the (ideal) orator' that supposedly took place in 90 BCE, just before an earlier crisis. Cicero features eminent orators and statesmen of the past as participants in this discussion, presenting competing views on many topics. This edition of Book III is the first since 1893 to provide a Latin text and full introduction and commentary in English. It is intended to help advanced students and others interested in Roman literature to comprehend the grammar and appreciate the stylistic nuances of Cicero's Latin, to trace the historical, literary, and theoretical background of the topics addressed, and to interpret Book III in relation to the rest of De Oratore and to Cicero's other works.

Plutarch's essay 'How to Study Poetry' offers a set of reading practices intended to remove the potential damage that poetry can do to the moral health of young readers. It opens a window on to a world of ancient education and scholarship which can seem rather alien to those brought up in the highly sophisticated world of modern literary theory and criticism. The full Introduction and Commentary, by two of the world's leading scholars in the field, trace the origins and intellectual affiliations of Plutarch's method and fully illustrate the background to each of his examples. As such this book may serve as an introduction to the whole subject of ancient reading practices and literary criticism. The Commentary also pays particular attention to grammar, syntax and style, and sets this essay within the context of Plutarch's thought and writing more generally.

The sixth book of the Iliad includes the exchanges between Diomedes and Glaucus, and Hector and Hecuba, Paris, Helen and Andromache. The Commentary, which is suitable for undergraduates at all levels, discusses points of morphology, syntax, and prosody, and there is a comprehensive Introduction, including a section on reception.

For eight centuries after his death Menander was the third most popular poet in the Greek-speaking world, and his plays, through Roman imitations and adaptations, engendered a tradition of European light drama that extends to our own day. But it is only since 1844 that some of the actual texts of Menander's plays have been rediscovered, mostly in Egyptian papyri. Two of these have given us four-fifths of the script of Samia (The Woman from Samos), a play of deception and misunderstanding in which a marriage that everyone desires almost fails to happen, two women and a baby are almost ruined, and a loving father almost loses his only son, because the people at home and the people abroad have both been doing things behind each other's backs - but somehow everything ends happily after all. This is the first full-scale edition with English commentary and is suitable for upper-level students.

Terence's Hecyra raises social, literary and theatrical issues of great interest to modern students of Roman comedy and, indeed, of Roman culture more broadly. The play pays strikingly close attention to the domestic problems of women and experiments boldly with traditional comic forms, not only in its creation of anticipatory suspense, but through its variations on traditional situations and roles and its metatheatrical qualities. In addition, Terence's response in his prologues to the play's two putative failures is important, if tendentious, evidence for the mechanics of theatrical performance in the second century, especially the conjunction of theatrical and gladiatorial shows. This edition opens the play's many interpretive challenges to wider scrutiny while remaining attentive to the linguistic needs of students at all levels.

One of the most important works of history in Western literature, by the freshest and liveliest of all classical Greek prose authors, Herodotus's Histories is also a key text for the study of ancient Greece and the Persian Empire. Covering a central and widely studied period of Greek history, Book V not only describes the revolt of the east Greeks against their Persian masters, which led to the great Persian Wars of 490-479 BC, but also provides fascinating material about the mainland Greek states in the sixth century BC. This is an up-to-date edition of and commentary on the Greek text of the book, providing extensive help with the Greek, basic historical information and clear maps, as well as lucid and insightful historical and literary interpretation of the text. The volume is suitable for advanced undergraduates, graduate students, teachers and scholars.

Pliny the Younger's nine-book Epistles is a masterpiece of Roman prose. Often mined as a historical and pedagogical sourcebook, this collection of 'private' letters is now finding recognition as a rich and rewarding work in its own right. The second book is a typically varied yet taut suite of miniatures, including among its twenty letters the trial of Marius Priscus and Pliny's famous portrait of his Laurentine villa. This edition, the first to address a complete book of Epistles in over a century, presents a Latin text together with an introduction and commentary intended for students, teachers and scholars. With clear linguistic explanations and full literary analysis, it invites readers to a fresh appreciation of Pliny's lettered art.

When Ovid, already renowned for his love poetry, the Metamorphoses and other works, was exiled by Augustus to Tomis on the Black Sea in AD 8, he continued to write. After five books of Tristia, he composed a collection of verse letters, the Epistulae ex Ponto, in which he appeals to his friends and supporters in Rome, lamenting his lot and begging for their help in mitigating it. In these epistolary elegies his inventiveness flourishes no less than before and his imaginative self-fashioning is as ingenious and engaging as ever, although in a minor key. This commentary on Book I assists intermediate and advanced students in understanding Ovid's language and style, while guiding them in the appreciation of his poetic art. The introduction examines the literary background of the Epistulae ex Ponto, their relation to Ovid's earlier works, and their special interest and appeal to readers of Augustan poetry.

Juvenal's sixth Satire is a masterpiece of comic hyperbole, an outrageous rant against women and marriage which, in its breadth and density, represents the high point of the misogynistic literature of classical antiquity. The Introduction situates Juvenal within the wider tradition of Roman satire, interrogates afresh the poem's architecture and recurrent themes, shows how Juvenal systematically attributes to his monstrous women the inverse of the Roman wife's canonical virtues, traces the various literary currents which infuse the Satire, and lastly addresses the much-discussed issue of the poetic voice or persona from a sociohistorical as well as a theoretical perspective. Above all, the commentary strives to locate Juvenal in his historical, literary and cultural context, while simultaneously affording assistance with the nuts and bolts of the Latin, and always keeping in view two key questions: what was Juvenal's purpose in writing the Satire? How seriously was it meant to be taken?

The first commentary in English on the Agricola for almost half a century. Particular attention is paid to the understanding of Tacitus' Latin, but a whole range of generic, historical, textual and narrative topics is covered; it will be suitable for advanced undergraduates and graduate students as well as scholars.

Valerius Flaccus' Argonautica is one of the most significant surviving works of Flavian epic, which has recently become much more popular as a field of study and teaching in Latin literature. This is the first commentary in English directly tailored to the needs of graduate and advanced undergraduate students. It provides an introduction to the major themes of the poem and the structure and content of Book III in particular which can function as an overview of the key features of Flavian epic. The detailed commentary on Book III discusses linguistic issues, intertextual and mythical allusions and thematic strands. The book consists of two major episodes in the adventures of Jason and the Argonauts which can be read together or independently of each other.

A new interpretation of the most widely read play of Euripides from antiquity to the Renaissance. This edition offers new textual suggestions, and gives detailed guidance on problems of language and literary interpretation. It will be useful for upper-level undergraduates and graduate students, as well as being of interest to scholars.

New text and full commentary for one of Herodotus' most varied books, covering the collapse of the Ionian Revolt and the glorious victory at Marathon, as well as court intrigue at Sparta, Kleomenes' grisly death, and Hippokleides' 'dancing away his marriage'. Suitable for undergraduate and graduate students, teachers and scholars.

New text and full commentary for one of Herodotus' most varied books, covering the collapse of the Ionian Revolt and the glorious victory at Marathon, as well as court intrigue at Sparta, Kleomenes' grisly death, and Hippokleides' 'dancing away his marriage'. Suitable for undergraduate and graduate students, teachers and scholars.

Unlocks the difficulties and complexities of this challenging yet popular text for students and instructors alike, making Tacitus' Latin more accessible than ever. The introduction and the commentary elucidate the cultural and historical context of the work and the literary artistry of the author.

An up-to-date commentary on a pivotal section of Xenophon's Anabasis aimed at undergraduates. Advanced students and scholars will profit from its incorporation of recent developments in Xenophontic scholarship and Greek linguistics. Offers new insights into Xenophon's diction and narrative technique and into the reception of Anabasis in antiquity.

In this book Lucan recounts the decisive victory of Julius Caesar over Pompey at the Battle of Pharsalus in 48 BCE. This edition guides students and scholars through the work and offers generous help with appreciating Lucan's sometimes difficult Latin and his poetic achievement.

This edition of five of Demosthenes' Assembly speeches arguing for a military response to Philip II of Macedon is aimed at students. The extensive introduction and grammatical notes fully explicate the Greek text and provide abundant detail and up-to-date references to help readers understand the historical and literary context.

A detailed guide to an important book of Ovid's Fasti, in which the poet gives an account of the Roman calendar. The commentary and introduction explore the literary tradition to which the Fasti belongs, provide clear guidance on the Latin and expound the poet's vision of Roman life, religion and myth.

Many themes of Aeschylus' Suppliants resonate strongly today, yet this edition is the first since 1889 to provide an English commentary based on the Greek text and remain accessible to advanced undergraduates and graduate students. The introduction discusses the myth, the lost companion plays, the underlying social issues, and other topics.

By attending to language, style, meter, dramatic technique, and context, this up-to-date edition makes an appealing and under appreciated play accessible to students, scholars, and readers of Greek at all levels. While recognizing the play's light touches, it takes its exploration of Apollo's Oracle, Ion's piety, and Creusa's suffering seriously.

A complete treatment of Aeneid XI, with a thorough introduction to key characters, context, and metre, and a detailed line-by-line commentary which will aid readers' understanding of Virgil's language and syntax. Indispensable for students and instructors reading this important book, which includes the funeral of Pallas and the death of Camilla.

Greek 'literary' epigrams constitute one of the most versatile and dynamic poetic forms in the Hellenistic period. This edition introduces students to this variable genre. It provides substantial grammatical and linguistic help to less experienced readers of Greek, whilst its interpretive material will also be of interest to scholars.

The satires in Book II are some of the trickiest poems of ancient Rome's trickiest poet. For intermediate and advanced students, this edition explains difficult issues of grammar, syntax, word-choice, genre, period, and style. It also offers fresh insights into the unique aspects of Horatian satire.

Examining what is arguably Cicero's best speech, this is an edition with text, introduction and commentary for students at the undergraduate and graduate levels, as well professional scholars. Helps students understand and appreciate the Pro Milone as both a literary masterpiece and a historical document.

Tacitus' account of Nero's principate is an extraordinary piece of historical writing. His graphic narrative (including Annals XV) is one of the highlights of the greatest surviving historian of the Roman Empire. It describes how the imperial system survived Nero's flamboyant and hedonistic tenure as emperor, and includes many famous passages, from the Great Fire of Rome in AD 64 to the city-wide party organised by Nero's praetorian prefect, Tigellinus, in Rome. This edition unlocks the difficulties and complexities of this challenging yet popular text for students and instructors alike. It elucidates the historical context of the work and the literary artistry of the author, as well as explaining grammatical difficulties of the Latin for students. It also includes a comprehensive introduction discussing historical, literary and stylistic issues.

Aimed primarily at undergraduates and postgraduates but will also be useful to their teachers and to professional scholars. Its principal aims are to explain Horace's Latin and to elucidate the articulation of his odes. It presents a new text and adopts an approach independent of that of earlier commentators.

Aimed primarily at undergraduates and postgraduates but will also be useful to their teachers and to professional scholars. Its principal aims are to explain Horace's Latin and to elucidate the articulation of his odes. It presents a new text and adopts an approach independent of that of earlier commentators.

Thousands of Greek verse epitaphs, covering a millennium of history, survive inscribed on stone. They shed rich light on ancient moral values, religious ideas and gender relations and attitudes, and many are of very high literary quality. This commentary on a selection of these poems is suitable for students.