The Oxford Classical Dictionary (Hardcover)

by Simon Hornblower (Editor), Antony Spawforth (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
Over a quarter of a century has elapsed since the last revision to the Oxford Classical Dictionary, longer even than the 21 years between the first and second editions. As noted in the introduction to the current edition, those years have seen a phenomenal growth in classical scholarship, indeed, in all the humanistic disciplines, and an awakening of interest in new theories and subjects long ignored. Evidence of these changes can be seen in the titles of some of the approximately 800 new articles: Homosexuality, Women in Philosophy, Abortion, Class Struggle, and Literary Theory and Classical Languages. Most articles show signs of revision and reworking, often extensive. Bibliographies have been updated as well, even in those articles (mostly short ones) reprinted without change. The editors have also made an effort to make the work more accessible to the layperson. Many of the new articles are thematic articles of general interest: Earthquakes; Shipwrecks, Ancient; and Fishing, for example. Contributors have been instructed to limit explanations that require knowledge of Greek or Latin, and although a number do appear, they are generally related to very specific details and do not compromise the comprehension of the articles in which they are found. As with the second edition, there is no general index, but there are rather generous cross-references as well as asterisks next to terms for which a separate article exists.

Users of the previous editions will be happy to know that the new edition continues to function well as a tool for identification and for the location of much of what factual information is known of the ancient world. Many of the new articles are for specific individuals, places, or things, from Acanthus (a Greek colony in Chalcidice) to Zeuxis Philathes (a Greek physician of the Augustan age). The level of scholarship remains uncompromising. Bibliographies, for example, consistently list relevant primary texts and often include non-English secondary sources. Certain discussions may not be clear to every reader, as in the account under Calender, Roman of how the 10-month calendar acquired extra months, which omits any explanation of how Quintilus came to be July. An effort has been made in this edition to list persons under family name and under linguistically correct forms even when other forms may be more familiar, so that Julius Caesar is under Iulius Caesar, Gaius and Scipio Africanus under Cornelius Scipio Africanus (the elder), Publius, though adequate cross-references exist. Occasionally, an effort to move the discussion of a specific term to a more general article has produced a blind reference; the reader, for example, is told under effatus to see Augures, but in that article the term effatus is not mentioned.

Still, despite occasional difficulties, this is a work that makes a fascinating world of learning accessible to a broad audience. The editor, in thanking the contributors for their generosity, notes that "the pressures of university life are now in the direction of selfish productivity at the level of pure research." This work, though thoroughly up to date, does seem like the product of another era, when the gap between what scholars wrote and the rest of us read was less stark. It should continue to be the single most heavily used book on classical studies in the reference collections of academic libraries, and it deserves a place in all but the smallest public libraries as well as in high-school libraries where classical studies are at all a part of the curriculum.

Review
This powerful single-volume reference is a highly recommended, basic library pick for any collection strong in classical Greek and Roman culture; from high school through college-level collections. Essays from over 360 classics scholars reflect the latest research and writings and examine all aspects of ancient Greek and Roman society. Experts from around the world contribute to a massive volume which holds a wealth of detail and information. A "must" for any serious collection. -- Midwest Book Review

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1704 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 3 edition (December 12, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 019866172X
• ISBN-13: 978-0198661726
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.8 x 2.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #870,949 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything you ever wanted to know about Greece & Rome!, August 31, 2000

By	William Peschel (Hershey, PA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a reference work, this revised third edition of "The Oxford Classical Dictionary" merits awe. Like the Grand Canyon or Niagra Falls, the best one can do is simply stand there, mouth agape and say something like, "So, there it is."

At 1,640 pages and weighing in a five and three-quarter pounds (1.48 minas according to the Attic-Euboic standard or 1.95 Roman libras), this massive reference work summarizes all that is known about the Greek and Roman worlds. It is a detailed volume that has plenty of entries for both the specialist and general reader.

But, realistically, at $100 a throw, this dictionary will be more likely to be purchased by those who have more than a passing interest in the classical era. They in turn will be rewarded with a volume that covers nearly every conceivable aspect of Roman and Greek life, from the public deeds of emperors to the private lives of laborers.

Here, among the academic jargon and bibliographical references, one may learn that, in Athens, a popular after-dinner game was the wine-throw,' in which players would flick the dregs from their cups at a target, such as a saucer floating in water; that while incest in general was banned, siblings with the same father could marry in Athens, of the mother in Sparta; that even mimes existed in both Roman and Greek cultures, sometimes acting out on the streets stock stories that sound like the sitcoms and soap operas of our day.

Much of the 800 new entries (the editors note that the book is 20 percent larger than the previous edition) focus on the societal aspects, such as alcoholism, breast-feeding, cannibalism, cemeteries, debt, fairs, fantastic literature, homosexuality, housework, suicide and tourism, while the dictionary overall benefitted from archeological discoveries made since the previous edition. While the price may be considered steep, the diction is a treasure trove of information, well-written, thoroughly annotated, and well worth the price for those with a deep interest in the Classical world.

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "A Gem of a Reference Book", July 14, 2002

By	Johannes Platonicus (South Bend, Indiana) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

The "Oxford Classical Dictionary" is a gem of a reference book, which far surpasses any other edition available in its class. With over six thousand entries, covering any topic imaginable in the sphere of the Greco-Roman world, this dictionary will come as a relief and a reward to the aspiring student and the accomplished scholar. This seventeen hundred-page dictionary is well worth its weight and should be on the shelves of anyone interested in the multifaceted occurrences of the classical world. This authoritative volume has no equal--nothing may be compared with it--and it is highly recommended. For a more convenient sized edition of the OCD, which treats the lives of influential men throughout antiquity, see Simon Hornblower's "Who's Who in the Classical World" (Oxford Paperback Reference).

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent reference, October 24, 1998

By	John Knutsen (Berkeley, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This badly-needed third edition of the OCD (the standard English-language reference to classical studies) is a fabulous work. It includes a great many new articles and adds the latest scholarship to the older pieces without replacing those that have withstood the test of time. Each article includes an excellent bibliography that points the reader to the better modern studies and the various editions of classical texts, and from there the reader can dive into a detailed study of any topic with confidence that he is being led to solid scholarly works. In addition, articles are keyed to the standard (and much larger) German reference, Pauly-Wissowa's "Real-Encyclopadie." This new edition of the OCD features contributions from an international team of scholars, and while debates will naturally arise from some of their interpretations, this remains an absolutely indispensible reference work for the scholar, student, and interested general reader. Ignore it (and the classical tradition generally) at your peril.