Athenaeus: The Deipnosophists, Volume III, Books 6-7 (Loeb Classical Library No. 224) (Hardcover)

by Athenaeus (Author), Charles Burton Gulick (Translator)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Athenaeus (AD ca. 170–ca. 230), a Greek of Naucratis in Egypt, lived in Rome and wrote a historical work now lost. Of the fifteen books of his surviving Deipnosophists ('Sophists at Dinner'), the first two and parts of the third, eleventh, and fifteenth exist only in summary, the rest apparently complete. In it he pretends to tell a friend about a banquet at a scholar's house whither the learned guests brought extracts from poetry for recitation and discussion. Much of the matter however concerns the food provided and accessories. One learns about cooks, strange dishes, wines, menu cards, and countless other matters. Athenaeus was an antiquarian. The whole work, which mentions nearly eight hundred writers and two thousand five hundred writings, is a large treasury of information not only about table matters but also music, dances, games, and all sorts of literary subjects. And it abounds in quotations, mostly made direct by Athenaeus himself, from authors whose writings have not survived.

The Loeb Classical Library edition of The Deipnosophists is in seven volumes. There is a comprehensive index in the final volume.

About the Author
Athenaeus (AD ca. 170–ca. 230), a Greek of Naucratis in Egypt, lived in Rome.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 518 pages
• Publisher: Loeb Classical Library (June 1929)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0674992474
• ISBN-13: 978-0674992474
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,464,902 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incorrect Listing, September 16, 2001

By	G. Ferrell (Glen Ellyn, Illinois United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Athenaeus: The Deipnosophists, VI, Books 13-14.653b (Loeb Classical Library No. 327) (Hardcover)

This listing is misleading. The Deipnosophists is a book in multiple volumes from the Loeb library. Please correct the listing. I am not sure how to order these books in the way that this title is listed.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book worthwhile the trouble., April 11, 2005

By	Jan Dierckx (Belgium, Turnhout) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Athenaeus lived in the third century A.C. and was born in Naucratis in Egypt. His 'Dipnosophistae' (Banquet of Scholars) is not complete anymore but we have extensive summaries of this work.

There are thirty scholars at the banquet and each tells about a subject which is his speciality. To name a few of these subjects: antiquities (already at that time!),art,literature,gastronomy,etc. One of the main subjects is gastronomy (not something scholars are used to talk about but this is a banquet after all).

In this work are a lot of excerpts from different authors we would not know about without Athenaeus.For instance several poems of Sappho are only known because they are cited in this work of Athenaeus. Another topic is travelling (A hazardous enterprise in those days even on the Roman 'speedways').

In one of those travel stories, a large Roman ship, built for the transport of corn, is described in detail. We read for example about the facilities for the representative of Hiero (Hiero is the owner of the ship and is to busy to travel himself). These facilities were big enough for fifteen places to sleep and was divided in three large cabins. A galley - only for this representative and his family or friends - was located at the stern. Each cabin had a mosaic on the floor showing scenes from the Iliad. (Can you imagine? Such a passenger facility on a cargo ship!).

All this is very interesting but sometimes you have to read twenty tedious pages or more to read finally one interesting page. But to me that one page makes it worthwile to read the other twenty pages.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the gastronomers, September 25, 2004

By	Amazon Customer (US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Athenaeus: The Deipnosophists, Volume I, Books 1-3.106e (Loeb Classical Library No. 204) (Hardcover)

the work of athenaeus comes in seven volumes, all of them on amazon:

ISBN 0-674-99224-5
ISBN 0-674-99229-6
ISBN 0-674-99247-4
ISBN 0-674-99259-8
ISBN 0-674-99302-0
ISBN 0-674-99361-6
ISBN 0-674-99380-2

this edition has a very appealing appearance; there are even some illustrations of various drinking vessels in the back pages of volume V. each volume contains a very thorough index in the back, and volume vii, the last one, contains a 200 page comprehensive index to all of the volumes (200 pages of index should give you an idea of how much invaluable information the deipnosophistae contains).

each volume has a very readable translation with concise footnotes and crossreferences on nearly every page.

the discussion, perhaps stylistically inept, but thoroughly informative, is mostly on cuisine, as noted above, but then, there is also an intriguing book xiii, especially dedicated to women (with extensive quotations from various authors on harlots, eros (love), women, and 'lads')

to make a long story short, this edition of the deipnosophistae is a necessary addition to the shelf of any dedicated reader of the classics.

(despite the hefty price of the seven volumes combined)