
Saturnalia, Volume I
Books 1-2
Macrobius(Author)
Harvard University Press
Published on 5. January 2011
Book
Hardback
464 pages
978-0-674-99649-6 (ISBN)
Description
An antiquarian's festival.
The Saturnalia, Macrobius' encyclopedic celebration of Roman culture written in the early fifth century AD, has been prized since the Renaissance as a treasure trove of otherwise unattested lore. Cast in the form of a dialogue, the Saturnalia treats subjects as diverse as the divinity of the Sun and the quirks of human digestion while showcasing Virgil as the master of all human knowledge from diction and rhetoric to philosophy and religion.
The new Latin text is based on a refined understanding of the medieval tradition and improves on Willis' standard edition in nearly three hundred places. The accompanying translation-only the second in English and the only one now in print-offers a clear and sprightly rendition of Macrobius' ornate Latin and is supplemented by ample annotation. A full introduction places the work in its cultural context and analyzes its construction, while indexes of names, ancient works cited in both text and notes, and topics make the work more readily accessible than ever before.
The Saturnalia, Macrobius' encyclopedic celebration of Roman culture written in the early fifth century AD, has been prized since the Renaissance as a treasure trove of otherwise unattested lore. Cast in the form of a dialogue, the Saturnalia treats subjects as diverse as the divinity of the Sun and the quirks of human digestion while showcasing Virgil as the master of all human knowledge from diction and rhetoric to philosophy and religion.
The new Latin text is based on a refined understanding of the medieval tradition and improves on Willis' standard edition in nearly three hundred places. The accompanying translation-only the second in English and the only one now in print-offers a clear and sprightly rendition of Macrobius' ornate Latin and is supplemented by ample annotation. A full introduction places the work in its cultural context and analyzes its construction, while indexes of names, ancient works cited in both text and notes, and topics make the work more readily accessible than ever before.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge, Mass
United States
Dimensions
Height: 169 mm
Width: 116 mm
Thickness: 26 mm
Weight
339 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-674-99649-6 (9780674996496)
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Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Robert A. Kaster is Professor of Classics and Kennedy Foundation Professor of Latin, Emeritus, at Princeton University.