Reviews for Archaic Latin Prose

The average rating for Archaic Latin Prose based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2007-08-09 00:00:00 ktqxqtcy catuiile ARCHAIC LATIN PROSE is a collection of texts in Old Latin compiled and edited with notes by Edward Courtney. While it contains a couple of inscriptional texts, it generally eschews these for literary texts, some of which are included in works dating from quite late. I have mixed feelings about Courtney's work. There is a pretty large range of content here. Courtney starts with the Twelve Tables, an Old Latin text which remained popular among later educated Romans. This is followed by fragments of Ennius' "Euhemerus" which is, sadly, the only Ennius here. Cato gets the most attention by far of any of the authors represented, with (rather bizarre) selections from his "De Agricultura", "Origines", and speeches. Next is a chapter on senate decrees, which contains the highly interesting "Senatus Consultum de Bacchanalibus" as well as "Ad Tiburtes". There are two brief sections on military oaths and religious formulae, which of course are sure to maintain archaic features to be effective. A chapter on orators, the supposed "Letter of Cornelia" and selections from antique historians. This last section is interesting in that the writings of various historians are placed alongside parallel chapters in Livy so that one can see Livy's use and incredible embellishment of source material. Is there a downside of the text? Yes. It should be mentioned that if you are looking for a text for studies in comparative Indo-European linguistics, ARCHAIC LATIN PROSE will be of limited utility. The texts are there, so it's at least something, but Courtney has little interest in tracking the development of Latin out of Proto-Indo-European and Proto-Italic. He is more interested in matters of style, which for the student of comparative linguistics will probably seem dull and irrelevant. Yes, ARCHAIC LATIN PROSE is a must for students of comparative IE linguistics, but you are certainly going to need Philip Baldi's FOUNDATIONS OF LATIN to explain the salient phonological and morphological features of many of these texts.

Review # 2 was written on 2011-04-18 00:00:00 Edward Street There were a few interesting selections and some obvious ones. Nothing really blew me away, especially with some of the dated translations. Sadly, the introduction really soured me on the volume. Auden's arrogance and privilege put me off from the very beginning.