» Greek Inscriptions (Reading the Past, Vol 5)

Greek Inscriptions (Reading the Past, Vol 5) Reviews

Customer Rating:
Summary: A perfect introduction
Comment: This book does exactly what it's supposed to, which is introduce to non-specialists the nature of Greek epigraphy. More than that though, it also serves as a nice introduction to the field for beginning students with ample, clear examples of Greek inscriptions given in photographs, then typed in Greek, and translated. The section on the Alphabet, with a table of regional variants, is a nice touch.

The references are great starting points for beginning students, and the Further Reading section at the end is concise but well selected. This is a simple, straightforward text that will help promising scholars begin to make sense of the field while allowing lay-people to understand the significance epigraphy has had on our understanding of Greek history.

Upon finishing this text, be sure to look into Woodhead's "The Study of Greek Inscriptions," which the authors, and I, recommend as "the indispensible textbook." Yet Woodhead, as good as it is, has not the examples or ease of this little paperback.

---