Pictorial dictionary for the culture of Classical Antiquity?

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Timothée
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Pictorial dictionary for the culture of Classical Antiquity?

Post by Timothée »

Quite often I find words in Greek and Latin dictionaries which denote special objects linked to their own culture, and my imagination does not allow to envisage them. They could for instance be certains kinds of shoes (what does e.g. caliga look like? how about κόθορνος?), hats, or shields. I am loath to visualise them via modern culture. Surely it has not been forgotten how these kinds of items actually looked like?

anphph
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Re: Pictorial dictionary for the culture of Classical Antiqu

Post by anphph »

I have seen something of the sort, but memory fails me as to where. The closest it gets is to remind me of Mynors' commentary on the Georgics, full of fine illustrations of various tools and beasts, but that is not quite what you are looking for.


Timothée
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Re: Pictorial dictionary for the culture of Classical Antiqu

Post by Timothée »

Thank you both for your suggestions. Anphph, the material like Mynors could well be of support, and I try to get a hold of it before long. I now seem to vaguely remember that even Autenrieth had some illustrations.

Bedwere, that is exactly what I had in mind. Checking it now I find that it has apparently been recently reissued under the name A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Culture.

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Re: Pictorial dictionary for the culture of Classical Antiqu

Post by anphph »

Quite fascinating! LacusCurtius has a sort of transcription going on.

As an example, here's the cothurnus.

Timothée
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Re: Pictorial dictionary for the culture of Classical Antiqu

Post by Timothée »

Interesting to see differences between the 1875 edition at Lacus Curtius and the 1890 one at Perseus. Compare the articles on cothurnus in the former and the latter. The illustrations differ quite a lot, too.

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Re: Pictorial dictionary for the culture of Classical Antiqu

Post by anphph »

Seeing that, according to LC, it «carried thru several British and American editions from the first in 1842 to the last in 1890‑91 with relatively few alterations», we are to assume that, however "relatively few", it was altered during the process, which would make the "newer" 1890 edition supposedly preferable. I'm curious as to why LC would choose to do its transcription from the older 1875 edition instead of the supposedly more revised.

That being said, the entries on the cothurnus are miles apart and even contradictory. Partly this could be expected from LC's profession to «eventually put all the Roman articles online, mostly as background material for other webpages. With exceptions, I do not intend to put any of the Greek material online.»

It actually confused me concerning what the proper use cothurnus might have been, appropriately distinguished between its Roman and Greek environments, and from its metaphor as tragic dress as opposed to hunting gear. Hm.

Carolus Raeticus
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Re: Pictorial dictionary for the culture of Classical Antiqu

Post by Carolus Raeticus »

Salvete!

Do not forget Anthony Rich's Illustrated companion to the Latin dictionary, and Greek lexicon (forming a glossary of all the words representing visible objects connected with the arts, manufactures, and everyday life of the Greeks and Romans) (Link to 1849-Archive.org-version). Many pictures and quite illuminating as far as objects are concerned.

Vale,

Carolus Raeticus
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Timothée
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Re: Pictorial dictionary for the culture of Classical Antiqu

Post by Timothée »

Thank you, C. R. The book is quite suitable. But I agree with ανφφ that cothurnus escapes me a little. Apparently it just meant many different things in different times, places and contexts?

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Re: Pictorial dictionary for the culture of Classical Antiqu

Post by bedwere »

It would be nice to have the code behind, say, http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/efts/Woodhouse/ or http://www.linguax.com/lexica, to create other searchable dictionaries out of the many scans available on archive.org.

UPDATE

I sent a an email to Catherine Mardikes, librarian at the University of Chicago. We'll see.

UPDATE II
Disappointing answer:
That is an ancient perl script which is not really suitable for distribution.

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Re: Pictorial dictionary for the culture of Classical Antiqu

Post by Carolus Raeticus »

Salve Timithée
Timothée wrote:...But I agree with ανφφ that cothurnus escapes me a little. Apparently it just meant many different things in different times, places and contexts?
If you are able to read in French, perhaps the COTHURNUS-article in Daremberg & Saglio may be useful. I have not read it, but it seems quite comprehensive, and it covers both the Greeks' and the Romans' usage of the word. If that does not help...

Vale,

Carolus Raeticus
Sperate miseri, cavete felices.

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