Peter Mackridge
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199214426
- eISBN:
- 9780191706721
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199214426.003.0003
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Sociolinguistics / Anthropological Linguistics, Psycholinguistics / Neurolinguistics / Cognitive Linguistics
This chapter begins with a brief account of variation in language use in Greek in the late 18th century. Then the chief participants in the language controversy during this period are introduced, and ...
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This chapter begins with a brief account of variation in language use in Greek in the late 18th century. Then the chief participants in the language controversy during this period are introduced, and their arguments concerning the language question are discussed. First, the archaists (those who argued that the ancient language was the only variety of Greek appropriate for writing on philosophy), beginning with Evgenios Voulgaris, who can be said to have initiated the language controversy in 1766 by attacking those who wrote on philosophy in ‘vulgar language’; then the compromisers such as Moisiodax, who argued for the use of a variety based on the spoken language, but with a large number of concessions made to Ancient Greek in both vocabulary and morphology; and lastly the vernacularists, who argued for the use of an uncompromising version of the spoken language for written purposes.Less
This chapter begins with a brief account of variation in language use in Greek in the late 18th century. Then the chief participants in the language controversy during this period are introduced, and their arguments concerning the language question are discussed. First, the archaists (those who argued that the ancient language was the only variety of Greek appropriate for writing on philosophy), beginning with Evgenios Voulgaris, who can be said to have initiated the language controversy in 1766 by attacking those who wrote on philosophy in ‘vulgar language’; then the compromisers such as Moisiodax, who argued for the use of a variety based on the spoken language, but with a large number of concessions made to Ancient Greek in both vocabulary and morphology; and lastly the vernacularists, who argued for the use of an uncompromising version of the spoken language for written purposes.
Torsten Meissner
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199280087
- eISBN:
- 9780191707100
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199280087.003.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This introductory chapter discusses the subject matter of this book, namely, word formation in Ancient Greek. The study will look at the morphological and semantic characteristics of the s-stem ...
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This introductory chapter discusses the subject matter of this book, namely, word formation in Ancient Greek. The study will look at the morphological and semantic characteristics of the s-stem formations. As a result of this investigation, a number of traditional views will be challenged. In particular, it will emerge that the conventional notion of ‘Caland's Law’ is inadequate, at least for Greek and quite possibly for the parent language as well. It is also shown that these morphological and semantic characteristics of the individual types and their historical development can be defined more closely.Less
This introductory chapter discusses the subject matter of this book, namely, word formation in Ancient Greek. The study will look at the morphological and semantic characteristics of the s-stem formations. As a result of this investigation, a number of traditional views will be challenged. In particular, it will emerge that the conventional notion of ‘Caland's Law’ is inadequate, at least for Greek and quite possibly for the parent language as well. It is also shown that these morphological and semantic characteristics of the individual types and their historical development can be defined more closely.
Peter Mackridge
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199214426
- eISBN:
- 9780191706721
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199214426.003.0010
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Sociolinguistics / Anthropological Linguistics, Psycholinguistics / Neurolinguistics / Cognitive Linguistics
This chapter provides a brief account of developments in the Greek language question since 1976, when the struggle between katharevousa and demotic has been superseded by the debate as to whether ...
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This chapter provides a brief account of developments in the Greek language question since 1976, when the struggle between katharevousa and demotic has been superseded by the debate as to whether Ancient Greek should be taught as a compulsory subject to all Greek schoolchildren with the intention of boosting their national identity and improving their use of Modern Greek. Then some of the practical linguistic consequences of the learned/popular distinction are surveyed, and finally some thoughts are expressed about attitudes to language and national identity in Greece today.Less
This chapter provides a brief account of developments in the Greek language question since 1976, when the struggle between katharevousa and demotic has been superseded by the debate as to whether Ancient Greek should be taught as a compulsory subject to all Greek schoolchildren with the intention of boosting their national identity and improving their use of Modern Greek. Then some of the practical linguistic consequences of the learned/popular distinction are surveyed, and finally some thoughts are expressed about attitudes to language and national identity in Greece today.
Andrew Garrett
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199298495
- eISBN:
- 9780191711442
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199298495.003.0006
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Historical Linguistics
This chapter surveys a set of levelings and extensions affecting verb paradigms in two languages: English and Ancient Greek. It shows that pure leveling does not exist and that the emergence of ...
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This chapter surveys a set of levelings and extensions affecting verb paradigms in two languages: English and Ancient Greek. It shows that pure leveling does not exist and that the emergence of paradigm uniformity is always the imposition of an existing (uniform) pattern on a non-uniform paradigm. It identifies a systematic difference between English and Ancient Greek in the directionality of paradigmatic changes. In English (and other languages), present-tense verb forms influence preterites; in Ancient Greek, presents are influenced by non-presents (aorists). This finding is not readily accommodated by theories invoking frequency or form predictability as the major factors influencing paradigmatic directionality, and a more complex theory is needed that also takes account of the semantics of morphological categories.Less
This chapter surveys a set of levelings and extensions affecting verb paradigms in two languages: English and Ancient Greek. It shows that pure leveling does not exist and that the emergence of paradigm uniformity is always the imposition of an existing (uniform) pattern on a non-uniform paradigm. It identifies a systematic difference between English and Ancient Greek in the directionality of paradigmatic changes. In English (and other languages), present-tense verb forms influence preterites; in Ancient Greek, presents are influenced by non-presents (aorists). This finding is not readily accommodated by theories invoking frequency or form predictability as the major factors influencing paradigmatic directionality, and a more complex theory is needed that also takes account of the semantics of morphological categories.
Thomas A. Schmitz
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780197265420
- eISBN:
- 9780191760471
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197265420.003.0003
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter looks at Ancient Greek texts as a foil for Ancient Egyptian literature. Scholars who work on cultural products of premodern societies will always be faced with the question whether, by ...
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This chapter looks at Ancient Greek texts as a foil for Ancient Egyptian literature. Scholars who work on cultural products of premodern societies will always be faced with the question whether, by using modern terminology, they are unconsciously importing anachronistic and thus inappropriate concepts into their research. The word ‘literature’ implies literacy, but it is an open question whether the fundamental qualities of writing can reside in texts which have been produced and received as written and read texts. The chapter argues that the awareness of the special quality of literary texts can indeed be found in the earliest Greek texts. It compares the ways in which speaker and addressee are constructed in early oral poetry (such as lyrics and epic) and early written texts (such as epigrams) and argues that there is no clear-cut boundary between the two modes.Less
This chapter looks at Ancient Greek texts as a foil for Ancient Egyptian literature. Scholars who work on cultural products of premodern societies will always be faced with the question whether, by using modern terminology, they are unconsciously importing anachronistic and thus inappropriate concepts into their research. The word ‘literature’ implies literacy, but it is an open question whether the fundamental qualities of writing can reside in texts which have been produced and received as written and read texts. The chapter argues that the awareness of the special quality of literary texts can indeed be found in the earliest Greek texts. It compares the ways in which speaker and addressee are constructed in early oral poetry (such as lyrics and epic) and early written texts (such as epigrams) and argues that there is no clear-cut boundary between the two modes.
D. Gary Miller
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199583423
- eISBN:
- 9780191723438
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199583423.003.0009
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Historical Linguistics, Theoretical Linguistics
Classic sound change begins in phonetic environments but rapidly gives way to more abstract (phonological, morphological, etc.) conditioning. Extension to broader contexts can initially yield ...
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Classic sound change begins in phonetic environments but rapidly gives way to more abstract (phonological, morphological, etc.) conditioning. Extension to broader contexts can initially yield complication but ultimately allow for greater regularity in a different domain. This chapter treats a specific type of denaturalization that involves a split between basic and derived strings. This includes generalization at a morpheme boundary, within a morphological category, as well as examples not so restricted. The former include assimilation in Finnish participles and compensatory lengthening in the Ancient Greek aorist. The latter include the Sanskrit ruki‐rule, assibilation in Finnish, and alternations between aspirate and voiced stop in Ancient Greek.Less
Classic sound change begins in phonetic environments but rapidly gives way to more abstract (phonological, morphological, etc.) conditioning. Extension to broader contexts can initially yield complication but ultimately allow for greater regularity in a different domain. This chapter treats a specific type of denaturalization that involves a split between basic and derived strings. This includes generalization at a morpheme boundary, within a morphological category, as well as examples not so restricted. The former include assimilation in Finnish participles and compensatory lengthening in the Ancient Greek aorist. The latter include the Sanskrit ruki‐rule, assibilation in Finnish, and alternations between aspirate and voiced stop in Ancient Greek.
D. Gary Miller
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199583423
- eISBN:
- 9780191723438
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199583423.003.0010
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Historical Linguistics, Theoretical Linguistics
Words of more than two syllables tend toward moraic balance, while even those are subject to the acceleration processes that yield triplet formation. Triplets tend to shorten to disyllables, which in ...
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Words of more than two syllables tend toward moraic balance, while even those are subject to the acceleration processes that yield triplet formation. Triplets tend to shorten to disyllables, which in Ancient Greek, where all disyllables are stable, acquire duple timing when not inhibited by semantic or morphological considerations. This mora‐preference hierarchy is applied to the solution of problems in sound change, particularly in Latin, Greek, and Germanic. Stressed open syllable lengthening can be ranked higher than disyllabism. Different rankings follow from the instability engendered by competing processes. This unified account sheds light on problems as diverse as word localization in poetry, syncope, iambic shortening, monosyllabic lengthening, trisyllabic contraction, and even some consonantal changes, such as assibilation in Ancient Greek, Hittite, and Finnish. Finally, implications are adduced for optimality of the trochaic foot.Less
Words of more than two syllables tend toward moraic balance, while even those are subject to the acceleration processes that yield triplet formation. Triplets tend to shorten to disyllables, which in Ancient Greek, where all disyllables are stable, acquire duple timing when not inhibited by semantic or morphological considerations. This mora‐preference hierarchy is applied to the solution of problems in sound change, particularly in Latin, Greek, and Germanic. Stressed open syllable lengthening can be ranked higher than disyllabism. Different rankings follow from the instability engendered by competing processes. This unified account sheds light on problems as diverse as word localization in poetry, syncope, iambic shortening, monosyllabic lengthening, trisyllabic contraction, and even some consonantal changes, such as assibilation in Ancient Greek, Hittite, and Finnish. Finally, implications are adduced for optimality of the trochaic foot.
Cristina Guardiano
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199582624
- eISBN:
- 9780191731068
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199582624.003.0009
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Historical Linguistics, Syntax and Morphology
This chapter accounts for two changes that distinguish Modern Greek from Ancient (Classical and New Testament) Greek: the requirement in Modern Greek that proper names occur with a definite article, ...
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This chapter accounts for two changes that distinguish Modern Greek from Ancient (Classical and New Testament) Greek: the requirement in Modern Greek that proper names occur with a definite article, and the rise of an indefinite article. It argues that these two changes are related. In Ancient Greek, nominal expressions could receive a singular count interpretation with a null expletive D head. The rise of overt indefinite articles indicates that the feature count had come to be grammaticalized (that is, required spellout). Once this requirement was in place, a null expletive in D became generally unavailable, requiring that the overt determiner in D select a proper name.Less
This chapter accounts for two changes that distinguish Modern Greek from Ancient (Classical and New Testament) Greek: the requirement in Modern Greek that proper names occur with a definite article, and the rise of an indefinite article. It argues that these two changes are related. In Ancient Greek, nominal expressions could receive a singular count interpretation with a null expletive D head. The rise of overt indefinite articles indicates that the feature count had come to be grammaticalized (that is, required spellout). Once this requirement was in place, a null expletive in D became generally unavailable, requiring that the overt determiner in D select a proper name.
Torsten Meissner
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199280087
- eISBN:
- 9780191707100
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199280087.003.0003
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
The neuter s-stem nouns constitute one of the best established word formation categories in the Indo-European languages and it is certain that they are deep-rooted in the parent language itself. The ...
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The neuter s-stem nouns constitute one of the best established word formation categories in the Indo-European languages and it is certain that they are deep-rooted in the parent language itself. The Proto-Indo-European background of these nouns is briefly assessed in this chapter, giving due regard to problems concerning their inflection and derivation. The conditions under which new s-stem neuter nouns could be formed will then be determined. In keeping with the aim of his book of looking at morphologically and semantically closely defined classes of words in the context of the language system as a whole, the most important suffixes competing with the formations in -εσ/-οζ are examined here.Less
The neuter s-stem nouns constitute one of the best established word formation categories in the Indo-European languages and it is certain that they are deep-rooted in the parent language itself. The Proto-Indo-European background of these nouns is briefly assessed in this chapter, giving due regard to problems concerning their inflection and derivation. The conditions under which new s-stem neuter nouns could be formed will then be determined. In keeping with the aim of his book of looking at morphologically and semantically closely defined classes of words in the context of the language system as a whole, the most important suffixes competing with the formations in -εσ/-οζ are examined here.
Torsten Meissner
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199280087
- eISBN:
- 9780191707100
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199280087.003.0005
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
Greek possesses a large number of s-stem adjectives of the type δυσμενήζ ‘evil-minded’. More than 6,000 different formations of such adjectives are attested, and even if one subtracts the compounds ...
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Greek possesses a large number of s-stem adjectives of the type δυσμενήζ ‘evil-minded’. More than 6,000 different formations of such adjectives are attested, and even if one subtracts the compounds in -ειδήζ and -ώδηζ, more that 3,000 formations remain. Clearly only a small percentage of these adjectives can be inherited and s-stem adjectives are amongst the most productive word formation categories within Greek, and they are distinctly more productive than comparable formations in Indo-Iranian.Less
Greek possesses a large number of s-stem adjectives of the type δυσμενήζ ‘evil-minded’. More than 6,000 different formations of such adjectives are attested, and even if one subtracts the compounds in -ειδήζ and -ώδηζ, more that 3,000 formations remain. Clearly only a small percentage of these adjectives can be inherited and s-stem adjectives are amongst the most productive word formation categories within Greek, and they are distinctly more productive than comparable formations in Indo-Iranian.
Torsten Meissner
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199280087
- eISBN:
- 9780191707100
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199280087.003.0006
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
The overall aim of this study is to determine the morphological and semantic characteristics of the various sigmatic formations, while accounting for their development within Greek and from ...
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The overall aim of this study is to determine the morphological and semantic characteristics of the various sigmatic formations, while accounting for their development within Greek and from reconstructed PIE into Greek. None of the suffixes involved could be studied in isolation, and to this end the consideration of their mutual interaction as well as of the connection between them and morphologically different but semantically close or equivalent formations was necessary. One lesson to be learned by this study is a fundamental one: that morphology and semantics are inseparable.Less
The overall aim of this study is to determine the morphological and semantic characteristics of the various sigmatic formations, while accounting for their development within Greek and from reconstructed PIE into Greek. None of the suffixes involved could be studied in isolation, and to this end the consideration of their mutual interaction as well as of the connection between them and morphologically different but semantically close or equivalent formations was necessary. One lesson to be learned by this study is a fundamental one: that morphology and semantics are inseparable.
Torsten Meissner
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199280087
- eISBN:
- 9780191707100
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199280087.003.0004
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
Greek possesses a very small number of non-neuter s-stem nouns. Among these words, feminine nouns are rarer than masculine ones. Yet, the type, though weak, seems to be inherited from the parent ...
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Greek possesses a very small number of non-neuter s-stem nouns. Among these words, feminine nouns are rarer than masculine ones. Yet, the type, though weak, seems to be inherited from the parent language as witnessed by a (possibly imperfect) equation. In Latin, this inflectional paradigm was reasonably successful (compare with the numerous nouns in -ōs and -or like honōs/honor ‘honour’, flōs ‘flower’), but both Greek and Sanskrit show mere relics of this group.Less
Greek possesses a very small number of non-neuter s-stem nouns. Among these words, feminine nouns are rarer than masculine ones. Yet, the type, though weak, seems to be inherited from the parent language as witnessed by a (possibly imperfect) equation. In Latin, this inflectional paradigm was reasonably successful (compare with the numerous nouns in -ōs and -or like honōs/honor ‘honour’, flōs ‘flower’), but both Greek and Sanskrit show mere relics of this group.
Jo Willmott
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- September 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199602537
- eISBN:
- 9780191758164
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199602537.003.0008
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Historical Linguistics, Syntax and Morphology
This chapter traces the historical complexities of the Greek negative system from Ancient Greek to Standard Modern Greek. Throughout its history Greek has two sentential negators. This chapter ...
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This chapter traces the historical complexities of the Greek negative system from Ancient Greek to Standard Modern Greek. Throughout its history Greek has two sentential negators. This chapter discusses the best way to characterise the difference between them, arguing that it is more complex than simply a distinction between a standard indicative negator (Ancient Greek ou, Modern Greek dhen) and a subjunctive negator (Ancient Greek mē, Modern Greek min). The shift from ou to dhen (via ouden) as the main negator is traced as a development akin to but distinct from Jespersen’s cycle. Finally, the chapter traces the development of negative concord and negative imperatives in the history of the language.Less
This chapter traces the historical complexities of the Greek negative system from Ancient Greek to Standard Modern Greek. Throughout its history Greek has two sentential negators. This chapter discusses the best way to characterise the difference between them, arguing that it is more complex than simply a distinction between a standard indicative negator (Ancient Greek ou, Modern Greek dhen) and a subjunctive negator (Ancient Greek mē, Modern Greek min). The shift from ou to dhen (via ouden) as the main negator is traced as a development akin to but distinct from Jespersen’s cycle. Finally, the chapter traces the development of negative concord and negative imperatives in the history of the language.
P. J. Finglass, C. Collard, and N. J. Richardson (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199285686
- eISBN:
- 9780191713958
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199285686.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval, Poetry and Poets: Classical, Early, and Medieval
Martin West is widely recognized as one of the most significant classicists of all time. Over nearly half a century his publications have transformed our understanding of Greek poetry. This book ...
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Martin West is widely recognized as one of the most significant classicists of all time. Over nearly half a century his publications have transformed our understanding of Greek poetry. This book celebrates his achievement with twenty-five chapters on different areas of the subject which he has illuminated, written by distinguished scholars from four continents. It also includes West's Balzan Prize acceptance speech, ‘Forward into the Past’, in which he explains his approach to literary scholarship, and a complete bibliography of his academic publications.Less
Martin West is widely recognized as one of the most significant classicists of all time. Over nearly half a century his publications have transformed our understanding of Greek poetry. This book celebrates his achievement with twenty-five chapters on different areas of the subject which he has illuminated, written by distinguished scholars from four continents. It also includes West's Balzan Prize acceptance speech, ‘Forward into the Past’, in which he explains his approach to literary scholarship, and a complete bibliography of his academic publications.
Robert Parker
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- January 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780520293946
- eISBN:
- 9780520967250
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520293946.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Ancient Religions
This is a book about interaction between Greek religion and the religious cultures of the many regions of the eastern Mediterranean and beyond with which it came into contact during the long period ...
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This is a book about interaction between Greek religion and the religious cultures of the many regions of the eastern Mediterranean and beyond with which it came into contact during the long period when Greek was the lingua franca of the ancient world. It studies the practice of identifying Greek gods with those of other countries, and its limits. It shows how Greek gods were named and referred to within Greece, and how these ways of naming were adopted, extended and adapted in new cultural contexts. It argues, following Hermann Usener’s Götternamen, that such naming practices provide essential insight into religious psychology and values.Less
This is a book about interaction between Greek religion and the religious cultures of the many regions of the eastern Mediterranean and beyond with which it came into contact during the long period when Greek was the lingua franca of the ancient world. It studies the practice of identifying Greek gods with those of other countries, and its limits. It shows how Greek gods were named and referred to within Greece, and how these ways of naming were adopted, extended and adapted in new cultural contexts. It argues, following Hermann Usener’s Götternamen, that such naming practices provide essential insight into religious psychology and values.
Esther Eidinow
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199277780
- eISBN:
- 9780191708114
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199277780.003.0003
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Ancient Religions
In the Ancient Greek world, engagements with the supernatural were mundane, many, and varied: a spectrum of interactions at different social levels, involving different mortal and supernatural ...
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In the Ancient Greek world, engagements with the supernatural were mundane, many, and varied: a spectrum of interactions at different social levels, involving different mortal and supernatural personnel and conducted with a variety of intentions. Alongside state-organized events, there was a vast market in supernatural services, offered both by institutions and individuals. This chapter examines the nature of this market, from the ritual specialists (male and female) who sold oracles, binding spells/curses, healing spells and initiations into mysteries, to the many different kinds of oracular sanctuaries scattered across the Greek landscape; as well as examining how modern attitudes to, and understanding of, these activities have changed over time.Less
In the Ancient Greek world, engagements with the supernatural were mundane, many, and varied: a spectrum of interactions at different social levels, involving different mortal and supernatural personnel and conducted with a variety of intentions. Alongside state-organized events, there was a vast market in supernatural services, offered both by institutions and individuals. This chapter examines the nature of this market, from the ritual specialists (male and female) who sold oracles, binding spells/curses, healing spells and initiations into mysteries, to the many different kinds of oracular sanctuaries scattered across the Greek landscape; as well as examining how modern attitudes to, and understanding of, these activities have changed over time.
Esther Eidinow
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199277780
- eISBN:
- 9780191708114
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199277780.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Ancient Religions
In this book, question tablets from the oracle at Dodona are set side-by-side with curse tablets (katadesmoi or defixiones) from across the Ancient Greek world (for the period 6th-1st centuries BCE). ...
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In this book, question tablets from the oracle at Dodona are set side-by-side with curse tablets (katadesmoi or defixiones) from across the Ancient Greek world (for the period 6th-1st centuries BCE). It explores what these texts reveal about perceptions of and responses to the uncertain future, and the nature of risk among ordinary Greek men and women, as well as the insights they afford into civic institutions and activities, and social dynamics. The author follows the anthropologist Mary Douglas in defining ‘risk’ as socially constructed, in contrast to other ancient historians, who treat risk-management as a way of handling objective external dangers. The use of this theory encourages a new approach to both oracles and curses, and in particular, challenges the categories and theories usually used to describe and explain curses. The book includes a full catalogue of all published texts from Dodona, as well as a number of new tablets not published elsewhere, along with the 159 curse tablets discussed, together with translations of all texts.Less
In this book, question tablets from the oracle at Dodona are set side-by-side with curse tablets (katadesmoi or defixiones) from across the Ancient Greek world (for the period 6th-1st centuries BCE). It explores what these texts reveal about perceptions of and responses to the uncertain future, and the nature of risk among ordinary Greek men and women, as well as the insights they afford into civic institutions and activities, and social dynamics. The author follows the anthropologist Mary Douglas in defining ‘risk’ as socially constructed, in contrast to other ancient historians, who treat risk-management as a way of handling objective external dangers. The use of this theory encourages a new approach to both oracles and curses, and in particular, challenges the categories and theories usually used to describe and explain curses. The book includes a full catalogue of all published texts from Dodona, as well as a number of new tablets not published elsewhere, along with the 159 curse tablets discussed, together with translations of all texts.
David Sedley
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520253643
- eISBN:
- 9780520934368
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520253643.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Ancient Greek, Roman, and Early Christian Philosophy
The world is configured in ways that seem systematically hospitable to life forms, especially the human race. Is this the outcome of divine planning or simply of the laws of physics? Ancient Greeks ...
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The world is configured in ways that seem systematically hospitable to life forms, especially the human race. Is this the outcome of divine planning or simply of the laws of physics? Ancient Greeks and Romans famously disagreed on whether the cosmos was the product of design or accident. This book examines this question and illuminates new historical perspectives on the pantheon of thinkers who laid the foundations of Western philosophy and science. Versions of what we call the “creationist” option were widely favored by the major thinkers of classical antiquity, including Plato, whose ideas on the subject prepared the ground for Aristotle's celebrated teleology. But Aristotle aligned himself with the anti-creationist lobby, whose most militant members—the atomists—sought to show how a world just like ours would form inevitably by sheer accident, given only the infinity of space and matter. This study explores seven major thinkers and philosophical movements enmeshed in the debate: Anaxagoras, Empedocles, Socrates, Plato, the atomists, Aristotle, and the Stoics.Less
The world is configured in ways that seem systematically hospitable to life forms, especially the human race. Is this the outcome of divine planning or simply of the laws of physics? Ancient Greeks and Romans famously disagreed on whether the cosmos was the product of design or accident. This book examines this question and illuminates new historical perspectives on the pantheon of thinkers who laid the foundations of Western philosophy and science. Versions of what we call the “creationist” option were widely favored by the major thinkers of classical antiquity, including Plato, whose ideas on the subject prepared the ground for Aristotle's celebrated teleology. But Aristotle aligned himself with the anti-creationist lobby, whose most militant members—the atomists—sought to show how a world just like ours would form inevitably by sheer accident, given only the infinity of space and matter. This study explores seven major thinkers and philosophical movements enmeshed in the debate: Anaxagoras, Empedocles, Socrates, Plato, the atomists, Aristotle, and the Stoics.
Esther Eidinow
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199277780
- eISBN:
- 9780191708114
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199277780.003.0010
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Ancient Religions
This chapter focuses on judicial curse tablets, which offer a unique viewpoint on Ancient Greek litigation, revealing the fears of those going to court. At the same time, they add to the ...
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This chapter focuses on judicial curse tablets, which offer a unique viewpoint on Ancient Greek litigation, revealing the fears of those going to court. At the same time, they add to the understanding of the legal process, the different roles played by its personnel, and the actual and symbolic significance of litigation within the city. The curse texts indicate that litigation was likely to have been fought in teams, suggesting that current versions of Athenian litigation as consisting simply of one-on-one power struggles between elite politicians are too limited. The range of personnel bound on the curse tablets suggests that not only more people, but more kinds of people (including women) were involved. But this study also questions how we categorize curses as judicial, and argues that for a number of curses usually placed in this category, the context of their creation is far from certain; it suggests other possible explanations for their creation.Less
This chapter focuses on judicial curse tablets, which offer a unique viewpoint on Ancient Greek litigation, revealing the fears of those going to court. At the same time, they add to the understanding of the legal process, the different roles played by its personnel, and the actual and symbolic significance of litigation within the city. The curse texts indicate that litigation was likely to have been fought in teams, suggesting that current versions of Athenian litigation as consisting simply of one-on-one power struggles between elite politicians are too limited. The range of personnel bound on the curse tablets suggests that not only more people, but more kinds of people (including women) were involved. But this study also questions how we categorize curses as judicial, and argues that for a number of curses usually placed in this category, the context of their creation is far from certain; it suggests other possible explanations for their creation.
Víctor Acedo-Matellán
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780198733287
- eISBN:
- 9780191797804
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198733287.003.0006
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Syntax and Morphology, Theoretical Linguistics
The split within the class of satellite-framed languages is further explored. Ancient Greek is shown as behaving like Latin and Slavic, its complex resultative constructions requiring the presence of ...
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The split within the class of satellite-framed languages is further explored. Ancient Greek is shown as behaving like Latin and Slavic, its complex resultative constructions requiring the presence of a prefix. Germanic and Finno-Ugric are shown as behaving like strong satellite-framed languages. The importance of the interaction between agreement marking on the adjective and the univerbation of the verb and the result part of the complex event is shown through Icelandic and some varieties of Mandarin Chinese. The former, strong satellite-framed, allows the prefixation of the adjective in resultative constructions only when it is not marked for agreement. In the latter, weak satellite-framed, complex adjectival resultative constructions are possible, unlike in Latin or Slavic, because the resultative adjective does not show agreement marking and can thus be affixed to the verb. The rest of the chapter considers some works that have tackled the uneven availability of complex resultative constructions.Less
The split within the class of satellite-framed languages is further explored. Ancient Greek is shown as behaving like Latin and Slavic, its complex resultative constructions requiring the presence of a prefix. Germanic and Finno-Ugric are shown as behaving like strong satellite-framed languages. The importance of the interaction between agreement marking on the adjective and the univerbation of the verb and the result part of the complex event is shown through Icelandic and some varieties of Mandarin Chinese. The former, strong satellite-framed, allows the prefixation of the adjective in resultative constructions only when it is not marked for agreement. In the latter, weak satellite-framed, complex adjectival resultative constructions are possible, unlike in Latin or Slavic, because the resultative adjective does not show agreement marking and can thus be affixed to the verb. The rest of the chapter considers some works that have tackled the uneven availability of complex resultative constructions.
