Sammlung Tusculum

Pliny the Younger (first/second century CE), with his collection of ten books of letters in total, was one of the most important representatives of Latin epistolography. Both his letters to various correspondents (books 1–9) and his correspondence with Emperor Trajan (book 10) provide insights into social, cultural, and political life during the Roman Empire.

The ‘long 19th century’ saw the publication of three collected German translations of the works of Lucian of Samosata, those by Wieland (1788/89), Pauly (1827–1832), and Fischer (1886/87). This new translation, structured by work groups, draws its justification from Wieland’s theory that major texts must be retranslated every 30 to 40 years in order to reflect changes in language. Volume IV contains Lucian’s writings on the underworld.

Menander’s comedies from the 4th/3rd centuries BCE mark the start of a tradition whose themes and structures endure in light comedies and soap operas while operating at the highest linguistic and psychological levels. One complete play and a number of fragments are known from papyri, with eighteen preserved well enough to reveal their contents. This book is the first to present them, along with prose translations, an introduction, and commentary.

In the Alexias, the first-born daughter of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos 1081–1118) gives an account of her father’s life and deeds. This period included major political events like the First Crusade. The author makes valuable written sources available and incorporates herself into the narrative in various ways as the first-person narrator. This work is considered a high point in Byzantine literature.

The Corpus Caesarianum compiles writings that were not penned by Caesar but that survived under his name. Alongside the eighth book of the Bellum Gallicum, this includes the three volumes presented here: the Bellum Alexandrinum, the Bellum Africum, and the Bellum Hispaniense. They pick up where Caesar’s Bellum Civile left off and present his successes in the Roman Civil War. They were (likely) written by unknown officers from his army.

The ‘long 19th century’ saw the publication of three collected German translations of the works of Lucian of Samosata, those by Wieland (1788/89), Pauly (1827–1832), and Fischer (1886/87). This new translation, structured by work groups, draws its justification from Wieland’s theory that major texts must be retranslated every 30 to 40 years in order to reflect changes in language. Volume III contains Lucian’s writings on gods and divinities.

Ovid’s letters from mythological women are, as such, a unique work of ancient literature. With great psychological insight, the poet allows famous mythological figures like Penelope and Medea to articulate their laments about the absences of their beloved husbands, which are usually irreversible. Fifteen letters are followed by three pairs of letters, in which each woman responds to a letter from her husbands like in an epistolary novel.

The Latin Bern Aenigmata (Riddles) are believed to be written in Northern Italy around 700 AD.

The collection consists of 64 short poems about objects from everyday life, plants and animals, and cosmological topics – ranging from an earthenware cooking pot to the movements of the heavenly bodies – that are transformed into enigmatic miniatures.

The bilingual edition is supplemented by a detailed commentary and introduction that discusses the probable date and origin of this fascinating collection as well as its unique position within the late antique and early medieval riddle tradition.

Michael Psellos, adviser and scholar at the Byzantine imperial court, portrays the history of Byzantium, primarily that of the eleventh century, and focuses on characterizing the ruling emperors and empresses. Doukas, on the other hand, addresses events that took place from the late phase of the Byzantine Empire until the conquest of Constantinople in 1453.

Both Ovid’s Metamorphoses and The Golden Ass by Apuleius fascinated ancient readers, and they are still being widely received today. This set offers both works in a modern close translation by Niklas Holzberg.

Although Walter of Châtillon's Alexandreis is undisputedly one of the most important Latin epics of the Middle Ages, it has led a regrettable shadowy existence in Latin philology, despite some outstanding individual contributions. With a prose translation close to the text and a detailed commentary, this work attempts to interpret the Alexandreis in its entirety and to make it accessible to a wider audience in addition to specialised scholars and students of Latin philology.

In particular, the aim is to show that an understanding of the Alexandreis as a whole, in addition to its extraordinary complexity, is inextricably linked to an insight into the epic's multiple mirror-image framework structure. Based on Walter's central demand, implemented at the end of the fifth book, to find an Alexander-like leader for the fight against the Muslim enemies, questions that have been controversial in research up to now, such as the Christian author's moral evaluation of Alexander the Great or the significance of Aristotle's speech for the work as a whole, can be satisfactorily clarified.

The Golden Ass (title in the manuscripts: Metamorphoses) by Apuleius (2nd century AD) is the only completely preserved prose novel in Roman literature and one of the greatest in world literature. The story told by a first-person narrator resembles a picaresque novel and has repeatedly inspired modern novelists. The inserted, sometimes extremely piquant novellas, especially the "fairy tale" of Cupid and Psyche, for example in Boccaccio's Decamerone, also had a broad impact. The description of the Isis cult in the last of the eleven books has also always aroused great interest.

A new Tusculum edition - the old one dates from 1958 - is a desideratum because the text has only been interpreted on the basis of modern literary studies since the 1980s (most recently by an internationally renowned research group in Groningen) and the results of this research should definitely be taken into account when editing, translating and cataloguing the work. The German rendering is based on the target language but, unlike that of its predecessors, is as literal as possible and thus fulfils the requirements of a modern bilingual edition.

Theophrastus of Eresos (c. 371 - c. 287 BC), a student and successor of Aristotle, stood out as a philosopher and natural scientist. Two works that have survived under his name analyse wind and weather and have not yet been available in German translation.

The book on the winds deals with the winds, their causes and their effects on nature and humans, while the book on weather signs discusses the possibilities of weather forecasting based on signals that can be observed in nature and in animals. However, the effects of the climate on humans - and of humans on the climate - are also considered.

In a bilingual presentation, with a detailed introduction and helpful explanations, this volume provides access to two works by the important student of Aristotle and thus enables all those interested in antiquity and its natural history to understand the ancient thinking about wind and weather at first hand.

The ‘long 19th century’ saw the publication of three collected German translations of the works of Lucian of Samosata, those by Wieland (1788/89), Pauly (1827–1832), and Fischer (1886/87). This new translation, structured by work groups, draws its justification from Wieland’s theory that major texts must be retranslated every 30 to 40 years in order to reflect changes in language. Volume II contains Lucian’s philosophical writings.

The six verse satires by Aulus Persius Flaccus (34-62 AD) seem like a modern text (e.g. Arno Schmidt) due to the poet's unconventional use of metaphors and intertextual references as well as the mixture of emphatically sophisticated poetic diction with colloquial language. Like the verse satires of his predecessor Horace, they are morally critical, but the instruction is ironically coloured in its own way and exemplifies misconduct through extremely realistic scenes.

Apart from the prose translation in W. Kißel's scholarly commentary, the text, one of the most difficult in ancient Latin, has so far only been available in metrical translations. The new prose translation endeavours to be as literal as possible and, in contrast to Kißel's, avoids a rhythmisation reminiscent of hexameter and the classical poetic lexis of the Voss tradition. As the Bilingue is aimed at a wider audience, passages of text that are not easily comprehensible in terms of wording are explained in detail. The satires are accompanied by the Vita of Persius, probably based on Suetonius. A detailed bibliography lists, above all, more recent literature on which the bilingue's approach to Persius is orientated.

Alexandra, which has come down to us under the name of Lykophron, is generally regarded as one of the most bizarre and inaccessible works of Greek literature. This is because Alexandra is not a conventional narrative poem, but an erudite literary game with countless mythological allusions and intertextual references to previous Greek literature, a riddle totalling almost 1,500 verses. This makes Alexandra a unique work in Greek literature, which had neither predecessors nor successors in this form and scope.

This edition is the first German translation of the poem in over 125 years. Alexandra is not a work that can be grasped in a quick and cursory reading, but a text that requires a concentrated and in-depth treatment from its recipients. For this reason, the German translation is accompanied by extensive notes that provide the explanations necessary for understanding. In addition, the explanatory notes show the literary history of how the poet deals with existing versions of myths by alluding to or deviating from the familiar and introducing or inventing innovations.

The garden god Priapus, depicted as a wooden statue with an oversized, red-painted phallus and a sickle in his hand, is said to ward off thieves. His obscene appearance has repeatedly inspired Greek and Latin poets to write more or less suggestive poems about him. An unknown poet, probably from the 2nd century AD, went the furthest in a book of poems dedicated to Priapus, carefully composed and intertextually linked with classical poetry, in which the god 'punishes' the intruders in his realm in three different ways with the 'weapon' sticking out from him.

In addition to this book, called Corpus Priapeorum, the volume contains the Priapus poems of older and more recent poets, including Theocritus, Catullus, Virgil, Horace, Tibullus, Ovid, Petron and Prudentius with explanatory notes. The introduction provides information on the Priapus cult and categorises the texts in terms of literary history; an essay on the very rich influence of Priapus poetry since the early modern period deals with the reception by Lessing and Goethe, among others.

With his Introduction to Arithmetic, Nicomachus of Gerasa (second century CE) created a text book that was influential and easy to understand. It presents the prime numbers and numbers of all other kinds, the relationship between numbers, but also square numbers, cube numbers, and averages. Nicomachus clearly presented ancient number theory, which made him a key figure of subsequent mathematics.

The biblical poetry of Avitus of Vienne narrates the events of the Old Testament in five books: the creation, the fall of man, banishment from the Garden of Eden, the flood myth and the Exodus. It presents them in a unique artistic style with gripping images and interprets them in the light of Christian biblical exegesis. This volume presents the beautiful Latin blossoming of epic biblical poetry in a full German translation for the first time.

Based on versions of the Fables by Phaedrus and Babrius, Niklas Holzberg offers us the first bilingual edition of the collection of Greek prose fables transmitted under the name of Aesop (first/second centuries CE). In the manuscripts, the fables follow a fictional vita of the narrator, a biography that profoundly influenced the modern genre of the picaresque novel. It is translated for the first time into German here based on sound scholarship.

The "long 19th century" saw the publication of three collected German translations of the works of Lucian of Samosata, those by Wieland (1788/89), Pauly (1827–1832), and Fischer (1886/87). This new translation, structured by work groups, draws its justification from Wieland’s theory that major texts must be retranslated every 30 to 40 years in order to reflect changes in language. Volume I contains Lucian’s specifically rhetorical writings.

Pseudo-Oppian’s Cynegetica is a fascinating didactic poem on hunting from the early third century that has received little scholarly attention. Stephan Renker’s bilingual edition is the first complete German translation in the last 250 years. A detailed introduction and helpful notes ensure the work is accessible to a wider audience.

Because of the multi-layered nature of his written works, Xenophon is enjoying increased interest. The Constitution of the Lacedemonians, translated here, is considered the essential source on ancient Sparta. It is accompanied by a biography of the Spartan king Agesilaus, and a fictional conversation between the poet Simonides and the Sicilian autocrat Hieron. Finally, the Poroi (Ways and Means) deals with issues of the state economy.

Maximos Planudes, a classically educated scholar and teacher of the 13th century, demonstrates in his "Mathematics according to the Indians" how even complicated mathematical problems can be solved easily. To achieve this, he uses the innovative concept of "zero" which had come to Europe from India via the Arab world. This highly influential book is now presented in a fresh bilingual edition.

The historical work by Dukas (c. 1400 – after 1462) has been newly edited in this volume based on the codex unicus of the Greek text and the old Italian translation, supplemented with explanatory commentary and, for the first time, translated into German. Dukas was at once a participant and observer of many of the events he describes in the Aegean region and Western Asia Minor that culminated in the sack of Constantinople on 29 May 1453.

Nature is the ruler of everything and offers an alternative to traditional medicine. While professors continue debating the appropriate medical methodology, easily obtainable natural remedies can lead to a speedy recovery.

This is the basic attitude of Theodorus Priscianus (around AD 400) whose recipes are based on natural remedies promise a successful treatment from head to toe (or more precisely: from hair loss to toe graft) to restore beauty and health. The author can be seen as a pioneer of a popular Naturopathy.

This edition of the Ysengrimus is the first to offer the Latin text with a new German prose translation that preserves the sophistical style of the original while keeping an eye on readability. The animal epic, written in 3287 elegiac distichs, was composed around the middle of the 12th century in the region around Ghent and denounces the ecclesiastical and monastic conditions of its time in a sharp satire. The unknown author has a broad spectrum of humour at his disposal, ranging from simple wordplay to slapstick-like comedy of action and ironic language to bitter sarcasm. The hopeless world that is heading for the apocalypse is exposed to laughter, a laughter that borders on despair and threatens to get stuck in the throat. The author is a brilliant storyteller whose narrative potential anticipates some of the developments of modernity (slow motion, stream of consciousness). It is not surprising that this great text forms the starting point for the vernacular animal epic from the Old French Roman de Renart to the Middle Dutch Van den vos Reynaerde and the Middle Low German Reynke de vos to Goethe's Reineke Fuchs and the comic Fix und Foxi.

The Breviarium rerum gestarum populi Romani, presented here in a new German translation with brief commentary, was written in the 4^th century by a court official named Festus. The text is an example of the breviarium literature popular at the time, but in addition, it tells about the issues current at the time of its creation, particularly conflicts with the Parthian Empire along the eastern boundaries of the Roman Empire.

Symmachus’ relationes are official reports that he sent to the Emperor in 384 and 385 while serving as urban prefect of Rome. The letters cover a broad thematic repertoire: they report on supply problems in Rome, on the organization of games, on unqualified personnel, and on several civil and criminal trials. They present a vivid picture of the administrative and legal practices of the times.

This is the first modern German translation of the political poems published by Claudian in 395–405, a unique historical source for the years after the Theodosian division of the Roman Empire. Claudian was the court poet of the Western Roman emperor Honorius and his general Stilicho. His poems also capture the spirit in which Virgil’s, Ovid’s, and Statius’s gods and heroes were revived in the panegyric of state celebrations.

This volume compiles a collection of poems traditionally ascribed to Virgil that probably did not originate with him, together with a biography of Virgil. All of the texts have been newly translated into German, a few poems have also been reedited.

Attributed to the great philosopher Aristotle, the treatise On the Universe summarized the ancient world’s knowledge of God and the world. The philosopher and author Apuleius translated the work into Latin, adapting it for a Roman audience. This is the first bilingual edition to include both works, offering new insights into its significance.

This unique work, which can serve as a teaching aid at all levels and is also suitable for a broader audience, provides a representative selection of nearly 1,500 wall inscriptions from Pompeii, transcribed, translated, and with commentary. The inscriptions provide a varied and entertaining window onto daily life in the pre-79 CE Roman Empire and also show Latin transitioning to Late Latin and the Romance languages.

The Trojan War is the subject of Homer's great epic poem Iliad - but there are also 'alternative stories' from antiquity: The Latin-language authors Dictys and Dares claim to offer eyewitness accounts and therefore a more authentic account of Troy than Homer. As the Greek-language Iliad was not accessible in the Middle Ages and until the early modern period, the two Latin works were also of the greatest importance for the reception of the Troy story up to the early modern period.

In recent years, papyri have been found that are considered to be the Greek originals of the Latin works. The Tusculum edition, which is accompanied by a detailed introduction, offers these finds in two languages for the first time and, together with the bilingual presentation of the works of Dictys and Dares, provides new access to 'alternative histories' of Troy.

Greek short epic poetry is among the most diverse and richest sub-genres of the epic. Epyllia were created since the earliest times in a colorful diversity of forms and compositions. Some of them retell far-flung myths, often working in mixed genres, tending to humorously rework or even undermine established versions. The volume compiles six of the most important and historically influential short epics.

This is the first bilingual edition of the complete Vulgate with a German translation. The Vulgate is the most widely used Latin translation of the Bible since late antiquity. It was produced by Jerome around 380-400 and can be regarded as the central work of European intellectual and theological history. As it deviates from the original biblical texts in decisive parts, it offers an important insight into the Christian theology of late antiquity, the Middle Ages and the early modern period. For centuries, the Roman Catholic Church regarded Jerome's Latin translation as the authoritative version of Holy Scripture and used it as its source.

The original Latin text of the Vulgate follows the now authoritative 5th edition by Robert Weber and Roger Gryson. The German translation is a completely new work by a team of renowned classical philologists and theologians, supported by an interdisciplinary theological-philological advisory board. The Vulgate Association based in Chur, Switzerland, was responsible for coordinating and selecting the translators and the advisory board.

The aim of the translation project is to work out Jerome's language and interpretation of the Bible independently of the theological translation tradition with all its deviations from the original Hebrew and Greek texts. The result is a translation that fulfils the highest scholarly standards and is a standard work both in its own right and as a reference work.

This is the first bilingual edition of the complete Vulgate with a German translation. The Vulgate is the most widely used Latin translation of the Bible since late antiquity. It was produced by Jerome around 380-400 and can be regarded as the central work of European intellectual and theological history. As it deviates from the original biblical texts in decisive parts, it offers an important insight into the Christian theology of late antiquity, the Middle Ages and the early modern period. For centuries, the Roman Catholic Church regarded Jerome's Latin translation as the authoritative version of Holy Scripture and used it as its source.

The original Latin text of the Vulgate follows the now authoritative 5th edition by Robert Weber and Roger Gryson. The German translation is a completely new work by a team of renowned classical philologists and theologians, supported by an interdisciplinary theological-philological advisory board. The Vulgate Association based in Chur, Switzerland, was responsible for coordinating and selecting the translators and the advisory board.

The aim of the translation project is to work out Jerome's language and interpretation of the Bible independently of the theological translation tradition with all its deviations from the original Hebrew and Greek texts. The result is a translation that fulfils the highest scholarly standards and is a standard work both in its own right and as a reference work.

The medicine of Aulus Cornelius Celsus (floruit first third of the first century AD) is not school reading and does not belong to any canon. Even medical historians find it difficult to read the work from beginning to end. But anyone studying the history of medicine in antiquity cannot avoid Celsus, even though the author presumably did not work professionally as a doctor himself. The eight books contain countless witty remarks and historical gems.

The present selection contains the proemia, the most important passages from the presentation of the theoretical and clinical subjects, the most original case descriptions and also the work's major contributions to terminology and ethics in medicine. Numerous original texts are presented for the discussion of the sources and reception in antiquity and the Middle Ages. The final section contains the fragments of the lost non-medical parts (agriculture, military affairs, rhetoric, philosophy) of the Opus Celsi.

In this work, Aelianus shows us what people found remarkable about animals in antiquity. We encounter mosquitoes and elephants along with love-crazed fish and marvelous unicorns. The work is a gold mine for citations from ancient literature that would otherwise be lost. Above all, it is a treasure trove of animal stories, which will appeal not only to readers interested in antiquity but, more broadly, to all animal lovers.

Hunting held a featured place in ancient mythology and was also the focus of two scholarly texts by Xenophon and Arrianos. They tell us about which wild animals were hunted, the method of the hunt, why hunting was useful, and reveal the great fondness of ancient humans for their hunting dogs.

Xenophon’s Hipparchikos and Peri Hippikes are instructional treatises on the horse and rider. To this day, they are seen as foundational for the art of horsemanship. In addition, they offer instruction in the principles of good leadership and provide an insightful window onto life in classical Athens.

Ailianos, who was praised by his contemporaries in the 3rd century AD as "honey-tongued" because of his beautiful language, presents us with a collection of colourful news. His Various Research preserves many fragments of literary texts which are otherwise lost, and above all charming descriptions of nature, cultural highlights, amusing anecdotes and curious stories from the whole of the classical world.

Horace is one of the leading poets of antiquity. His satires, epodes, odes, and letters greatly shaped the poetry of the modern era; his odes in particular provided an important template for the development of lyric poetry. His works are assembled here for the first time in the order in which they originally appeared. The volume also contains background information on Horace’s poetry as well as explications of individual works.

This is the first bilingual edition of the complete Vulgate with a German translation. The Vulgate is the most widely used Latin translation of the Bible since late antiquity. It was produced by Jerome around 380-400 and can be regarded as the central work of European intellectual and theological history. As it deviates from the original biblical texts in decisive parts, it offers an important insight into the Christian theology of late antiquity, the Middle Ages and the early modern period. For centuries, the Roman Catholic Church regarded Jerome's Latin translation as the authoritative version of Holy Scripture and used it as its source.

The original Latin text of the Vulgate follows the now authoritative 5th edition by Robert Weber and Roger Gryson. The German translation is a completely new work by a team of renowned classical philologists and theologians, supported by an interdisciplinary theological-philological advisory board. The Vulgate Association based in Chur, Switzerland, was responsible for coordinating and selecting the translators and the advisory board.

The aim of the translation project is to work out Jerome's language and interpretation of the Bible independently of the theological translation tradition with all its deviations from the original Hebrew and Greek texts. The result is a translation that fulfils the highest scholarly standards and is a standard work both in its own right and as a reference work.

This is the first bilingual edition of the complete Vulgate with a German translation. The Vulgate is the most widely used Latin translation of the Bible since late antiquity. It was produced by Jerome around 380-400 and can be regarded as the central work of European intellectual and theological history. As it deviates from the original biblical texts in decisive parts, it offers an important insight into the Christian theology of late antiquity, the Middle Ages and the early modern period. For centuries, the Roman Catholic Church regarded Jerome's Latin translation as the authoritative version of Holy Scripture and used it as its source.

The original Latin text of the Vulgate follows the now authoritative 5th edition by Robert Weber and Roger Gryson. The German translation is a completely new work by a team of renowned classical philologists and theologians, supported by an interdisciplinary theological-philological advisory board. The Vulgate Association based in Chur, Switzerland, was responsible for coordinating and selecting the translators and the advisory board.

The aim of the translation project is to work out Jerome's language and interpretation of the Bible independently of the theological translation tradition with all its deviations from the original Hebrew and Greek texts. The result is a translation that fulfils the highest scholarly standards and is a standard work both in its own right and as a reference work.

This is the first bilingual edition of the complete Vulgate with a German translation. The Vulgate is the most widely used Latin translation of the Bible since late antiquity. It was produced by Jerome around 380-400 and can be regarded as the central work of European intellectual and theological history. As it deviates from the original biblical texts in decisive parts, it offers an important insight into the Christian theology of late antiquity, the Middle Ages and the early modern period. For centuries, the Roman Catholic Church regarded Jerome's Latin translation as the authoritative version of Holy Scripture and used it as its source.

The original Latin text of the Vulgate follows the now authoritative 5th edition by Robert Weber and Roger Gryson. The German translation is a completely new work by a team of renowned classical philologists and theologians, supported by an interdisciplinary theological-philological advisory board. The Vulgate Association based in Chur, Switzerland, was responsible for coordinating and selecting the translators and the advisory board.

The aim of the translation project is to work out Jerome's language and interpretation of the Bible independently of the theological translation tradition with all its deviations from the original Hebrew and Greek texts. The result is a translation that fulfils the highest scholarly standards and is a standard work both in its own right and as a reference work.

"Bread and games" and "Healthy body, healthy mind" are well-known quotes from Classical literature. They both come from the Roman satirist Juvenal (approx. 60–140 CE), who is known for extremely comical if sometimes exaggerated depictions that offer a dazzling image of daily life in ancient Rome. A completely new translation with extensive notes makes the work fully accessible to the modern reader.

The art of tactics has already fascinated the ancient world. What tactics did Alexander the Great use for the conquest of his huge empire? What can the Romans learn about it? And how do you train an army today?

Answers to such questions and a unique insight into ancient tactics are provided by Arrianus (2nd century AD) in his Techne Taktike and Asclepiodotus in a work of the same title, which also employs diagrams to illustrate the text.

The inscriptions include dedications to the gods, artist signatures, the oldest letter in Europe, declarations of love, and records of house sales: since Greek writing was developed in the 8^th century BCE, all kinds of inscriptions were created that offer insight into cultural history. After an introduction about the cultural significance of Greek epigraphy, the study examines 65 inscriptions from the 8^th century BCE through the Renaissance.

Aineias shows how a small city could withstand a siege in antiquity. The book is the oldest military textbook preserved from ancient Greece and provides a unique insight into the world of the fourth century BC beyond the great powers like Athens and Sparta: The focus is on a small polis with its men and women, citizens and foreigners, free men and slaves, officials and ordinary people, all of whom must stand together in a crisis.

Polyaenus supported the Roman emperors with a work on Strategika, on strategical tricks. He presents examples from Greek and Roman history from men and women to show the impact of persuasion and surprise, of currying favours and creating anxieties, and not least of deception an trickery to achieve one's aims. The book allows a unique insight into ancient strategical thinking and enables us to transfer its advice for managers of armies to managing businesses – and life.

What should one do when one can’t find a doctor or does not trust physicians? Quintus Serenus offers an answer to this question in his Liber medicinalis. This bilingual edition, which contains an illuminating and detailed introduction, is the very first German translation of the work. It offers a unique perspective on the realities and mentalities of late antiquity, and on the history of ancient medicine.

Part of the Sammlung Tusculum series, this new bilingual edition of Ovid’s Metamorphoses replaces Rösch’s now nearly incomprehensible verse translation (the most recent edition of which was published in 1996) and Fink’s prose translation (2007) with a verse translation that is based on modern German.

The Derveni Papyrus, discovered in Greece in 1962, is one of the oldest Greek papyri ever found. The work it contains was written at the end of the 5^th century BCE by an unknown author, who allegorizes an Orphic myth into a physical account of the creation of the universe. This text provides us with fascinating new insights in the areas of Greek religion, Orphic poetry, early Greek philosophy, and early Greek allegorical interpretation. Mirjam E. Kotwick makes the work available for the first time in German translation and provides an extensive commentary. Kotwick’s commentary and translation are based on an improved text of the papyrus by Richard Janko relying on new imaging techniques.

Thucydides regarded his unfinished work on the Peloponnesian War as a “possession for all time.” This edition offers a new translation that is more faithful to the uniqueness of the original text while at the same time remaining closer to contemporary German than previous versions. The volume includes a detailed introduction and explanatory comments.

In late classical antiquity, a woman from the western part of the Roman Empire undertook a journey to the Holy Land. Her book may well be the oldest extant travelogue written by a woman. For the first time, this edition presents the work in a bilingual edition that includes the portion first discovered in 2005, providing access to a fascinating document of the travel culture of late antiquity, particularly in relation to women.

In Virgil’s Bucolica, a collection of ten poems in hexameter, shepherds sing about singing and love, and in the process, also take note of the Roman civil wars. The Georgica, also in hexameter, is structured as a systematic textbook for farmers, but between the lines, the poems can be read as a “mirror for the sovereign,” directed at Augustus. Niklas Holzberg has translated both works into metrical modern German.

How did the agricultural year look in ancient times? Palladius’s influential work on agriculture in late antiquity provides a detailed answer. It was widely disseminated during the Middle Ages and early modern period, and had a major influence on the development of farm work. For the first time, the 15 books that make up this work are made accessible in a Latin-German bilingual edition.

The work Peri hermeneias (On Interpretation) occupies an important place among Aristotle’s logical writings, but in many places, it is hard to understand. The aim of this bilingual edition is to facilitate understanding for a modern reader interested in Aristotelian philosophy and the history of logic through explanatory notes on the text.

Vergil’s Aeneid is one of the greatest works of world literature. Published around 18 BCE, this epic poem narrates the mythical antecedents of the foundation of Rome. The translation is in verses – in hexameter as the original version – but, leaving behind the classicistic tradition, uses contemporary German to render the Latin text.

The Res Gestae Divi Augusti, a funerary inscription recounting the deeds of Augustus, was originally displayed on two bronze pillars in Rome. While the originals have been lost, a Latin and Greek copy were found in 1555 in today’s Ankara. Augustus lays stress not only on his foreign policy successes, but also emphasizes his care of the people. He proudly recounts his building accomplishments and cites the many honors bestowed upon him.

This masterpiece of Byzantine literature is now available for the first time in a German translation. The Greek text is based on a new critical edition appearing in the Millennium Studies series. The imperial counselor, polymath, and writer Michael Psellos (1018-ca. 1076) portrays the rulers of Byzantium from Basil II to Michael VII, and, along the way, provides an extensive account of his own role and life.

First published in 1999 within the bilingual collection Sammlung Tusculum, the Latin/German edition of Ovid’s Amores (Erotic Poems) has now been revised and updated in a way which includes and reflects the findings of recent scholarship. With its new introduction, the annotations, an essay on the reception of the poems, and a comprehensive bibliography, the edition presented here will be an invaluable tool for students and specialists alike.

In 24 Gesängen schildert die "Ilias" die Endphase des zehnjährigen Kampfes um Troja. Im Mittelpunkt der breit angelegten dramatischen Handlung steht der von Agamemnon in seiner Ehre verletzte Achilleus. Homer schöpfte zwar aus dem reichen Fundus mündlicher Überlieferung, konzentrierte jedoch alle kompositorischen und stilistischen Mittel auf ein Zentralmotiv, den Zorn des Achilleus, so dass bereits die "Ilias" eine Dichtung von überraschender Individualität ist. Mit Urtext, Anhang und Registern.

This volume compiles contemporary records of the ancient polemic against stoicism – a doctrine whose rigid notions led to perpetual conflict about its image of the world and of man. The texts are arranged according to the nature and mode of their argument against stoicism: skeptical anti-dogmatism, stoical self-critique, satirical parody, polemical rejection, critical distancing, and narrative depiction.

In De vita Caesarum, Suetonius portrays the lives of twelve Roman emperors from Caesar to Domitian. He presents the light and dark sides of their personalities, thus offering a portrait of the mores of the late Roman Republic and early Roman Empire. De viris illustribus is devoted to the lives of famous orators, grammarians, and philosophers and to their connections with their Greek forebears.

Volume 3 includes the writings of Anaxagoras, Melissus, Diogenes of Apollonia, and the ancient Atomists. The fragments and testimonies have been newly translated and are extensively elucidated by means of comparisons with literary, medical, and technical writings of the period. The book also includes a critical examination of current research, thus developing a new and unusually differentiated picture of the natural philosophers.

Caesars Bericht der Unterwerfung Galliens in den Jahren 58 bis 51 v.Chr. gehört zweifellos zu den populärsten Dokumenten der Antike. Es ging ihm vor allem darum, seine oft selbstherrlichen Maßnahmen zu rechtfertigen, die Argumente seiner politischen Gegner in Rom zu entkräften und Freunden wie Feinden seine glänzenden - wenngleich oft waghalsigen - militärischen Operationen darzulegen. Die unerreichte Schlichtheit des Stils und die Klarheit der Sprache lassen dabei den propagandistischen Zweck geschickt in den Hintergrund treten. Caesars Schilderungen von Sitten und Gewohnheiten, von Eigenschaften und Leistungen der Stämme Galliens, Germaniens und Britanniens sind gleichzeitig die ältesten zusammenhängenden Berichte über diese Volksgruppen, die uns überliefert sind, und bieten noch heute eine aufregende Lektüre. Die Ausgabe von Caesars Hauptwerk in der zweisprachigen Edition von Otto Schönberger enthält neben Text und Übersetzung umfassende Erläuterungen, Einführungen, ein Register und erschöpfende Literaturhinweise.

Von Theokrits Leben wissen wir wenig. Geboren wohl zu Beginn des 3. Jh.s. v. Chr. im sizilischen Syrakus, hat ihn das ländliche Lebensumfeld geprägt. Eine Reise nach Alexandreia, der Metropole des Ptolemäerreiches, führte ihn vermutlich mit Kallimachos und Apollonios Rhodios sowie dem Lehrdichter Arat zusammen; belegt ist das freundschaftliche Verhältnis zu dem in Milet praktizierenden Arzt und Epigrammdichter Nikias. Als Todesdatum kommen die 60er Jahre in Frage, aber auch ein erheblich späterer Zeitpunkt. Die politischen und wirtschaftlichen Veränderungen seit dem 4. Jh. - die Herrschaft der Makedonenkönige bedeutete das Ende der Autonomie für die demokratisch organisierten kleinen griechischen Stadtstaaten - blieben nicht ohne Einfluss auf die Dichtkunst: Die Abkehr vom Gesellschaftlich-Öffentlichen und die Hinwendung zum Elitär-Privaten; der Verzicht auf die große Form des Epos und der Tragödie, statt dessen die Bevorzugung kleinerer Formen. Vorausgesetzt ist gleichzeitig ein verändertes Rezeptionsverhalten: Die Werke der alexandrinischen Dichter richten sich nicht an eine große Zuhörerschaft im Theater, sie wollen vielmehr den gebildeten einzelnen Leser, der all die literarischen und mythologischen Anspielungen und Variationen bis hin zur Parodie verstehen kann, erreichen und erfreuen. Ebenso unverkennbar ist der Innovationswille bei den Themen der eidyllia ("Kleinformen") Theokrits: die Hirtenwelt mit einer besonderen Akzentuierung des Erotischen, das städtische Leben, die ländliche Arbeitswelt der Bauern und Fischer... Die realitätsgesättigte Darstellung des Alltags der kleinen Leute steht allem Pathos des Heroischen, das Archaik und Klassik prägte, völlig fern. Darüber hinaus stellt die distanzierende Ironie mit ihren Hinweisen auf die Schwächen und Defizite der Protagonisten nicht nur einen deutlichen Gegensatz zur literarischen Tradition dar, sondern auch zu jenen Nachfolgern, die sich oft auf ein idealisierend-verengendes Theokrit-Bild berufen haben: Vergil und andere Bukoliker sowie die Verfasser von Schäferdichtung späterer Zeit. Deren heile Idyllenwelt entspringt häufig der kitschig-verklärenden Sehnsucht moderner Stadtmenschen nach dem vermeintlich einfachen und natürlichen Landleben. Allein am Wort selbst ist die Bedeutungsverschiebung unverkennbar: Das realitätsnahe "kleine Bildchen" (eidyllion) des Theokrit mit seinen oft derb-obszönen Späßen hat wenig gemein mit der romantisierenden Idylle französischer Rokokodichtung.

Volume 2 of the three-volume Greek-German edition of the works of the Pre-Socratic philosophers includes the writings of Parmenides, Zeno, and Empedocles. The new translation preserves the singular power of the metaphoric language and the precise wording of the original Greek text. The volume also includes a source edition, introductions, and extensive elucidations based on the latest academic research.

Die römische Philosophie kennt kaum einen originelleren Dichter als Lukrez (um 97-55 v. Chr.), der zu den großen Vermittlern und Weiterdenkern griechischen Gedankenguts zählt. Ausgehend von den Lehren Epikurs, entwarf er in seinem Buch "Von der Natur" eine Philosophie, in deren Mittelpunkt die Theorie der Atome steht. Aus ihren Bewegungen leitete er nicht nur die Feinstruktur der Materie, sondern auch den Aufbau des Universums und die Formen der Seele, des Geistes und der Wahrnehmung ab. Es ist ein streng materialistisches System, in dem für die Götter kein Platz mehr ist - die Welt wird von den Naturgesetzen regiert. Lukrez, der sich in scharfer Polemik gegen alle Religion wandte, sah im Glauben an strafende Götter den Hauptgrund der Todesangst, die er für alles Unglück und alle Schlechtigkeit der Menschen verantwortlich machte. Auch in sprachlicher Hinsicht gehört das Buch "Von der Natur" zu den eigenwilligsten und genialsten Leistungen der römischen Literatur. Geleitwort von Albert Einstein (1924). Mit Einführung und Erläuterungen von Ernst Günther Schmidt.

Hesiod, um 700 vor Christus im ärmlichen Böotien ("Rinderland") lebend, ist nur wenig jünger als Homer. Obwohl er von der hexametrischen Epik der "Ilias" und der "Odyssee" stark beeinflusst ist, bietet er in seinen beiden Werken "Vom Ursprung der Götter" und "Werke und Tage" etwas völlig Neues: Zum ersten Mal in der europäischen Literaturgeschichte tritt uns ein Autor als Person entgegen. Er selbst erzählt, wie die Musen ihm beim Schafehüten erschienen und den jungen Menschen zum Dichter beriefen.
Außerdem wird Hesiod zum Vater einer eigenen literarischen Gattung: des Lehrgedichts. Er bringt die göttlichen Mächte in verwandtschaftliche Beziehungen; so entsteht eine Deutung des Weltganzen, die bereits auf die philosophischen Entwürfe der vorsokratischen Denker vorausweist. Indem er die Erzählungen über die Götter zusammenfasst und ordnet, wird Hesiod zur wichtigsten Quelle des griechischen Mythos. In den "Werken und Tagen", einer Art Bauernkalender, in den Bruchstücke einer ersten Autobiographie und einige berühmte Sagen (Prometheus, Pandora, Goldenes Zeitalter) eingestreut sind, wirkt Hesiod mit seiner pessimistischen Beurteilung des eigenen Zeitalters erstaunlich aktuell. Mit Einführung, Erläuterungen und Literaturhinweisen von E.G. Schmidt.

Ovids Lehrgedicht über den römischen Festkalender, die "Fasti", entsteht im Zeitalter des Kaisers Augustus, der mit seiner Einrichtung der Monarchie eine Rückwendung zu altrömischem Götterkult, altrömischem Brauchtum und dem Mythos von der Bestimmung der Stadt Rom zur Herrin der Welt verbindet. Das Werk bietet mit heiter-besinnlichen Erläuterungen zu den Festtagen der Monate Januar bis Juni eine unterhaltsame und zugleich literarisch anspruchsvolle Einführung in die religiösen, mythischen und historischen Hintergründe für offizielle Anlässe zum Opfern und Feiern. Griechische und römische Götter- und Heldensagen werden dabei ebenso spannend wie humorvoll nacherzählt. Die Versübertragung des renommierten Ovid-Forschers Niklas Holzberg ist dem heutigen Sprachgebrauch angepasst.