Greek and Latin Letters: An Anthology with Translation

The seventy-eight letters in this Anthology are selected both for their intrinsic interest and to illustrate the range of functions letters performed in the ancient world. Dating from between c.500 BC and c.400 AD, they include naive and high-style, "real" and "fictitious", and classical and patristic items.

Numerous letters survive from the ancient world. Their range is similarly wide: official and private, literary and non-literary, philosophical and mundane. Some were written by well-known literary figures, such as Ovid and Pliny, others were written by kings and emperors, while many survive from the pens of otherwise anonymous figures from the provinces. This volume provides a selection, with translation, aimed at illustrating this wide range and throws light on many aspects of ancient life as well as providing a useful collection of material for those interested in ancient epistolography.