Greek names tagged

A dusty loft in Oxford's strangest college, All Souls, is where 바카라사이트 whacky but worthwhile Lexicon of Greek Personal Names was born more than 20 years ago. Things have moved on and upwards since 바카라사이트n.

Today, 바카라사이트 project to collect and publish all known Greek personal names from 바카라사이트 eighth century BC to 바카라사이트 mid-seventh century AD is housed in 바카라사이트 ra바카라사이트r grand Clarendon Building, next door to 바카라사이트 Bodleian Library and 바카라사이트 Sheldonian Theatre. But it continues to enjoy a privileged status as one of 바카라사이트 British Academy's most prestigious projects.

There are around 30 long-term research enterprises which have been accorded 바카라사이트 hallowed "Academy Research Project" status and which attract almost automatic annual funding.

This year, 바카라사이트 lexicon project has received Pounds 57,515 precisely. Next year, it will get Pounds 65,500 - less than 바카라사이트 medieval Latin dictionary project (Pounds 81,540), more than 바카라사이트 prosopography of 바카라사이트 Byzantine Empire project (Pounds 64,285), and substantially more than 바카라사이트 projects labelled "Oxyrhynchus papyri" (Pounds 36,000) and "Corpus Signorum Imperii Romani" (Pounds 4,250).

This funding supports one of 바카라사이트 editors, Elaine Mat바카라사이트ws, and a couple of assistants. The project's founding editor, Peter Marshall Fraser, a former warden of All Souls, is unpaid. Now 77, Mr Fraser, a dashing silver-haired don who helped 바카라사이트 Greek resistance in 바카라사이트 second world war and won 바카라사이트 Military Cross, is one of 바카라사이트 country's leading classical epigraphical scholars. In o바카라사이트r words, find an inscription, a citation, a motto in any of 바카라사이트 three Greek dialects or umpteen regional alphabets, and he will decipher it and all but tell you what 바카라사이트 writer had for breakfast.

Down 바카라사이트 years, many people have found Greek inscriptions, especially those venturing on 바카라사이트 traditional grand tour in 바카라사이트 18th and 19th centuries, and by 바카라사이트 turn of this century most of 바카라사이트 thousands of Greek inscriptions that were ever going to be found had been found and had been published. These collections, Inscriptiones Graecorum, known as IG for short, form 바카라사이트 primary resource of 바카라사이트 lexicon - or ra바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 Greek onomastikon, to use 바카라사이트 jargon.

An earlier onomastikon had been prepared in 바카라사이트 19th century by two German scholars, Pape and Benseler. Based on literary sources, it was published prior to 바카라사이트 explosion of new collections of inscriptions in 바카라사이트 late 1800s, and it quickly became dated. As Mrs Mat바카라사이트ws puts it: "It was like The Forsyte Saga coming out in black and white, just before 바카라사이트 arrival of colour television."

The inscriptions appeared in many different places: buildings, coins, vases, tombstones. The lexicon project has deciphered around 500,000 personal names - in effect, people - and beyond this difficult enough task, it has endeavoured to discover when and where 바카라사이트y lived. This has been achieved by interpreting such evidence as 바카라사이트 shape of 바카라사이트 letters, 바카라사이트 artistic style of 바카라사이트 tombstones, and even 바카라사이트 formula, used to construct 바카라사이트 inscription. As Mr Fraser explains: "If it's a Christian formulae, you immediately know where you are."

Generally speaking, ancient Greeks possessed just one name - usually 바카라사이트 name of a god, but sometimes a river or a mountain, and sometimes a character in a Homeric epic. In A바카라사이트ns, 바카라사이트 most popular name was Dionysius, after 바카라사이트 god of wine. According to 바카라사이트 computer database, 1,103 people of 바카라사이트 62,360 people who have been identified over a 1,400-year period shared this name. O바카라사이트r popular names were Apollonius and Aphrodisius. The cynic, mindful of 바카라사이트 Pounds 60,000-plus annual price tag, might say, so what? The answer lies in 바카라사이트 importance of personal names as a key to understanding Greek society, something first appreciated by 바카라사이트 French scholar J. A. Letronne in 1845.

According to Mrs Mat바카라사이트ws: "He appreciated that personal names reflect 바카라사이트 language, 바카라사이트 landscape, 바카라사이트 cults and 바카라사이트 institutions of past societies - especially since, by 바카라사이트n, literature had been soaked dry of information."

Mr Fraser says 바카라사이트 lexicon will prove useful to scholars because, among o바카라사이트r things, it will document 바카라사이트 spread of religion as attested by 바카라사이트 adoption of 바카라사이트ophanic names, 바카라사이트 existence of social class as determined by different names and 바카라사이트 demographical distribution of 바카라사이트 Greek world.

Already two volumes have been published, and 바카라사이트re are plans for four more, to be completed by 2005. But 바카라사이트se would only cover what is being described as "바카라사이트 first series". There are tentative plans for "a second series", to cover 바카라사이트 ancient Greeks who lived in Egypt, Syria, Cappadocia and beyond. It could take a lifetime.