On 2005-04-14 Christopher Culver, wrote: ARCHAIC LATIN PROSE is a collection of texts in Old Latin compiled and edited with notes by Edward Courtney. While it contains a couple of inscriptional texts, it generally eschews these for literary texts, some of which are included in works dating from quite late. I have mixed feelings about Courtney´s work.
There is a pretty large range of content here. Courtney starts with the Twelve Tables, an Old Latin text which remained popular among later educated Romans. This is followed by fragments of Ennius´ ´Euhemerus´ which is, sadly, the only Ennius here. Cato gets the most attention by far of any of the authors represented, with (rather bizarre) selections from his ´De Agricultura´, ´Origines´, and speeches. Next is a chapter on senate decrees, which contains the highly interesting ´Senatus Consultum de Bacchanalibus´ as well as ´Ad Tiburtes´. There are two brief sections on military oaths and religious formulae, which of course are sure to maintain archaic features to be effective. A chapter on orators, the supposed ´Letter of Cornelia´ and selections from antique historians. This last section is interesting in that the writings of various historians are placed alongside parallel chapters in Livy so that one can see Livy´s use and incredible embellishment of source material.
Is there a downside of the text? Yes. It should be mentioned that if you are looking for a text for studies in comparative Indo-European linguistics, ARCHAIC LATIN PROSE will be of limited utility. The texts are there, so it´s at least something, but Courtney has little interest in tracking the development of Latin out of Proto-Indo-European and Proto-Italic. He is more interested in matters of style, which for the student of comparative linguistics will probably seem dull and irrelevant. Yes, ARCHAIC LATIN PROSE is a must for students of comparative IE linguistics, but you are certainly going to need Philip Baldi´s FOUNDATIONS OF LATIN to explain the salient phonological and morphological features of many of these texts.. And summed up by saying Useful collection, but little on comparative IE linguistics . Currently Archaic Latin Prose (American Classical Studies) has an overall rating of 6 over 10.
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An American Philological Association Book claimed This work aims to show how certain striking features of classical Latin prose style have their roots in forms of expression established in archaic Latin and even beyond that in Indo-European. Some of these forms are to be explained by the origins of complex syntactical constructions, some by cultural conditions, while others are peculiar to the Latin language. These factors are exemplified in texts ranging from about 450 BC (the Twelve Tables) to about 100 BC, which are accompanied by a full commentary not confined to stylistic issues. These texts will be of interest not only to students of literature and linguistics but also of history, law, and religion.
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