BMCR 2004.10.08, Rhodes/Osborne, Greek Historical Inscriptions

P. J. Rhodes, R. Osborne (edd.), Greek Historical Inscriptions 404-323 BC.
Oxford:  Oxford University Press, 2003.  Pp. xxxii, 594.  ISBN
0-19-815313-9.  $175.00.

Reviewed by Thomas Corsten, University of Heidelberg
(thomas.corsten@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx)
Word count:  1024 words
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This book is a replacement of the second volume of Tod's
Selection,[[1]] and is thus to be regarded as a continuation of
Meiggs/Lewis[[2]] which superseded Tod's first volume. It was envisaged
already by D. Lewis, but his death in 1994 prevented him from advancing
beyond an overview of its intended contents. Like Tod and Meiggs/Lewis,
it is aimed at making the most interesting and important epigraphic
documents of the period more easily accessible to historians. Since all
inscriptions are of historical value, Historical Inscriptions
designates in this context those texts that contribute more to our
knowledge than most others (see preface p. v). However, there are also
differences between Rhodes/Osborne and its predecessors. The most
obvious difference is that the editors provide translations of all
inscriptions, a necessary and very welcome concession to modern times,
since experience shows that most students (and even some scholars) are
prevented from using corpora or selections of inscriptions, especially
in Greek, when their fundamental source material is made available
without translations. They also give some photographs between pp. 320
and 321 and the drawing of a slab with the accounts of the Delphian
naopoioi of the years 345/4-343/2 B.C. (pp. 328-336 no. 66) to clarify
the distribution of the inscription on the stone.

The second big difference lies in the inscriptions selected for
inclusion in the volume. It is obvious, given the progress of
epigraphical research over the last decades, that a good many texts
have to be considered which were not yet known to Tod, Meiggs, and even
Lewis. Consequently it seems unavoidable that other texts which were
included in the older selections had to be left out. This might be
regrettable, but, on the other hand, if one were simply to add the
relevant number of inscriptions to Tod, the volume would be even bigger
or, more probably, one would end up with two fat volumes for which one
would have to pay the usual exorbitant OUP price. The selection of
texts seems thus rather reasonable. That Athenian inscriptions are well
represented is unavoidable, given the overwhelming production of this
city; however, Athenian prodominance is not too heavy. A concordance to
Tod and other standard editions is given on pp. 544-6 (however, a
concordance starting from Tod would be particularly useful, since it
would make clear at first glance which of Tod's inscriptions are not
included).

The book starts with a preface where a brief overview of the history of
the volume is given. The following introduction provides not only an
explanation of how the inscriptions are arranged (roughly in
chronological order), but also very useful information about the
historical background, the epigraphical publication of documents, the
political organization of Attica (since numerous inscriptions come from
Athens), the layout of Athenian documents, the Athenian calendar and
monetary system, the history of epigraphical research (starting from
Herodotus down to modern corpora and other collections), conventions of
epigraphical publications, and Greek numerals. A list of Athenian
archons of the years 403/2-323/2 follows at the end of the book on p.
543. Three maps (pp. xxix-xxxii: The Greek World, Greece and the
Aegean, Attica) show the regions and cities where the selected
inscriptions come from, and an additional map on p. 491 presents an
overview of the cities which received grain from Cyrene in ca. 330-326
B.C. (to no. 96).

The inscriptions themselves are preceded by brief descriptions of the
monuments on which they are written. The Greek text is printed on a
left page (sometimes followed by a very brief and -- rightly --
selective apparatus criticus), and the translation is conveniently put
on the corresponding right page. This order entails necessarily that
parts of the right pages opposite the descriptions (and the app. crit.,
if any) are left blank (sometimes, but not always: cf. e.g. pp. 26/7
with pp. 58/9), but this never amounts to an uneconomic waste of space.
As stated in the introduction (p. xxv), the editors have not just
copied and reprinted the selected inscriptions from previous editions
but they tried, when it seemed necessary or at least profitable, to
check readings and thus sometimes constituted a new text. The
commentaries, which run over both -- left and right -- pages, do not
usually provide line-by-line remarks, but explain the texts in a
continuous narrative which makes reading not only easier, but also more
enjoyable. This kind of commentary both provides basic explanations to
the background of the texts and makes the material all the more
accessible for non-specialists. However, if the editors deem it
necessary or useful, they do provide some additional comments, which
pertain only to certain aspects of the text and which might be of
interest only to the specialist, at the end of the general commentary
with an indication of the respective line(s). A good example of this
arrangement of description, text/translation, and commentary is no. 13
(pp. 58-63: "Dedications of the Lycian dynast Arbinas"), where the main
commentary provides the geographical and historical background, while
brief remarks on some particular problems are given at the end. This
useful and convenient concept does, however, also entail a problem in
that it is apparently not possible to refer to most of the
controversies which still surround numerous details and affect
fundamental questions. To give only two examples:

No. 35, "An Athenian protest to the Aetolian League" from 367/6 B.C.
The mention of a <greek>koino\n tw=n *Ai)twlw=n</greek> in lines 16-17
proves, according to Rhodes and Osborne, that an Aetolian League
already existed at that time. In this they follow a widespread opinion,
but they do not mention the existing different views.[[3]]

No. 42, "Greek response to the Satraps' Revolt, 362/1", a similar case.
Whereas Rhodes and Osborne provide a short but clear account of the
controversy over the date of the inscription, they do not indicate that
the very existence of something like a Satraps' Revolt has been
questioned with good arguments.[[4]]

In sum, however, this selection of inscriptions is a welcome and very
useful book, particularly for the 'non-specialist', since it makes
(sometimes difficult) texts easily accessible; and it shows the
importance of the epigraphical documentation for the study of ancient
history.

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Notes:


1.   M. N. Tod, Selection of Greek Historical Inscriptions II, Oxford
1948.

2.   R. Meiggs, D. Lewis, A Selection of Greek Historical Inscriptions
to the End of the fifth century B. C., revised ed., Oxford 1988.

3.   M. Sordi, Acme 6, 1953, 419-445; A. Giovannini, Untersuchungen
u+ber die Natur und die Anfa+nge der bundesstaatlichen Sympolitie in
Griechenland (Go+ttingen 1971) 60-63; cf. J. A. O. Larsen, Greek
Federal States (Oxford 1968) 196. A. Giovannini has also clearly shown
that the term <greek>koino/n</greek> does not necessarily and solely
designate a federal state; cf. also T. Corsten, Vom Stamm zum Bund
(Munich 1999) 15.

4.   Most fervently by M. Weiskopf, The so-called "Great Satraps'
Revolt", 366-360 B. C. (Historia Einzelschriften. Heft 63; Stuttgart
1989).