The Letters of Alciphron (second century CE) constitute one of the most attractive products of the Second Sophistic. They are fictitious compositions based on an astonishingly wide variety of circumstances, though the theme of erotic love is constantly sounded. The imagination shown by the author and his convincing realism win him a place of distinction in the early development of romantic prose. The letters, which are highly literary, owing much to the New Comedy of Menander, purport to give us a sketch of the social life of Athens in the fourth century BCE. The collection is arranged in four divisions: Letters of Fishermen; Farmers; Parasites; Courtesans. Senders and addressees are mostly invented characters, but in the last section Alciphron presents us with several attempts at historical fiction, the most engaging being an exchange of letters between Menander and Glycera.This volume also includes twenty Letters of Farmers ascribed to Aelian (c.170–235 CE) and a collection of seventy-three Erotic Epistles of Philostratus (probably Flavius of that name, also born c. 170 CE). In style and subject matter these resemble those of Alciphron, by whom they may have been influenced.

Alciphron. Aelian. Philostratus: The Letters

Literature & Fiction

Aelian

Philostratus

Alciphron

Essays & Correspondence

Harvard University Press

Aelian (Claudius Aelianus), a Roman born ca. AD 170 at Praeneste, was a pupil of the rhetorician Pausanias of Caesarea, and taught and practised rhetoric. Expert in Attic Greek, he became a serious scholar and studied history under the patronage of the Roman empress Julia Domna. He apparently spent all his life in Italy where he died after AD 230.Aelian's On the Characteristics of Animals, in 17 books, is a collection of facts and beliefs concerning the habits of animals drawn from Greek authors and some personal observation. Fact, fancy, legend, stories and gossip all play their part in a narrative which is meant to entertain readers. If there is any ethical motive, it is that the virtues of untaught yet reasoning animals can be a lesson to thoughtless and selfish mankind. The Loeb Classical Library edition of the work is in three volumes.
The Historical Miscellany (Loeb no. 486) is of similar nature. In 14 books, it consists mainly of historical and biographical anecdotes and retellings of legendary events. Some of Aelian's material is drawn from authors whose works are lost.
Aelian's Letters—portraying the affairs and country ways of a series of fictitious writers—offer engaging vignettes of rural life. These are available in Loeb no. 383.

On Animals, Volume I: Books 1–5

United States

Aelian (Claudius Aelianus), a Roman born ca. 170 CE at Praeneste, was a pupil of the rhetorician Pausanias of Caesarea, and taught and practised rhetoric. Expert in Attic Greek, he became a serious scholar and studied history under the patronage of the Roman empress Julia Domna. He apparently spent all his life in Italy where he died after 230 CE.
Aelian's On the Characteristics of Animals, in 17 books, is a collection of facts and beliefs concerning the habits of animals drawn from Greek authors and some personal observation. Fact, fancy, legend, stories and gossip all play their part in a narrative which is meant to entertain readers. If there is any ethical motive, it is that the virtues of untaught yet reasoning animals can be a lesson to thoughtless and selfish mankind. The Loeb Classical Library edition of the work is in three volumes.
The Historical Miscellany (Loeb no. 486) is of similar nature. In 14 books, it consists mainly of historical and biographical anecdotes and retellings of legendary events. Some of Aelian's material is drawn from authors whose works are lost.
Aelian's Letters—portraying the affairs and country ways of a series of fictitious writers—offer engaging vignettes of rural life. These are available in Loeb no. 383.

On Animals, Volume II: Books 6–11

Aelian (Claudius Aelianus), a Roman born ca. 170 CE at Praeneste, was a pupil of the rhetorician Pausanias of Caesarea, and taught and practised rhetoric. Expert in Attic Greek, he became a serious scholar and studied history under the patronage of the Roman empress Julia Domna. He apparently spent all his life in Italy where he died after 230 CE.Aelian's On the Characteristics of Animals, in 17 books, is a collection of facts and beliefs concerning the habits of animals drawn from Greek authors and some personal observation. Fact, fancy, legend, stories and gossip all play their part in a narrative which is meant to entertain readers. If there is any ethical motive, it is that the virtues of untaught yet reasoning animals can be a lesson to thoughtless and selfish mankind. The Loeb Classical Library edition of the work is in three volumes.The Historical Miscellany (Loeb no. 486) is of similar nature. In 14 books, it consists mainly of historical and biographical anecdotes and retellings of legendary events. Some of Aelian's material is drawn from authors whose works are lost.Aelian's Letters—portraying the affairs and country ways of a series of fictitious writers—offer engaging vignettes of rural life. These are available in Loeb no. 383.

On Animals, Volume III: Books 12–17

Aelian's Historical Miscellany is a pleasurable example of light reading for Romans of the early third century. Offering engaging anecdotes about historical figures, retellings of legendary events, and enjoyable descriptive pieces, Aelian's collection of nuggets and narratives appealed to a wide reading public.Here then are anecdotes about the famous Greek philosophers, poets, historians, and playwrights; myths instructively retold; moralizing tales about heroes and rulers, athletes and wise men; reports about food and drink, different styles in dress, lovers, gift giving, entertainments, religious beliefs, and death customs; and comments on Greek painting. Some of the information is not preserved in any other source. Underlying it all are Aelian's Stoic ideals as well as this Roman's great admiration for the culture of the Greeks (whose language he borrowed for his writings).

Historical Miscellany

Biographies & Memoirs

Arts & Literature

Claudius Aelianus (c. AD 175- c. 235), a Roman of Prenestewh ochose to write in the archaizing Greek of the autors of the Second Sophistic, earned the epithet "honey tongue" because of the sweetness of his style. "Varia Historia", originally written in Greek in the 3rd century AD, contains a miscellany of anecdotes, lists, apophthegms, biographical sketches and descriptions of natural wonders. The volume presents Aelian in such a way that his programme for selection and compilation of information becomes apprent. Considering the range of data, and the voices in which he writes, Aelian's moral focus becomes clear, as does his agenda.

An English Translation of Claudius Aelianus' Varia Historia (Studies in Classics ;V. 2)

History

Ancient Civilizations

Edwin Mellen Pr

The 18th century was a wealth of knowledge, exploration and rapidly growing technology and expanding record-keeping made possible by advances in the printing press. In its determination to preserve the century of revolution, Gale initiated a revolution of its own: digitization of epic proportions to preserve these invaluable works in the largest archive of its kind. Now for the first time these high-quality digital copies of original 18th century manuscripts are available in print, making them highly accessible to libraries, undergraduate students, and independent scholars.The Age of Enlightenment profoundly enriched religious and philosophical understanding and continues to influence present-day thinking. Works collected here include masterpieces by David Hume, Immanuel Kant, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, as well as religious sermons and moral debates on the issues of the day, such as the slave trade. The Age of Reason saw conflict between Protestantism and Catholicism transformed into one between faith and logic -- a debate that continues in the twenty-first century.++++The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to insure edition identification:++++British LibraryT088657Parallel Latin and Greek texts. The first six words of the title are transliterated from the Greek.Londini : excudit Gulielmus Bowyer, sumptibus Societatis ad Literas Promovendas institutae: prostant venales apud I. Whiston, I. Osborn, et Fran. Changvion: anno, 1744. 2v.(xiv,xxvii,[35],1128,[88]p.) ; 4°

Ailianou peri zoon idiotetos biblia 17. Aeliani de natura animalium libri XVII. Cum animadversionibus Conradi Gesneri, et Danielis Wilhelmi Trilleri: ... adjecit. Volume 2 of 2 (Latin Edition)

World

Gale ECCO, Print Editions

The 18th century was a wealth of knowledge, exploration and rapidly growing technology and expanding record-keeping made possible by advances in the printing press. In its determination to preserve the century of revolution, Gale initiated a revolution of its own: digitization of epic proportions to preserve these invaluable works in the largest archive of its kind. Now for the first time these high-quality digital copies of original 18th century manuscripts are available in print, making them highly accessible to libraries, undergraduate students, and independent scholars.The Age of Enlightenment profoundly enriched religious and philosophical understanding and continues to influence present-day thinking. Works collected here include masterpieces by David Hume, Immanuel Kant, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, as well as religious sermons and moral debates on the issues of the day, such as the slave trade. The Age of Reason saw conflict between Protestantism and Catholicism transformed into one between faith and logic -- a debate that continues in the twenty-first century.++++The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to insure edition identification: ++++British LibraryT088657Parallel Latin and Greek texts. The first six words of the title are transliterated from the Greek.Londini: excudit Gulielmus Bowyer, sumptibus Societatis ad Literas Promovendas institutae: prostant venales apud I. Whiston, I. Osborn, et Fran. Changvion: anno, 1744. 2v.(xiv, xxvii, 35],1128, 88]p.); 4 "

Ailianou peri zoon idiotetos biblia 17. Aeliani de natura animalium libri XVII. Cum animadversionibus Conradi Gesneri, et Danielis Wilhelmi Trilleri: ... adjecit. Volume 1 of 2 (Latin Edition)

Clavdii Aeliani ...: Varia Historia Et Fragmenta. Cvm Integro Commentario Lacobi Perizonii Aliorvmqve Virorvm Doetorvm Notis Gronoviana Nondvm Comprehensis Editione (German Edition)

Europe

Nabu Press

Claudii Aeliani De Natura Animalium Libri Xvii: Varia Historia, Epistolae Fragmenta, Ex Recognitione Rudolphi Hercheri (Ancient Greek Edition)

Pepagomenus, Demetrius

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