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This is a scholarly yet accessible work where the author presents 30 lively and interesting tomb inscriptions to give insight into the culture of the Greco-Roman era. In its unique, off-beat approach, the book will be of interest to school age students, but, as it is well illustrated, with a layout and format that make it easily approachable, the text will interest just about anyone who picks it up.
I found that I first went through the book enjoying the variety of the sayings, and then read the text later. Here were four concise sections explaining the value of the study of tomb inscriptions, an overview of Greco-Roman ideas of the afterlife, a history of the study of inscriptions, and the author's criteria for making the particular selections offered in this book.
The tone of the presentation is enjoyable, and the inscriptions themselves often have a whimsical quality which allows us to feel closer to those who lived and died over a thousand years ago. Many of the ideas which we hold as our own, and pride as being modern take a decidedly ancient bent. There is a tomb of 'an ancient existentialist ' or note the second century Roman inscription: "These are the bones of Pompeia's eldest daughter, fortune promises much to many, but grants it to none. Live for the day and the hour, for nothing is our own. Salvius and Eros erected this stone."
We heartily recommend this book for the excellent way that it has combined layout and content. The themes of the epitaphs are universal, and in this way they reveal a transcendent viewpoint to the reader. The ancients are brought closer in a clear and unhurried milieu.
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