Ireland and the Classical World

Philip Freeman is Professor of Classics at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa.

" ... explores the evidence regarding Greek and (mostly) Roman knowledge of Ireland during the classical period and, to a lesser extent, the degree of actual interaction between the inhabitants of Ireland and Classical civilizations until the date traditionally ascribed to the arrival of St. Patrick in Ireland, A.D. 432... stakes out an appropriate middle ground between accessibility and specialized scholarship. Providing both the original Classical texts and English translations is particularly useful in this regard." Bryn Mawr Classical Review

• List of Illustrations Introduction 1. The Archaeology of Roman Material in Ireland Pre-Roman Material First-Century Material Second-Century Material Third-Century Material Fourth- and Early-Fifth-Century Material 2. Language: The Influence Of Latin In Pre-Patrician Ireland Latin Loan-Words in Early Irish The Ogam Alphabet and the Latin Grammatical Tradition 3. Ancient Authors Rufius Festus Avienus Sources for Ora maritima The Hellenistic Geographers Diodorus Siculus Julius Caesar Strabo Isidorus Pomponius Mela Pliny the Elder Pseudo-Aristotle Tacitus Juvenal Dionysius Periegetes Ptolemy Apuleius Herodian Solinus Unattributed Works Panegyric on Constantius Caesar Maritime Itinerary of Antonius Augustus Panegyric on Constantine AugustusNomina provinciarum omniumOrphic ArgonauticaPacatus Ammianus Marcellinus Unattributed Work Historia AugustaPseudo-Hegesippus Jerome Prudentius Symmachus Servius Claudian Marcianus Stobaeus Orosius Pseudo-Agathemerus Stephanus of Byzantium Appendix One: The Greek Alphabet Appendix Two: Classical References to Ireland Appendix Three: The Names of Ireland References Index