Encyclopedias have been with us since ancient times, and they reflect their editors’ views and their times. Ancient writers such as Aristotle, Varro, and Pliny the elder compiled encyclopedic works. The word “encyclopedia” or “encyclopaedia” is from the Greek (enkyklios paideia, meaning general or well‐rounded education). The notion of an encyclopedia’s format developed through the centuries. During the eighteenth century, Diderot and other French enlightenment authors laboured on such a work. The guiding principle of these writers was that it was possible to know the world “through human reason and that knowledge of the world could be presented in a coherent, accessible way using the convention of the Roman alphabet as an organizing principle” (Rettig, 1998).
Two types of encyclopedias exist: the general encyclopedia and the specialised encyclopedia. Shores (1976) once commented that the encyclopedia compiler’s mission is to “summarize the knowledge most significant to mankind. A comprehensive encyclopedia is the encyclopedist’s efforts to ‘retrieve’ or to summarize information universally significant”. Specialized encyclopedias focus on a single topic or academic discipline. Brill’s New Pauly: Encyclopaedia of the Ancient World is one such encyclopedia.
Before describing characteristics on the New Pauly, it may be instructive to give a brief history of its origins. New Pauly is the latest incarnation of the Realencyclopädie de classischen Altertumswissenschaft. This work dates from the nineteenth century, and its original editor was August Friedrich (von) Pauly (1796‐1845). Pauly envisioned a comprehensive encyclopedia of classical studies (i.e. the study of ancient Greece and Rome, and societies and cultures affected by them). Pauly published the first volume of the work in 1839. After Pauly’s death, Christian Walz (1802‐1857), and Wilhelm Teuffel (1820‐1878) completed the first edition in six volumes. Although the editors started a second edition, it remained uncompleted. Georg Wissowa (1859‐1931) continued the work of his predecessors by starting a new edition, the first volume of which appeared in 1894. Wissowa’s successor, Konrat Ziegler (1884‐1974), continued work on this third edition. Volumes appeared periodically over a long period, and the editors and publishers completed the work in 1980 with 68 volumes, 15 supplementary volumes and an index of the additions, supplements and the names of the 1,096 contributors. During the years 1964‐1975, editors Konrat Ziegler, Walther Sontheimer, and Hans Gärtner published a selection of the earlier Pauly. The Kleine Pauly was an abbreviated edition in six volumes, but it incorporated revisions and new material.
With the growth in academic disciplines and scholarship, there was (and is) a need for an extensive revision of the earlier Pauly encyclopedias. The present encyclopedia is an English language edition of the latest German edition, Der Neue Pauly. Editors Hubert Cancik and Helmuth Schneider published the first volume of this new German edition in 1996, and the editors and publisher decided on issuing an English language edition. Classical scholars have known Pauly for many decades, but English speakers with no German knowledge could not receive the full benefit from these many volumes. As such, the translations into English are most welcome.
Cancik and Schneider have included articles of interest to a wide audience. Their intent was to make a reference work for everyday use. Quoting Humboldt, the editors state in the Preface that their encyclopedia would be accessible to readers who “only know a very modest amount of Greek”. Later in the Preface, the editors refer to recent disciplines that have emerged since Pauly and Wissowa issued the earlier editions. These disciplines include (among others) mass psychology, historical anthropology, aerial and underwater archaeology, social history and communication studies. Cancik and Schneider have included a wide variety of topics and perspectives (e.g. economics, history, engineering, psychology, archaeology, underwater archaeology, geography, literary criticism, etc.). Over 20 editors have been enlisted to work on the project; the list of contributors spans four‐and‐a‐half pages and includes approximately 450 individuals.
New Pauly has two parts: Antiquity and the Classical Tradition. According to publisher’s notice, the intention is to release several volumes each year. Antiquity will comprise 15 volumes, while the Classical Tradition will receive five volumes. I had the opportunity to review the contents of the first Antiquity volume (A‐Ari), so my comments are be based on the entries here. I gather that the contents of this volume are indicative of the contents of the others. Because Brill has not yet published any of the Classical Tradition volumes, I can make no comments based on my direct experience. The publisher states that these latter volumes related to the influence of ancient cultures on succeeding centuries – down to our own.
What does the encyclopedia contain? It should be no surprise that this initial volume contains information on “typical” subjects relating to classical studies. There are articles on the playwrights (e.g. Aeschylus and Aristophanes), historical and political figures (e.g. Alexander the Great), characters from literature and mythology (e.g. Alcestis, Antigone, and Ares), place names (e.g. Ager Falernus, Alexandria, and Alpes), scientists (e.g. Archimedes and Aristarchus of Samos), architectural and building topics (e.g. anathyrosis) and philosophers (e.g. Anaximander, Anaximenes, and Aristotle). The reader will also find articles on topics relating to agriculture, art, medicine, science, engineering, and many others. For example, an informative article on apiculture reveals that beekeeping was a common practice in ancient times. Like most encyclopedias, New Pauly contains articles of varying length. Minor topics receive less attention and space than do major topics. Aristotle, for example, receives ten columns. This is not to say that the editors and authors are neglectful in their treatment of minor topics. Most entries – even the shortest – contain a brief bibliography, and cross‐references abound. Some entries include illustrations, and the volume includes maps and other illustrative materials.
Of course, there are omissions. In the article on Agamemnon, the author and editors made no reference to the Agamemnon appearing in Petronius’ Satyricon. This decision made me silently exclaim, “O factum male”! Pagination is not in the usual sense of a number appearing at the top or bottom of the page. Each page has two columns, and the editors have numbered each column. Consequently, this volume appears to be thicker than it actually is. This pagination scheme does have its advantages, because – presumably – the index volume will give the reader specific column numbers for a topic. This system will alleviate the need to scan an entire page looking for specific article or for passing references.
Because the work is comprehensive, the editors use many space saving devices. For example, the editors use arrows (\to) to indicate cross‐references. Early in the first volume, the editors have included lists of abbreviations and symbols for authors, publications, and other topics. Since the encyclopedia relies on these, the reader who avoids these various lists of abbreviations and symbols does so at his or her peril. For Greek words, the entries transliterate into Latin forms; next, the entries give the Greek and the literal transliteration in brackets. In addition, spellings are in British English, and this may be troublesome to American readers.
Earlier in the review, I mentioned that the editors have attempted to make an encyclopedia on classical topics for everyday use. Have they succeeded? I would say that they have to a large degree. For some readers, there may be an accessibility problem. For the entries I examined, the editors have an inborn expectation of a degree of fluency and familiarity with classical topics from their readers. Classical studies scholars, ancient history majors, and others with more than a passing interest in ancient Greece and Rome will benefit the most from New Pauly.
These slight caveats aside, there is much to recommend this encyclopedia. New Pauly is a fine example of scholarship and comprehensiveness. It will appeal to libraries and institutions that have programmes in ancient history, classical studies, archaeology, religious studies and related disciplines. For this audience, New Pauly will be an excellent choice and scholars and students will find it informative and invaluable. Other libraries may wish to purchase more modest reference sources. Despite some limitations, The Oxford Companion to Classical Civilization (Hornblower and Spawforth, 1998), The Oxford Classical Dictionary (Hornblower and Spawforth, 1999) and the recent reprint edition of The Dictionary of Classical Mythology, Religion, Literature and Art (Seyffert, 1995) are all scholarly and accessible and will be more than sufficient for the needs of smaller libraries.
