The Getty Hexameters looks in detail at a series of forty-four magical verses inscribed on a recently discovered lead tablet from Sicily in the fifth century BC, which is now in the Getty Museum, Los Angeles. Divided into two sections, the volume consists of a general introduction to the new inscriptions, together with a critical text and English translation, photographs, and drawings. The second section contains a collection of eleven interpretative essays which treat various aspects of the text, including religious and civic context, date and poetic language, transmission, and connections to ancient magic and ritual practice. The volume is the first complete critical edition of the Greek text to appear in print and contains important scholarship for the field of classics from an acclaimed list of contributors.

About the Author
Christopher A. Faraone is Frank Curtis Springer & Gertrude Melcher Springer Professor in the Humanities and Professor of Classics at the University of Chicago Dirk Obbink is University Lecturer in Papyrology and Greek Literature and Tutorial Fellow in Greek, Christ Church College, University of Oxford

Reviews
a stimulating discussion of a range of possible interpretations of the text ... [an] indispensable critical adjunct to the editio princeps. * Richard L. Gordon, Bryn Mawr Classical Review *



Book Information
ISBN 9780199664108
Author Christopher A. Faraone
Format Hardback
Page Count 240
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 452g
Dimensions(mm) 222mm * 157mm * 20mm