What are monuments for? and why are the inscriptions so often in Latin? What on earth is the point of communicating in a language so few understand? Peter Kruschwitz, a Classics scholar and specialist in the Latin language and its history uses these questions as his starting point in The Writing on the Wall: Decoding Reading's Latin Inscriptions. In it he reveals a fascinating range of texts chosen from the wealth of Reading's Latin inscriptions. Starting from the statue of King Edward VII outside the station, the reader embarks upon a journey of discovery through the remarkable and chequered history of this town, uncovering some of Reading's hidden treasures and recalling the individuals whoa have made the town what it is today. Whom or what should we remember? And why? Knowledge, true or false, that passes on from one generation to another, forms part of a tradition, of a legacy. We need to understand that legacy in order to preserve and appreciate the rich heritage we have been left.

About the Author
Peter Kruschwitz is Professor of Classics at the University of Reading. He is a specialist in Latin language and literature, especially of the Roman Republican period, and he has published extensively on ancient Latin inscriptions. Born in 1973 in Berlin, he moved to Reading in 2007 and has since developed a keen interest in the remarkable history of this town.


Book Information
ISBN 9781901677997
Author Peter Kruschwitz
Format Paperback
Page Count 150
Imprint Two Rivers Press
Publisher Two Rivers Press