IX - THE NOCTES ATTICAE OF AULUS GELLIUS

Summary

It is perhaps not generally realized that a large proportion of the surviving Greek and Latin literature consists of extracts and epitomes. This is the case with almost all the remains of ancient philology, criticism, and lexicography, and with a great part of the remains of ancient history and science; and thus it has come to pass that in Roman literature, for Nepos and Hyginus we have Valerius Maximus; for Verrius Flaccus, Festus and Paulus; for Probus and Pliny, Nonius, Charisius, Servius, and Priscian; for Suetonius, Jerome and Isidore.

The passion for making epitomes, selections, florilegia, and miscellanies of all kinds, arose among the Romans in the first century after Christ, and continued in activity for along subsequent period. The Noctes Atticae of Aulus Gellius is only one specimen of the results which it produced. Gellius himself tells us (Praef. 6 foll.) of the numerous works of this kind, with their equally numerous titles, that existed in his own day. Nam quia variam et miscellam et quasi confusaneam doctrinam conquisierant, eo titulos quoque ad eam sententiam exquisitissimos indiderunt. Namque alii ‘Musarum’ inscripserunt, alii ‘Silvarum;’ ille πέπλον, hic ʾΑμαλθείας κέρας, alius κηρία, partim λειμῶνας, quidam ‘Lectionis suae,’ alius ‘Antiquarum Lectionum,’ atque alius ἀνθηρῶν, et item alius εὑρημάτων. Sunt etiam qui λύχνοις inscripserunt, sunt item qui στρωματεῖς, sunt adeo qui πανδέκτας et ʿΕλικῶνα et προβλήματα et ἐγχειρίδια et παραξιφίδας.