Published online by Cambridge University Press: 04 April 2006
1 The first version of this paper was written when I was invited to contribute to a seminar series on Archives and Information in the Ancient World at the Institute of Classical Studies, London. I thank those who invited me, and those who discussed the paper with me, on that and on subsequent occasions; and especially Mr P. R. Kendall, Dr L. Rubinstein, and Prof. A. J. Woodman; for further, Roman, acknowledgments see Part II n. 59.
I hope that my references to collections of ancient texts will be intelligible to those interested in pursuing them: = before a reference indicates another edition of the original text, ˜ an English translation, in each case not necessarily printing or translating the same text, word for word, as the edition or translation cited before.