First published in the late eighteenth century by John Lemprière, this classical dictionary establishes a comprehensive encyclopedic record of antiquity, gathering the names of historical figures, mythological entities, and ancient geographies mentioned by classical authors. The author addresses a persistent gap in classical studies by combining concise definitions with broader historical and geographical accounts, drawing from primary Greek and Latin sources as well as modern commentators. The work sets out to solve the problem of fragmented classical knowledge, offering students and scholars a single reliable companion to navigate the complex web of ancient mythology, historical laws, and festivals. The text systematically covers the pantheon of gods and heroes, the genealogies of legendary dynasties, the chronicles of ancient kingdoms, and the topographical details of long-lost cities.
The structural core of the dictionary is augmented by extensive chronological tables spanning from the creation of the world to the fall of the eastern and western Roman empires, alongside comparative calculations of ancient coins, weights, and measures derived from scholarly research. Through successive entries, the book traces the rise and fall of empires, the lineages of legendary heroes like Achilles and Hercules, and the precise locations of rivers, mountains, and settlements mentioned by authors such as Strabo and Pliny. Rather than relying on disconnected quotations, Lemprière synthesizes historical anecdotes to draw an instructive picture of ancient civilization, acknowledging the inevitable imperfections of an initial compilation while inviting scholarly critique to refine future editions.
