Voices of Ancient Greece and Rome

Finding primary-source material can be a difficult task for classicists and history students. Matz (classical languages, St. Bonaventure Univ.) provides modern, easy-to-read translations of excerpts from ancient Greek and Roman documents. The texts are enhanced with definitions, contextual explanations, follow-up blurbs, reader questions, and ideas for related questions. The introductions to each text as well as the "aftermath" conclusions are particularly helpful, as they provide useful information regarding the social, political, economic, or cultural circumstances surrounding the account. While the language used in the book is aimed at college students, the accompanying questions and topics are occasionally simplistic and more focused on reading comprehension than on deeper thinking. The layout occasionally comes across as juvenile, but this is a minor issue considering the book's other strengths. Matz does not address the nuances of translating primary texts, which is a surprising oversight considering the depth of his explanations and the impact different translators may have on the content of a translated work. He does, however, give an excellent account of how the experiences of the various contemporary authors may have colored their writing.