Greek Insects

This authoritative study of Greek insects treats not only the obvious questions of their identity--in modern terms of species and genera--but also such topics as the etymologies (both formal and popular) of the various insect names, the folklore, religious and other signficant associations, and the differences in attitude shown toward them by the ancient and modern world. Patterned after two famous studies by D'Arcy Thompson--A Glossary of Greek Birds and A Glossary of Greek Fishes--this volume provides a meticulous survey of the topic, examining the ancient literature and the enormous secondary literature connected with it, as well as the most recent scientific findings. Like Thompson's glossaries, this work focuses primarily on evidence from literature and art, with later evidence brought in only when needed for a full understanding of the facts. Compiled by a classics scholar working with a zoologist, this glossary provides alphabetically-arranged entries on such common insects as the ant, the louse, the butterfly, the wasp, the bedbug, the cricket, and the praying mantis. The first comprehensive study on this subject, Greek Insects belongs on the bookshelf of every Greek scholar, and it will be of considerable interest to educated readers