description Sextus Pompeius Festus Overview
Sextus Pompeius Festus was a Roman grammarian and lexicographer who probably worked during the second century CE. His surviving work, De verborum significatu, abridged a much larger dictionary by Marcus Verrius Flaccus and explained archaic Latin vocabulary, religious practices, legal expressions, and Roman customs. Although the text survives incompletely and partly through a later epitome by Paul the Deacon, it remains an important source for Latin philology and Roman antiquarian history.
help Sextus Pompeius Festus FAQ
Who was Sextus Pompeius Festus?
Sextus Pompeius Festus was a Roman grammarian and lexicographer who probably worked during the second century CE. He is known through his surviving work on archaic Latin and Roman culture.
What is De verborum significatu?
De verborum significatu is Festus's surviving lexicographical work. It abridged a much larger dictionary compiled by Marcus Verrius Flaccus.
Who was Marcus Verrius Flaccus?
Marcus Verrius Flaccus was an earlier Roman grammarian whose large dictionary provided the source for Festus's abridgment. Festus preserved material about old Latin words, religious customs, and Roman institutions.
Why do classicists study Festus's dictionary?
The work preserves explanations of archaic Latin vocabulary that would otherwise be lost. It also contains evidence about Roman religious practices, festivals, places, and antiquarian traditions.
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