Classical philology

For the journal, see Classical Philology (journal).

Classical philology is the study of ancient Greek and classical Latin. Classical philology has been defined as "the careful study of the literary and philosophical texts of the ancient Greek and Roman worlds." Greek and Latin literature and civilization have traditionally been considered foundations of Western Culture. Important scholars in classical philology included Eduard Norden, Ulrich von Wilamowitz-Moellendorff, Franz Boll and Károly Kerényi.

Classical philology was a major preoccupation of the 19th-century German education system, which became "the paradigm for higher education" throughout Western culture. The discipline was considered a form of Wissenschaft, a "science." The training in critical analysis afforded by an education in classical philology was of particular influence on Nietzsche.

See also

• Philology
• Classical philologists, for the category listing individual scholars

Further reading

• George A. Kennedy, Classical Rhetoric and Its Christian and Secular Tradition from Ancient to Modern Times (University of North Carolina Press, 1999, 2nd edition), preview online
• Richard F. Thomas, "Past and Future in Classical Philology," in On Philology (Pennsylvania State University Press, 1990), pp. 66–74 online
• Classics and National Cultures (Oxford University Press, 2010), essay collection edited by Susan A. Stephens and Phiroze Vasunia preview online