Multilingualism in the Graeco-Roman Worlds

Abstract

This essay reviews a collection of eleven articles discussing evidence on multilingualism from a number of Late Antique and Medieval societies, including not only the often studied multilingual members of the Mediterranean world but also examples from western Europe. Among other issues, these articles’ authors touch upon the general concept of multilingualism, the categorization of its textual and archaeological evidence, its sociocultural impact, as well as its role in the power game between language communities.