Tuscany Epitome | Valdorcia edition

Tuscany Epitome | Valdorcia edition, originally uploaded by ! . © Angela Lobefaro . !.

© Angela M. Lobefaro
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RIPRODUZIONE RISERVATA

taken near San Quirico d'Orcia - Tuscany - Italy


An epitome (Greek ἐπιτομή from ἐπιτέμνειν epitemnein "to cut short") is a summary or miniature form; an instance that represents a larger reality, also used as a synonym for embodiment.

Many documents from the Ancient Greek and Roman worlds survive now only "in epitome", referring to the practice of some later authors (epitomators) who wrote distilled versions of larger works now lost. Some writers attempted to convey the stance and spirit of the original, while others added further details or anecdotes regarding the general subject. As with all secondary historical sources, a different bias not present in the original may creep in.

Documents surviving in epitome differ from those surviving only as fragments quoted in later works, and those used as unacknowledged sources by later scholars, as they can stand as discrete documents, albeit refracted through the views of another author.

The word is often mispronounced; its correct English pronunciation is /ɨˈpɪtəmiː/.

Courtesy of Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epitome